Choosing the right hospital can feel overwhelming, especially when you or a loved one is facing a medical procedure. You want skilled doctors and nurses, but you also want to feel respected, informed, and comfortable throughout your stay. A new report from Healthgrades aims to help with that second part.

Healthgrades has announced its 2026 Outstanding Patient Experience Awards. These awards recognize hospitals that go above and beyond to make sure patients feel heard, safe, and satisfied during their hospital visits. According to the organization, the winners represent the top 15% of hospitals across the entire country for patient experience. This year, 373 hospitals from 46 states earned this honor.

Understanding which hospitals prioritize patient experience is more than just a nice bonus. Research consistently shows that when patients feel respected and involved in their care, they tend to have better health outcomes. This means fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and a smoother recovery process. For everyday readers, this news offers a practical tool to help guide one of the most important decisions you may ever make.

Which States Have the Most Top-Rated Hospitals?

If you live in Texas, you have a particularly strong chance of finding a hospital that excels in patient experience. Texas leads the nation this year with 31 award-winning hospitals. Following closely behind are Wisconsin with 28, Pennsylvania with 25, and both California and Ohio with 23 hospitals each.

These numbers matter because they show that excellent patient-centered care is not limited to one region. While some states have more winners due to their larger populations, the fact that 46 states are represented suggests that high-quality patient experiences are achievable across the country.

For readers, this means you do not necessarily need to travel far to find a hospital that prioritizes your comfort and communication. Many communities in these states—and others—have facilities that rank among the best in the nation for how they treat their patients.

What Makes a Hospital Stand Out for Patient Experience?

To determine the winners, Healthgrades analyzed data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. These surveys are filled out by real patients after their hospital stay and are submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Hospitals had to submit at least 100 completed surveys to be considered for the award.

The surveys ask patients about many aspects of their hospital experience, including:

• How well nurses communicated with them
• How well doctors communicated with them
• How responsive hospital staff were to their needs
• How clean and quiet the hospital environment was
• How clearly discharge instructions were explained
• How well their pain was managed
• Whether they were given information about medications
• Whether they would recommend the hospital to family and friends

Healthgrades evaluated hospitals across 10 different patient experience measures. According to the organization, three factors were most strongly linked to whether a patient would recommend a hospital: doctor communication, nurse communication, and clear communication during discharge. This finding highlights that the human side of medicine—talking, listening, and explaining—matters just as much as the medical equipment and technology.

Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades, said in a press release that “better patient experiences are correlated with better health outcomes, which is why patients should always consider patient experience during the care search.” She added that the award recognizes hospitals that ensure “patients feel heard, empowered, and confident throughout the care journey.”

What Are the Top Awards Hospitals Can Earn?

This year, 16 hospitals achieved something truly remarkable. They were triple recipients, meaning they earned the Outstanding Patient Experience Award, the Patient Safety Excellence Award, and the America’s Best Hospitals distinction. These hospitals are leaders not only in how patients feel about their care but also in safety and overall clinical quality.

Additionally, 80 hospitals were dual recipients. They earned both the Outstanding Patient Experience Award and the Patient Safety Excellence Award. This is a significant achievement because it shows that a hospital can be both safe and pleasant. Some people worry that focusing on patient satisfaction might take attention away from medical safety, but these hospitals prove that the two goals can go hand in hand.

For patients, this is reassuring news. It suggests that you do not have to choose between a hospital that treats you well and one that keeps you safe. Many of the best hospitals excel at both.

How Should You Use This Information?

While awards like these are helpful, experts caution that they should not be your only source of information. Healthgrades itself notes that these awards are not recommendations or endorsements for particular hospitals. Patient experience scores alone should not determine where you go for care.

Instead, think of this award as one piece of a larger puzzle. When you are choosing a hospital, you should also consider several other important factors:

• Your own medical needs and the specific condition being treated
• Recommendations from your primary care doctor or specialist
• Your health insurance coverage and which hospitals are in-network
• Access to specialty care, such as a dedicated heart center or cancer unit
• The hospital’s track record for safety and clinical outcomes

Biggers emphasized in a previous press release that “these insights give individuals and families the information they need to make confident and better-informed healthcare decisions.” The key word here is “informed.” You are not being told which hospital to pick. You are being given data that can help you ask better questions and have more productive conversations with your doctor.

What Do Experts Say About Patient Experience?

Medical experts generally agree that patient experience is a vital part of quality healthcare. When patients feel rushed, ignored, or confused, they are less likely to follow their treatment plans. They may miss follow-up appointments, skip medications, or fail to report new symptoms. All of these behaviors can lead to worse health outcomes.

On the other hand, when patients feel respected and informed, they tend to be more engaged in their own care. They ask questions. They share concerns. They understand their discharge instructions. This partnership between patient and provider is often called “patient-centered care,” and it is increasingly seen as a gold standard in modern medicine.

However, experts also caution that patient experience surveys have limitations. They reflect how patients felt, not necessarily how well the hospital performed on complex medical procedures. A hospital might have excellent bedside manner but still struggle with infection rates or surgical complications. That is why it is important to look at multiple measures, including safety awards and clinical outcomes, before making a final decision.

Practical Takeaways for Readers

So what can you do with this information? Here are a few practical steps to consider:

• Check the full list of award winners on the Healthgrades website to see if a hospital near you made the cut.
• If your local hospital did not win, do not automatically cross it off your list. It may still provide excellent care. Use the award as a starting point for further research.
• When you visit a hospital, pay attention to how staff communicate with you. Do they introduce themselves? Do they explain what they are doing? Do they invite your questions? These are the behaviors that the award measures.
• After your hospital stay, fill out any surveys you receive. Your feedback helps other patients and helps hospitals improve.
• Talk to your doctor about your options. If you have a planned surgery or procedure, ask whether multiple hospitals are available and what the differences are in terms of patient experience and safety.

Ultimately, the goal is to find a hospital where you feel safe, respected, and well-informed. Awards like the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award can point you in the right direction, but your own research and conversations with healthcare providers will help you make the best choice for your unique situation.

The full list of 2026 award recipients and the detailed methodology are available on the Healthgrades website for anyone who wants to dive deeper into the data.

Healthgrades and Healthline are part of the RVO Health portfolio of brands.

Source: Healthline