Tool · Side-by-side comparison
Compare Hospitals
Put any two of 5,432 Medicare-certified hospitals head to head on CMS star ratings, patient experience, infections, readmissions, spending, and maternal care.
- 5,432
- Hospitals
- 3.2★
- National avg
- 3,182
- Rated
Every figure here is drawn from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare release covering 5,432 Medicare-certified hospitals, last refreshed March 2026, see our methodology.
Why compare
A single star rating hides as much as it reveals, only 384 of 3,182 rated hospitals reach five stars, and two same-rated facilities can differ sharply on infections, readmissions, and patient experience. Put two side by side to see where each actually leads.
- 5,432
- hospitals you can compare
- 3.2 / 5
- national average star rating
- 12%
- reach five stars
- 6
- measure families: stars, safety, infections, experience, spending, maternal
Pick two hospitals above to compare
Or start from a top-rated hospital below, then add a second to see them side by side.
Top-rated hospitals to start from
- 🥇1 NYU Langone Hospitals ★★★★★
- 🥈2 Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester ★★★★★
- 🥉3 Massachusetts General Hospital ★★★★★
- 4 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center ★★★★★
- 5 Morristown Medical Center ★★★★★
- 6 Houston Methodist Hospital ★★★★★
National CMS star-rating distribution
How all 3,182 rated Medicare hospitals break down across the 1–5 star scale
- 5★ 384
5-star hospitals
384 hospitals
- 4★
4-star hospitals
950 hospitals
- 3★
3-star hospitals
987 hospitals
- 2★
2-star hospitals
662 hospitals
- 1★ 199
1-star hospitals
199 hospitals
What this shows The national average is 3.2 of 5. Most hospitals sit in the 3–4 star middle; both five-star and one-star facilities are a small minority.
Browse hospitals by state 56 state and territory directories
Start with a state when you need to narrow a comparison to local options. Each directory lists CMS-covered hospitals and its published quality context.
Frequently Asked Questions
What data is used in this hospital comparison?
This comparison tool uses data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare program. It includes overall star ratings, quality measures (mortality, safety, readmissions), patient experience (HCAHPS) surveys, healthcare-associated infection rates, unplanned visit measures, Medicare spending per episode, and maternal health measures.
How are CMS star ratings calculated?
CMS overall hospital star ratings are calculated on a scale of 1 to 5 stars using data from multiple quality measures across five categories: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. Hospitals must have sufficient data in at least three measure groups to receive a star rating.
What does "Better than National" mean?
When a quality measure is marked "Better than National," it means the hospital's performance on that specific measure is statistically significantly better than the national benchmark. Similarly, "Worse than National" indicates the hospital performs significantly below the benchmark, and "Same as National" means no statistically significant difference.
What are HCAHPS patient experience surveys?
HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) is a standardized patient satisfaction survey administered to a random sample of recently discharged patients. It measures aspects of hospital care such as communication with doctors and nurses, responsiveness of staff, cleanliness, discharge information, and overall rating.
How often is the comparison data updated?
CMS publishes updated Hospital Compare data quarterly. Our database is refreshed with each new CMS release to provide the most current quality metrics available for comparison.
Can I compare more than two hospitals?
Currently this tool supports side-by-side comparison of two hospitals at a time. For broader comparisons, check our Rankings pages for top-rated, safest, and best patient experience hospitals.
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.