A hospital
Top U.S. hospitals excel at delivering superior medical care and patient service, according to the 2025 America's Best Hospitals Awards. Healthgrades, a medical search service, evaluated clinical performance for approximately 4,500 hospitals across more than 30 common procedures and conditions.
However, the results also show that a large number of Americans lack convenient access to the best-performing medical centers.
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“According to Healthgrades’ annual analysis, if all hospitals performed similarly to America’s 250 best hospitals, 174,081 lives could have been saved,” the study report said. “Lack of access to the highest-quality care poses a major challenge to informed health care decision making for half of the U.S. population.”
Forty-seven percent of Americans live more than 25 miles from one of the nation’s 250 best hospitals, with gaps in access spanning major metropolitan areas and entire states. For example, 15 states lack a hospital that performs in the top 5%, creating a significant challenge for 37 million Americans in their pursuit of exceptional care. This statistic has troubling implications for the nation’s health outcomes, especially when considering how patients treated at one of the best hospitals have a significantly lower risk of dying than those treated at facilities that are not among the top 250.
Even when this view is expanded beyond the 250 best hospitals, close to one-third of patients face a travel burden when accessing care from the top 20% of U.S. hospitals.
Additional disparities are evident at the state level. Although lack of access to high-quality care affects communities from coast to coast, residents in rural states in the Midwest and Mountain West -- including Idaho, Montana, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma -- remain disproportionately affected.
“As a result of this rising care variability, proximity to a local hospital is no longer sufficient,” according to Healhgrades. “To maximize their chance of a positive health outcome, patients must live near a hospital recognized for its high-quality care.”
Patients living in major cities such as Birmingham, Tucson and Little Rock also face an undue travel burden, with residents traveling more than 100 miles to reach top-tier hospitals. However, although these cities may not be home to one of the best hospitals, they still may offer top-rated facilities for specialty care. For example, between Allegheny General’s outstanding cardiac care outcomes and Advanced Surgical Hospital’s renowned joint replacement program, Pittsburgh is a destination for two major service areas.
Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer and head of data science for Healthgrades, hopes the research results will help patients better access high-quality care, regardless of where they live.
“While there are several factors to consider when looking for a doctor, hospital quality is one that can have a critical impact on a patient’s overall quality of care,” he said. “We want all patients to feel as confident and equipped as possible when it comes to choosing a doctor and hospital.”
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
