Tool · Side-by-side comparison
Compare Hospitals
Put any two of 5,426 Medicare-certified hospitals head to head on CMS star ratings, patient experience, infections, readmissions, spending, and maternal care.
- 5,426
- Hospitals
- 3.1★
- National avg
- 2,866
- Rated
Every figure here is drawn from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare release covering 5,426 Medicare-certified hospitals, last refreshed March 2026 — see our methodology.
Why compare
A single star rating hides as much as it reveals — only 288 of 2,866 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.
- 5,426
- hospitals you can compare
- 3.1 / 5
- national average star rating
- 10%
- 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 Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester ★★★★★
- 🥈2 NYU Langone Hospitals ★★★★★
- 🥉3 Morristown Medical Center ★★★★★
- 4 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center ★★★★★
- 5 Hackensack University Medical Center ★★★★★
- 6 New York-Presbyterian Hospital ★★★★★
National CMS star-rating distribution
How all 2,866 rated Medicare hospitals break down across the 1–5 star scale
- 5★ 288
5-star hospitals
288 hospitals
- 4★
4-star hospitals
765 hospitals
- 3★
3-star hospitals
935 hospitals
- 2★
2-star hospitals
649 hospitals
- 1★ 229
1-star hospitals
229 hospitals
What this shows The national average is 3.1 of 5. Most hospitals sit in the 3–4 star middle; both five-star and one-star facilities are a small minority.
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.