State hospital quality · CMS Hospital Compare

Best CMS-rated hospitals in Wisconsin

According to PlainHospital's state average CMS-star ranking, Wisconsin ranks #5 of 54 states and territories by average overall star rating among rated hospitals (highest = #1).

141
Hospitals
#5 of 54
Corpus placement
3.8★
Avg (86 rated)
21
Five-star
126
With ER

Wisconsin 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)

141 12th of 56 higher than 44 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, Wisconsin ranks #5 of 54 states and territories by average overall star rating among rated hospitals (highest = #1). Among 86 rated hospitals, the state averages 3.8 of 5 stars.

3.8 / 5
state average among rated (above 3.2 national)
#5 of 54
state corpus placement by avg star
21
five-star hospitals
86 of 141 rated
hospitals with a CMS overall rating

CMS star ratings are composite quality scores; 86 of 141 Wisconsin hospitals had enough reporting volume to receive one. Not medical advice.

Wisconsin hospital quality

Wisconsin averages 3.8/5 CMS stars across 86 rated hospitals (above the 3.2 national average), with 21 five-star facilities of 141 Medicare-certified hospitals.

PlainHospital ranks Wisconsin hospitals from CMS Hospital Compare overall star ratings (mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, timely care). Corpus placement: #5 of 54 states and territories by average overall star among rated hospitals. 86 of 141 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 Wisconsin

How 86 rated Wisconsin hospitals break down across the 1–5 star scale

hospitals

What this shows 21 Wisconsin hospitals reach five stars; the state's 3.8-star average sits above the 3.2-star national mark.

Source CMS Hospital Compare As of 2026-08-14

What the Data Shows About Hospitals in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 141 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare program. Of these, 126 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 3.8 out of 5 , calculated across the 86 of 141 hospitals with enough reporting volume to generate a composite rating.

At the top of the quality distribution, 21 hospitals have earned the highest 5-star CMS overall rating in Wisconsin. The single highest-rated facility in the state registry is Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital in Milwaukee, currently listed at 5/5 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 100 of 141 hospitals on this page (page 2 of 3). 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.

141
Hospitals
3.8
Avg (86 rated)
21
Five-Star
126
With ER

Top-Rated in Wisconsin

Highest CMS star ratings among Medicare-certified hospitals in Wisconsin.

  1. 🥇1 Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
  2. 🥈2 Aurora Lakeland Medical Center Elkhorn, WI · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
  3. 🥉3 Aurora Medical Center Grafton, WI · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
  4. 4 Aurora Medical Center - Summit Summit, WI · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
  5. 5 Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County Sheboygan, WI · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
  6. 6 Aurora Medical Ctr Manitowoc County Two Rivers, WI · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★

Compare Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital vs Aurora Lakeland Medical Center →

All Hospitals

Showing 51–100 of 141 hospitals

Hospital Rating
Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital

Milwaukee

3
Froedtert South Inc.

Kenosha

2
Granite Hills Hospital

West Allis

N/A
Grant Regional Health Center

Lancaster

N/A
Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics

Boscobel

N/A
Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center

La Crosse

4
Gundersen Moundview Hospital and Clinics

Friendship

N/A
Gundersen St Josephs Hospital and Clinics

Hillsboro

N/A
Gundersen Tri-County Hospital & Clinics

Whitehall

N/A
Holy Family Memorial

Manitowoc

3
Howard Young Medical Center

Woodruff

4
HSHS St Clare Memorial Hospital

Oconto Falls

N/A
Hudson Hospital

Hudson

5
Indianhead Medical Ctr

Shell Lake

N/A
Ladd Memorial Hospital

Osceola

N/A
Langlade Hospital

Antigo

N/A
Madison VA Medical Center

Madison

5
Marshfield Medical Center

Marshfield

1
Marshfield Medical Center - Beaver Dam (Mmc-Bd)

Beaver Dam

2
Marshfield Medical Center - Eau Claire

Eau Claire

3
Marshfield Medical Center - Ladysmith

Ladysmith

N/A
Marshfield Medical Center - Minocqua

Minocqua

5
Marshfield Medical Center - Neillsville

Neillsville

N/A
Marshfield Medical Center - Rice Lake

Rice Lake

2
Marshfield Medical Center - River Region

Stevens Point

N/A
Marshfield Medical Center - Weston

Weston

3
Mayo Clinic Health System Chippewa Valley

Bloomer

4
Mayo Clinic Health System Eau Claire Hospital

Eau Claire

5
Mayo Clinic Health System Oakridge

Osseo

N/A
Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical Center Inc

La Crosse

5
Mayo Clinic Health System-Northland

Barron

4
Mayo Clinic Health System-Red Cedar Inc

Menomonie

3
Mayo Clinic Hlth Systm Franciscan Hlthcare Sparta

Sparta

N/A
Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County

Darlington

N/A
Mendota Mental Health Institute

Madison

N/A
Mental Health Emergency Center, Inc

Milwaukee

N/A
Mercy Health System Corp

Janesville

3
Mercy Walworth Hospital & Medical Center

Lake Geneva

3
Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital

Franklin

N/A
Mile Bluff Medical Center

Mauston

4
Milwaukee VA Medical Center

Milwaukee

3
Miramont Behavioral Health

Middleton

N/A
North Central Health Care

Wausau

N/A
Norwood Health Center

Marshfield

N/A
Oakleaf Surgical Hospital

Altoona

N/A
Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital

Oconomowoc

5
Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin

Glendale

N/A
Reedsburg Area Medical Center

Reedsburg

5
Richland Hospital

Richland Center

1
Ripon Medical Center

Ripon

N/A

Hospital Quality in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 141 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Of these, 21 have earned the highest 5-star overall quality rating, reflecting strong performance across mortality, safety of care, readmission rates, patient experience, and timely and effective care measures.

The average CMS star rating across the 86 rated of 141 Wisconsin hospitals is 3.8. 126 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

What is the best hospital in Wisconsin?
The highest-rated hospital in Wisconsin is Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital in Milwaukee with a CMS star rating of 5/5. There are 21 five-star hospitals in the state out of 141 Medicare-certified facilities.
How are hospitals rated?
CMS rates hospitals on a 1-to-5 star scale based on quality measures including mortality, safety, patient experience, readmission rates, and timely care. In Wisconsin, the average star rating is 3.8 across rated hospitals.
How many hospitals are in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has 141 Medicare-certified hospitals, of which 126 have emergency departments. 21 hospitals have earned the highest 5-star CMS rating.

Data from CMS Hospital Compare; patient-experience scores from the HCAHPS survey. Last refreshed: . About PlainHospital and our data sources

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.