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 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.

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 101–141 of 141 hospitals

Hospital Rating
River Falls Area Hospital

River Falls

5
Rogers Memorial Hospital

Oconomowoc

N/A
Sauk Prairie Hospital

Prairie Du Sac

5
Sbh Green Bay, LLC D/B/a Willow Creek Behavioral Health

Green Bay

N/A
Southwest Health Center

Platteville

N/A
Spooner Health System

Spooner

5
SSM Health St Agnes Hospital-Fond Du Lac

Fond Du Lac

4
SSM Health St Clare Hospital - Baraboo

Baraboo

4
SSM Health St Mary's Hospital - Janesville

Janesville

4
SSM Health St Mary's Hospital - Madison

Madison

4
St Croix Regional Medical Center

Saint Croix Falls

3
St Josephs Community Hospital West Bend

West Bend

4
St Marys Hospital Medical Ctr

Green Bay

3
St Marys Hospital Superior

Superior

N/A
St Nicholas Hospital

Sheboygan

3
St Vincent Hospital

Green Bay

4
Stoughton Hospital

Stoughton

3
Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center

Ashland

3
Tamarack Health Hayward Medical Center

Hayward

4
The Monroe Clinic

Monroe

5
Thedacare Medical Center - Berlin Inc

Berlin

3
Thedacare Medical Center - New London

New London

N/A
Thedacare Medical Center - Shawano

Shawano

4
Thedacare Medical Center - Wild Rose

Wild Rose

N/A
Thedacare Medical Center-Waupaca

Waupaca

3
Thedacare Regional Med Ctr - Neenah

Neenah

4
Thedacare Regional Medical Center - Appleton Inc

Appleton

4
Tomah Memorial Hospital

Tomah

5
Tomah VA Medical Center

Tomah

N/A
Unitypoint Health - Meriter

Madison

5
University of Wi Hospitals & Clinics Authority

Madison

5
Upland Hills Health

Dodgeville

4
Vernon Memorial Hospital

Viroqua

N/A
Watertown Memorial Hospital

Watertown

3
Waukesha County Mental Health Ctr

Waukesha

N/A
Waukesha Memorial Hospital

Waukesha

4
Waupun Memorial Hospital

Waupun

5
West Allis Memorial Hospital

West Allis

4
Western Wisconsin Health

Baldwin

N/A
Westfields Hospital and Clinic

New Richmond

4
Winnebago Mental Health Institute

Winnebago

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.