373 Top Hospitals for Patient Experience in 2026: What Nurses Need to Know

Patient experience continues to be one of the most important indicators of healthcare quality in the United States, and nurses remain at the center of that experience.

Healthgrades recently released its 2026 Outstanding Patient Experience Awards, recognizing 373 hospitals nationwide for delivering exceptional patient-centered care. The recognition highlights hospitals that consistently earned high patient satisfaction scores and demonstrated excellence in communication, safety, and overall care delivery.

The organization evaluated more than 3,020 hospitals that submitted patient experience surveys through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Hospitals in the bottom 20 percent for overall clinical quality were excluded from consideration.

According to Healthgrades, three factors most strongly influence whether patients recommend a hospital:

• Physician communication
• Nurse communication
• Clear discharge communication and care instructions

Among these, nurse communication continues to be one of the strongest predictors of patient trust, satisfaction, and overall healthcare experience.

For nurses, this recognition goes far beyond rankings. It reflects the growing importance of compassionate bedside care, patient education, teamwork, leadership, and communication in today's healthcare environment.

Hospitals recognized this year ranged from major academic medical centers and nationally recognized healthcare systems to regional community hospitals delivering exceptional patient-centered care.

373 Top Hospitals for Patient Experience in 2026

Alabama

• Baptist Medical Center East (Montgomery)

Arkansas

• Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway
• Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas (Rogers)

Arizona

• Honorhealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Medical Center
• Mayo Clinic Hospital (Phoenix)

California

• Casa Colina Hospital (Pomona)
• Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
• Community Memorial Hospital San Buenaventura (Ventura)
• Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital (Santa Barbara)
• Hoag Hospital Newport Beach
• Kaiser Permanente Orange County-Anaheim Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center (San Diego)
• Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles)
• Mammoth Hospital (Mammoth Lakes)
• Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame)
• PIH Health Whittier Hospital
• Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
• Scripps Green Hospital (San Diego)
• Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (San Diego)
• Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City)
• Sharp Coronado Hospital
• Sonoma Valley Hospital
• Stanford Hospital
• Sutter Amador Hospital (Jackson)
• Sutter Roseville Medical Center
• Torrance Memorial Medical Center
• UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights (San Francisco)

Colorado

• Animas Surgical Hospital (Durango)
• CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital (Durango)
• CommonSpirit St. Mary-Corwin Hospital (Pueblo)
• Foothills Hospital (Boulder)
• Medical Center of the Rockies (Loveland)
• Rose Women's Hospital (Denver)
• Saint Joseph Hospital (Denver)
• UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital

Connecticut

• UConn John Dempsey Hospital (Farmington)

Florida

• AdventHealth Wesley Chapel
• Baptist Medical Center Beaches (Jacksonville Beach)
• BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel
• HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital (Niceville)
• Mayo Clinic in Florida (Jacksonville)
• Mease Dunedin Hospital
• Morton Plant North Bay Hospital (New Port Richey)
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital Venice (North Venice)

Georgia

• Fairview Park Hospital (Dublin)
• Higgins General Hospital (Bremen)
• Memorial Health Meadows Hospital (Vidalia)
• Northside Hospital Cherokee (Canton)
• Northside Hospital Forsyth (Cumming)
• Piedmont Columbus Regional Northside
• Southeastern Regional Medical Center (Newnan)
• Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center (Lagrange)

Hawaii

• Adventist Health Castle (Kailua)
• Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center (Honolulu)
• Pali Momi Medical Center (Aiea)

Iowa

• Iowa Specialty Hospital Belmond
• Mary Greeley Medical Center (Ames)
• Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids
• MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center
• Methodist Jennie Edmundson (Council Bluffs)
• Orange City Area Health System
• Spencer Municipal Hospital
• UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Hospital-Cedar Rapids
• Van Diest Medical Center (Webster City)

Idaho

• Idaho Falls Community Hospital
• St. Luke's Boise Medical Center
• St. Luke's Nampa Medical Center
• West Valley Medical Center (Caldwell)

Illinois

• Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital (Barrington)
• Alton Memorial Hospital
• HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital (O'Fallon)
• HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital Breese
• Memorial Hospital Belleville
• Midwest Medical Center (Galena)
• Midwestern Region Medical Center (Zion)
• Morris Hospital and Healthcare Centers
• Northwestern Medicine Central Dupage Hospital (Winfield)
• Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital (Geneva)
• Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital
• Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago)
• SIH St. Joseph Memorial Hospital (Murphysboro)

