New research finds 80% of patients consider hospital quality when choosing a doctor, while 71% would switch doctors for access to a higher-rated hospital

DENVER, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital, today announced the recipients of its 2027 Specialty Excellence Awards, Outpatient Awards and Specialty State Rankings, recognizing hospitals delivering exceptional outcomes in specialty care across the country.

The annual recognitions come as new research from Healthgrades reveals the growing influence of hospital quality on healthcare decisions, with 80% of patients who have looked or plan to look for a doctor this year considering the quality of the hospital where their doctor practices. Additionally, when choosing between two doctors for an upcoming procedure, close to 7 in 10 patients (68%) say they’re more likely to seek care from a doctor who works at a hospital with high quality ratings in their procedure or condition.

The three awards celebrate hospitals who excel in specialty care:

• 2027 Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Awards: Recognizing hospitals with outstanding clinical performance across 19 specialty care areas.
• 2027 Healthgrades Outpatient Awards: Honoring national leaders in outpatient orthopedic surgery, joint replacement and prostate care.
• 2027 Healthgrades Specialty State Rankings: Identifying the highest-performing hospitals across 19 specialties in 30 eligible states.

Healthgrades aims to help consumers find high-quality care by identifying hospitals that deliver exceptional outcomes across common outpatient procedures and specialty conditions. The importance of choosing a high-performing hospital is significant. There’s a growing disparity between top performers and one-star hospitals, and considering hospital’s quality of care is vital. In fact, from 2023 to 2025, if all hospitals had performed at the five-star level:

• 227,229 lives could potentially have been saved*
• 158,138 complications could potentially have been avoided*

“Our specialty awards identify the nation’s top-performing hospitals across numerous medical specialties, helping consumers find high quality care tailored to their specific needs,” said Alana Biggers, MD MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “Navigating the complex healthcare system can feel daunting, but taking a proactive stance to understand where to access superior care can enhance your healthcare journey and overall experience. The ability to make informed decisions about your health – and where to get care – is a cornerstone of self-advocacy, and we are proud to help make that information accessible to all patients.”

2027 Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Awards plus America’s Top 50 and Top 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care

This year’s Specialty Excellence Award recipients are among the top 15 percent of hospitals specializing in these areas. Healthgrades evaluated outcomes at approximately 4,500 hospitals across 31 common procedures and conditions for these awards. It is important for patients to find a hospital that excels in the condition or procedure that’s relevant to them.

From the list of Specialty Excellence Award recipients, Healthgrades recognizes America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care for 11 specialty areas and America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care for four specialty areas.

2027 Healthgrades Outpatient Awards

Outpatient care is one of the fastest growing areas of healthcare and why Healthgrades awards hospitals who excel at Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery, Outpatient Joint Replacement, and Outpatient Prostate Care. These hospitals are the national leaders in these outpatient procedure areas.

In recent years, the number of orthopedic procedures performed in an outpatient environment has grown exponentially. From 2020 to 2025, outpatient hip replacement volumes increased by 81% while inpatient volumes decreased by 75%.* During the same time period, outpatient knee replacement volumes grew by 71% while inpatient volumes dropped by 70%.*

2027 Healthgrades Specialty State Rankings

State Rankings identify the top three or five hospitals in each eligible state across 19 key specialties. By offering specialty care rankings at the state level, Healthgrades helps consumers find local hospitals that excel in their condition or procedure, taking the guesswork out of finding high quality care close to home.

METHODOLOGY for each of these specialty awards can be found at the below links:

• 2027 Specialty Excellence Awards Methodology
• 2027 Outpatient Awards Methodology
• 2027 Specialty State Rankings Methodology

To provide additional insights and education around these important topics, Healthgrades has launched the following resources:

• Consumers can visit Healthgrades’ Specialty Excellence Patient Advocate Center to access the information they need to make informed decisions about their care. This resource hub includes a patient-friendly infographic overview of how Healthgrades picks award recipients, a list of the nation’s top hospitals for specialty care, and more.
• Health systems audiences can read up on the industry’s latest challenges in the “2027 Specialty Excellence Report.”
• Hospitals interested in promoting their achievements can learn more here.

*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for 2023 through 2025 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.

**To be eligible for a Specialty Excellence Award, hospitals must receive a rating in the required procedures and conditions included in the determination of the award. Some awards, like the Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award™, are based on a single procedure–cranial neurosurgery–while others, such as the Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™, are based on a grouping of procedures: heart bypass surgery and heart valve surgery. To learn more about Healthgrades’ ratings and awards determination process, see the 2027 Specialty Excellence Awards and Ratings Methodology.

About Healthgrades

Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering meaningful connections between patients, doctors, and hospitals. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their healthcare professional of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.

For over 20 years, our health system, group practice, and life sciences marketing solutions have helped our partners reach and engage consumers on their way to the doctor.

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SOURCE Healthgrades