FirstHealth Home Care Recognized by U.S. News & World Report in Inaugural Best Home Health Ratings

PINEHURST - FirstHealth Home Care, headquartered in Pinehurst, has been named a Best Home Health agency for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report, recognizing the outstanding care provided through its Moore and Richmond County locations. This recognition comes as part of U.S. News' first-ever evaluation of home health providers, identifying the top-performing agencies in the United States.

"This achievement reflects the passion and expertise of our entire FirstHealth Home Care family," says Dan Barnes, D.O., president of FirstHealth Physician Group. "We are honored to receive this recognition and remain committed in our core purpose, To Care for People, by providing compassionate, quality home health care."

With more than three million patients turning to home health agencies each year, this debut analysis offers a much-needed, independent view of quality. By prioritizing patient outcomes and consumer experience for a predominantly senior population, these ratings provide clarity for families, in consultation with their physicians, making crucial care decisions. FirstHealth Home Care earned the "High Performing" designation - the highest level of recognition - for exceeding expectations in care quality and patient experience based on U.S. News' methodology.

"We are proud to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Best Home Health Agencies in its inaugural 2026 ratings," says Connie Christopher, director for FirstHealth Home Care. "This distinction, awarded in the first year of this national evaluation, highlights our commitment to delivering exceptional, patient-centered care in the comfort of home. Our dedicated team of nurses, therapists and support staff works tirelessly to ensure high-quality care is provided to each and every patient and family we serve across our communities."

In the first edition of Best Home Health, U.S. News evaluated more than 12,000 agencies. Just 17% of the agencies U.S. News rated were awarded the Best Home Health designation from U.S. News.

"Earning the Best Home Health distinction is a significant achievement, as it is reserved only for those agencies that satisfy U.S. News' standards of care quality and patient experience," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News.

The Best Home Health methodology developed by U.S. News leverages two data sets from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Data on care quality measures, including timely initiation of care and outcomes such as potentially preventable hospitalizations, were combined with patient experience surveys to produce the ratings. The ratings and underlying data for each agency, published on USNews.com, provide consumers with the trusted data and clarity they need to confidently choose, in consultation with their health care providers, the right care for a family member or themselves.

For more information on the inaugural Best Home Health ratings, visit U.S. News Health and use #BestHomeHealth on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.