Indiana

• Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center (Carmel)
• Community Hospital East (Indianapolis)
• Franciscan Health Lafayette East
• Franciscan Health Mooresville
• Franciscan Health Orthopedic Hospital Carmel
• Hendricks Regional Health (Danville)
• Henry Community Health (New Castle)
• Lutheran Downtown Hospital (Fort Wayne)
• OrthoIndy Hospital (Indianapolis)
• Unity Physicians Hospital (Mishawaka)

Kansas

• AdventHealth South Overland Park
• Ascension Via Christi Hospital Pittsburg
• Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute (Leawood)
• Kansas Heart Hospital (Wichita)
• Kansas Surgery and Recovery Center (Wichita)
• Labette Health (Parsons)
• Manhattan Surgical Hospital
• Salina Surgical Hospital
• Summit Surgical (Hutchinson)
• University of Kansas Hospital (Kansas City)

Kentucky

• Baptist Health La Grange
• Baptist Health Lexington
• Baptist Health Richmond
• Logan Memorial Hospital (Russellville)
• Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital (Greenville)
• Saint Joseph Berea
• Saint Joseph London

Louisiana

• AVALA Hospital (Covington)
• Christus Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital (Alexandria)
• Citizens Medical Center (Columbia)
• Cypress Pointe Surgical Hospital (Hammond)
• Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital
• Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center (Houma)
• Ochsner Saint Anne General Hospital (Raceland)
• Ochsner University Hospital and Clinics (Lafayette)
• Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center (Lafayette)
• Saint Tammany Parish Hospital (Covington)
• The Spine Hospital of Louisiana at the NeuroMedical Center (Baton Rouge)
• West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital (Sulphur)

Massachusetts

• Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston)
• Fairview Hospital (Great Barrington)
• Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)
• Tufts Medical Center (Boston)

Maryland

• Garrett Regional Medical Center (Oakland)
• The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore)
• University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center (Towson)

Maine

• Maine General Medical Center (Augusta)
• Northern Light Mercy Hospital (Portland)
• York Hospital

Michigan

• Chelsea Hospital
• Corewell Health Ludington Hospital
• Holland Hospital
• MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena
• MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin
• MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch
• Sparrow Carson Hospital (Carson City)
• Trinity Health Grand Rapids Hospital
• Trinity Health Shelby Hospital
• University Hospital-University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

Minnesota

• Allina Health Faribault Medical Center
• Fairview Range Medical Center (Hibbing)
• Glacial Ridge Hospital (Glenwood)
• Lake Region Healthcare Corp. (Fergus Falls)
• Lakeview Hospital (Stillwater)
• Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus (Rochester)
• Mora Hospital
• North Memorial Health-Maple Grove Hospital
• Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital (Saint Louis Park)
• Ridgeview Medical Center (Waconia)
• River's Edge Hospital and Clinic (Saint Peter)
• Riverwood Healthcare Center (Aitkin)

Missouri

• Barnes Jewish Hospital (St. Louis)
• Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital (Creve Coeur)
• Cox Barton County Hospital (Lamar)
• Cox Monett Hospital (Monett)
• Mercy Hospital Jefferson (Festus)
• Missouri Baptist Medical Center (St. Louis)
• Parkland Health Center (Farmington)
• Saint Luke's East Hospital (Lee's Summit)
• Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City
• St. Luke's Des Peres Hospital (St. Louis)
• St. Luke's Hospital (Chesterfield)

Mississippi

• Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi (Oxford)
• Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County (New Albany)

Montana

• Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center
• Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital (Billings)
• Saint Patrick Hospital (Missoula)

North Carolina

• AdventHealth Hendersonville
• Atrium Health Lincoln
• Duke University Hospital (Durham)
• FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital (Pinehurst)
• Johnston Health (Smithfield)
• Northern Regional Hospital (Mount Airy)
• Novant Health Medical Park Hospital (Winston-Salem)
• Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center (Charlotte)
• Pardee Hospital (Hendersonville)
• Rex Hospital (Raleigh)
• University of North Carolina Hospital (Chapel Hill)
• Vidant Duplin Hospital (Kenansville)
• Vidant Edgecombe Hospital (Tarboro)
• Watauga Medical Center (Boone)

