Healthgrades Names America's Top Hospitals for Patient Experience 2026

HSS announced today that it has been named a 2026 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ recipient by Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use to find a doctor or hospital. This award recognizes hospitals that excel at delivering top-quality care while ensuring a positive patient experience. This achievement reflects HSS's commitment to superior, patient-centered care and puts the organization in the top 15% of hospitals nationwide for patient experience for the third consecutive year.

"Better patient experiences are correlated with better health outcomes, which is why patients should always strive to seek care at a facility with a clear dedication to high-quality, patient-centered care," said Dr. Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. "As an Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipient, HSS sets the benchmark for patient experience nationwide, ensuring that every patient feels heard, empowered, and confident throughout the care journey."

For this annual analysis, Healthgrades evaluated Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient survey data across 10 key patient experience measures-ranging from room cleanliness to care explanations-to determine the nation's best hospitals for patient experience. Recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Patient Experience Award earned the highest overall experience scores, reflecting an unwavering commitment to exceptional, individualized care.

Healthgrades' analysis also identified three aspects of patient experience that best predict whether a patient will recommend a hospital to friends and family:*

• Doctor communication
• Nurse communication
• Clear communication about care when discharged

View the announcement, full Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipient list and Outstanding Patient Experience Award Methodology on healthgrades.com.

^*Healthgrades evaluated 3,020 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient experience surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), covering admissions from January 2024 to December 2024. Hospitals in the bottom 20% for overall clinical quality were excluded from consideration.