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
- 5★
5-star hospitals
21 hospitals
- 4★
4-star hospitals
34 hospitals
- 3★
3-star hospitals
24 hospitals
- 2★ 5
2-star hospitals
5 hospitals
- 1★ 2
1-star hospitals
2 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.
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 141 of 141 hospitals on this page (page 3 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.
Top-Rated in Wisconsin
Highest CMS star ratings among Medicare-certified hospitals in Wisconsin.
- 🥇1 Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital ★★★★★
- 🥈2 Aurora Lakeland Medical Center ★★★★★
- 🥉3 Aurora Medical Center ★★★★★
- 4 Aurora Medical Center - Summit ★★★★★
- 5 Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County ★★★★★
- 6 Aurora Medical Ctr Manitowoc County ★★★★★
Compare Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital vs Aurora Lakeland Medical Center →
All Hospitals
Showing 101–141 of 141 hospitals
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
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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.