Nebraska

• Boone County Health Center (Albion)
• Brodstone Healthcare (Superior)
• Bryan East Campus (Lincoln)
• CHI Health Nebraska Heart (Lincoln)
• Community Medical Center (Falls City)
• Faith Regional Health Services (Norfolk)
• Methodist Fremont Health
• Methodist Hospital (Omaha)
• Midwest Surgical Hospital (Omaha)
• Nebraska Spine Hospital (Omaha)
• Orthonebraska Hospital (Omaha)
• Phelps Memorial Health Center (Holdrege)

New Hampshire

• Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (Lebanon)
• Frisbie Memorial Hospital (Rochester)
• Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital (Lebanon)
• Memorial Hospital (North Conway)
• Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (Dover)

New Jersey

• Deborah Heart and Lung Center (Browns Mills)

New Mexico

• Three Crosses Regional Hospital (Las Cruces)

Nevada

• Saint Rose Dominican Hospitals San Martin (Las Vegas)

New York

• Adirondack Medical Center Saranac Lake
• Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic (Clifton Springs)
• Glen Cove Hospital
• Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City)
• Mather Hospital (Port Jefferson)
• St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center (Roslyn)
• UHS Delaware Valley Hospital (Walton)

Ohio

• Avon Hospital at Richard E. Jacobs Campus
• Berger Hospital (Circleville)
• Christ Hospital (Cincinnati)
• Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center (Akron)
• Dublin Methodist Hospital
• Grady Memorial Hospital (Delaware)
• Holzer Gallipolis
• Kettering Health Troy
• Madison Health (London)
• Mary Rutan Health (Bellefontaine)
• McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital (Oxford)
• Memorial Hospital (Marysville)
• Mercer County Community Hospital (Coldwater)
• Mercy Health Tiffin Hospital
• Mercy Health-Allen Hospital (Oberlin)
• ProMedica Defiance Regional Hospital
• Soin Medical Center (Beavercreek)
• Surgical Hospital at Southwoods (Youngstown)
• UH Regional Hospitals (Chardon)
• University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center (Ashland)
• Van Wert County Hospital
• Wood County Hospital (Bowling Green)
• Wooster Community Hospital

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma Heart Hospital South (Oklahoma City)
• Saint Francis Hospital (Tulsa)
• Saint Francis Hospital South (Tulsa)
• SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Shawnee
• Talihina Health Care Center
• Tulsa Spine and Specialty Hospital

Oregon

• Grande Ronde Hospital (La Grande)
• Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center (Hillsboro)
• Providence Portland Medical Center
• St. Charles Bend

Pennsylvania

• Advanced Surgical Hospital (Washington)
• AHN Wexford Hospital
• Bryn Mawr Hospital
• Canonsburg General Hospital
• Chester County Hospital (West Chester)
• Doylestown Hospital
• Evangelical Community Hospital (Lewisburg)
• Geisinger Medical Center Muncy
• Geisinger St. Luke's Hospital (Orwigsburg)
• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
• Jefferson Hospital (Jefferson Hills)
• Mount Nittany Medical Center (State College)
• OSS Orthopaedic Hospital (York)
• Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center (Enola)
• Physician's Care Surgical Hospital (Royersford)
• Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital (Bensalem)
• St. Luke's Hospital-Carbon Campus (Lehighton)
• St. Luke's Hospital-Easton Campus
• St. Luke's Hospital-Upper Bucks Campus (Quakertown)
• Surgical Institute of Reading (Wyomissing)
• UPMC Harrisburg
• UPMC Muncy
• UPMC Passavant-McCandless (Pittsburgh)
• UPMC Somerset
• West Penn Hospital (Pittsburgh)

Rhode Island

• South County Hospital (Wakefield)
• Westerly Hospital

South Carolina

• Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital (Charleston)
• McLeod Health Clarendon (Manning)
• McLeod Health Dillon
• McLeod Loris Hospital
• Newberry County Memorial Hospital
• Pelham Medical Center (Greer)
• Prisma Health Greer Memorial Hospital
• Roper Hospital (Charleston)
• Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital (Summerville)
• Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital

