State hospital quality · CMS Hospital Compare
Best CMS-rated hospitals in Alabama
According to PlainHospital's state average CMS-star ranking, Alabama ranks #49 of 54 states and territories by average overall star rating among rated hospitals (highest = #1).
- 100
- Hospitals
- #49 of 54
- Corpus placement
- 2.7★
- Avg (59 rated)
- 0
- Five-star
- 91
- With ER
Alabama vs all states by Medicare hospital count
Where this state's Medicare-certified hospital inventory sits among every tracked state and territory (inventory signal, not a quality ranking)
100 24th of 56 higher than 32 of 56 states
States and territories, banded by Medicare-certified hospital count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source CMS Hospital Compare · 2026-08-14
The state picture
According to PlainHospital's state average CMS-star ranking, Alabama ranks #49 of 54 states and territories by average overall star rating among rated hospitals (highest = #1). Among 59 rated hospitals, the state averages 2.7 of 5 stars.
- 2.7 / 5
- state average among rated (below 3.2 national)
- #49 of 54
- state corpus placement by avg star
- 0
- five-star hospitals
- 59 of 100 rated
- hospitals with a CMS overall rating
CMS star ratings are composite quality scores; 59 of 100 Alabama hospitals had enough reporting volume to receive one. Not medical advice.
Alabama hospital quality
Alabama averages 2.7/5 CMS stars across 59 rated hospitals (below the 3.2 national average), with 0 five-star facilities of 100 Medicare-certified hospitals.
PlainHospital ranks Alabama hospitals from CMS Hospital Compare overall star ratings (mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, timely care). Corpus placement: #49 of 54 states and territories by average overall star among rated hospitals. 59 of 100 facilities had enough volume to receive a star; the rest stay unrated. Not medical advice - open a hospital page for the measure-level detail.
CMS star-rating mix in Alabama
How 59 rated Alabama hospitals break down across the 1–5 star scale
- 5★ 0
5-star hospitals
0 hospitals
- 4★
4-star hospitals
11 hospitals
- 3★
3-star hospitals
25 hospitals
- 2★
2-star hospitals
18 hospitals
- 1★ 5
1-star hospitals
5 hospitals
What this shows 0 Alabama hospitals reach five stars; the state's 2.7-star average sits below the 3.2-star national mark.
What the Data Shows About Hospitals in Alabama
Alabama has 100 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare program. Of these, 91 facilities operate an emergency department, an important signal for communities that rely on nearby acute-care access. The statewide average CMS overall star rating is 2.7 out of 5 , calculated across the 59 of 100 hospitals with enough reporting volume to generate a composite rating.
At the top of the quality distribution, 0 hospitals have earned the highest 5-star CMS overall rating in Alabama. The single highest-rated facility in the state registry is Baldwin Health in Foley, currently listed at 4/5 stars. Star ratings are composite scores built from mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience (HCAHPS), and timely & effective care domains, so a single number conceals meaningful per-domain variation that matters for specific procedures.
Showing 50 of 100 hospitals on this page (page 1 of 2). Hospital quality varies materially within a state, urban academic centers, rural critical-access hospitals, and specialty facilities report against different baselines, so comparing individual facility profiles before choosing planned care is more useful than relying on the statewide average alone. All figures reflect the CMS Hospital Compare release from , and nothing on this page is medical advice, consult a qualified clinician before making care decisions.
Top-Rated in Alabama
Highest CMS star ratings among Medicare-certified hospitals in Alabama.
- 🥇1 Baldwin Health ★★★★
- 🥈2 Baptist Medical Center East ★★★★
- 🥉3 Birmingham VA Medical Center ★★★★
- 4 Fayette Medical Center ★★★★
- 5 Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital ★★★★
- 6 Medical Center Enterprise ★★★★
All Hospitals
Showing 1–50 of 100 hospitals
Hospital Quality in Alabama
Alabama has 100 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Star rating data helps patients compare hospitals on mortality, safety, readmission rates, patient experience, and timely care.
The average CMS star rating across the 59 rated of 100 Alabama hospitals is 2.7. 91 facilities have emergency departments, an important factor for communities that depend on nearby acute care. Hospital quality can vary significantly within a state, so comparing individual facility ratings before choosing care is recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data from CMS Hospital Compare; patient-experience scores from the HCAHPS survey. Last refreshed: . About PlainHospital and our data sources
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Every figure on PlainHospital is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.