South Dakota

• Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota (Sioux Falls)
• Avera Sacred Heart Hospital (Yankton)
• Black Hills Surgical Hospital (Rapid City)
• Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital

Tennessee

• Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City
• Henry County Medical Center (Paris)
• Roane Medical Center (Harriman)
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville)

Texas

• Baylor Scott and White Medical Center-College Station
• Baylor Scott and White Medical Center-Hillcrest (Waco)
• Baylor Scott and White Medical Center-Plano
• Baylor Scott and White Medical Center-Waxahachie
• Baylor Scott and White the Heart Hospital Plano
• Christus Mother Frances Hospital Sulphur Springs
• Citizens Medical Center (Victoria)
• Hill Country Memorial Hospital (Fredericksburg)
• Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital
• Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital
• Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
• Houston Methodist the Woodlands Hospital
• Houston Methodist West Hospital
• Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital
• Houston Physicians' Hospital (Webster)
• Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
• Palo Pinto General Hospital (Mineral Wells)
• Peterson Regional Medical Center (Kerrville)
• Quail Creek Surgical Hospital (Amarillo)
• South Texas Spine and Surgical Hospital (San Antonio)
• St. Luke's Health-The Vintage Hospital (Houston)
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman
• Texas Institute for Surgery at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas
• The Physicians Centre Hospital (Bryan)
• UT Health North Campus Tyler
• UT Health Pittsburg
• William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital (Dallas)

Utah

• American Fork Hospital
• Heber Valley Hospital (Heber City)
• LDS Hospital (Salt Lake City)
• Logan Regional Hospital
• Mountain View Hospital (Payson)
• Saint George Regional Hospital
• University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics (Salt Lake City)
• Utah Valley Hospital (Provo)

Virginia

• Buchanan General Hospital (Grundy)
• Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital
• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital (Fairfax)
• Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church)
• Lewisgale Hospital Montgomery (Blacksburg)
• Lewisgale Hospital Pulaski
• Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital (Charlottesville)
• Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center
• UVA Health Sciences Center (Charlottesville)

Washington

• Evergreenhealth Medical Center-Kirkland
• Island Hospital (Anacortes)
• Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center (Vancouver)
• Tri-State Memorial Hospital (Clarkston)
• UW Medical Center-Montlake (Seattle)

Wisconsin

• Aurora Baycare Medical Center (Green Bay)
• Aurora Lakeland Medical Center (Elkhorn)
• Aurora Medical Center-Bay Area (Marinette)
• Aurora Medical Center-Grafton
• Aurora Medical Center-Oshkosh
• Bellin Memorial Hospital (Green Bay)
• Door County Medical Center (Sturgeon Bay)
• Froedtert Holy Family Memorial Hospital (Manitowoc)
• Grant Regional Health Center (Lancaster)
• Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center (La Crosse)
• Howard Young Medical Center (Woodruff)
• HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital (Sheboygan)
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire
• Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare La Crosse
• Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital (Franklin)
• Oakleaf Surgical Hospital (Altoona)
• Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin (Glendale)
• ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital
• River Falls Area Hospital
• Sauk Prairie Hospital (Prairie du Sac)
• Southwest Health Center (Platteville)
• SSM Health Monroe Hospital (Monroe)
• SSM Health St. Clare Hospital-Baraboo
• ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton
• Tomah Health
• UnityPoint Health-Meriter (Madison)
• University Hospital (Madison)
• Westfields Hospital and Clinic (New Richmond)

West Virginia

• Valley Health War Memorial Hospital (Berkeley Springs)
• Welch Community Hospital

Wyoming

• Cheyenne Regional Medical Center-West Campus
• Ivinson Memorial Hospital (Laramie)

The Importance of Nursing Leadership in Patient Experience

As healthcare systems continue to face staffing shortages, burnout concerns, and operational challenges, patient experience remains deeply connected to nursing support and workplace culture.

Hospitals that invest in nurses through leadership development, safe staffing, communication training, and workplace support are more likely to improve both patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.

The 2026 Healthgrades recognition serves as a reminder that healthcare excellence is not defined solely by technology or innovation. Patients remember how they were treated, how well they were informed, and whether they felt heard during vulnerable moments.

Nurses remain at the center of that experience.

Sources: Healthgrades 2026 Outstanding Patient Experience Awards; Becker's Hospital Review