What is the CMS Hospital Overall Star Rating and how is it calculated?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) award each Medicare-registered hospital an Overall Star Rating from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). The star rating summarises up to five measure groups — mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely & effective care — into a single 1-5 figure published on Hospital Care Compare. Gera reports the CMS star rating exactly as published and never alters it.

What share of US hospitals are rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS?

As of April 2026, 41.9% of the 3,182 CMS star-rated hospitals in the United States hold 4 or 5 stars: 384 are 5-star (12.1%), 950 are 4-star (29.9%), 987 are 3-star (31.0%), 662 are 2-star (20.8%) and 199 are 1-star (6.3%). The mean rating is 3.21 stars. Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare.

What is the Gera US Hospital Quality Index?

The Gera US Hospital Quality Index (GHQI) is a single 0-100 figure Gera computes from the real CMS data for a hospital or a state. Each hospital’s CMS star rating (1-5) is rescaled onto 0-100, then nudged up or down by a small, capped adjustment based on how many of its mortality and readmission measures CMS found statistically better or worse than the national rate. A state’s GHQI is the average across its rated hospitals. Nationally it is 55.1 out of 100. It is a transparent summary of CMS data, not a Gera rating of any individual hospital — CMS remains the rating authority.

Which US states have the highest and lowest hospital quality?

On the Gera US Hospital Quality Index, Utah ranks highest (81.4/100, mean 4.24 stars across 29 rated hospitals, 79.3% at 4 or 5 stars), while Mississippi ranks lowest (32.8/100, mean 2.33 stars). All underlying figures are CMS’s own star ratings, aggregated by Gera.

How often are CMS hospital ratings updated?

CMS refreshes the Hospital Care Compare datasets on a rolling basis, typically several times a year. This dataset is the April 2026 snapshot. Gera re-dates these pages and recomputes the Gera US Hospital Quality Index whenever CMS publishes a new Hospital General Information file.

US Hospital Quality by State

Real CMS Hospital Care Compare star ratings for April 2026, across 3,182 rated hospitals in 49 states — plus the Gera US Hospital Quality Index.

Which US states have the highest hospital quality, and what share of US hospitals are 4 or 5 stars?

As of April 2026, 41.9% of the 3,182 CMS star-rated US hospitals hold 4 or 5 stars (mean 3.21 stars). On the Gera US Hospital Quality Index, Utah ranks highest (81.4/100) and Mississippi lowest (32.8/100), per CMS Hospital Care Compare open data.

Source:Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Hospital Care Compare (Hospital General Information)·as of April 2026updated quarterly (last: 18 June 2026)

Gera US Hospital Quality IndexUS 55.1 / 100A transparent 0-100 summary of CMS star ratings (rescaled 1-5 stars) adjusted for CMS mortality and readmission outcomes. Across all rated US hospitals it is 55.1.How this index is calculated

US CMS hospital star ratings — all rated hospitals, April 2026 (CMS, public domain)
Star rating	Hospitals	Share
5 stars	384	12.1%
4 stars	950	29.9%
3 stars	987	31.0%
2 stars	662	20.8%
1 star	199	6.3%
Total rated	3,182	100%

Highest- and lowest-rated states

Top 5 states by Gera US Hospital Quality Index — April 2026
Rank	State	GHQI	4-5 star
1	Utah	81.4	79.3%
2	Colorado	74.1	73.5%
3	South Dakota	72.2	72.2%
4	Wisconsin	69.5	64.0%
5	Minnesota	69.3	63.2%

Lowest 5 states by Gera US Hospital Quality Index — April 2026
Rank	State	GHQI	4-5 star
49	Mississippi	32.8	13.5%
48	New Mexico	37	17.4%
47	Alabama	42.5	18.6%
46	West Virginia	43.7	26.5%
45	Kentucky	43.8	23.9%

Hospital quality in every state

Check hospital quality in your state

Pick a state to see the real CMS star-rating breakdown, the Gera US Hospital Quality Index, how it compares to the US average, and 5-star hospital examples.

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Choose a state to see its real CMS hospital star-rating breakdown, its Gera US Hospital Quality Index, how it compares to the US average, and 5-star hospital examples.

Frequently asked questions

What is the CMS Hospital Overall Star Rating and how is it calculated?: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) award each Medicare-registered hospital an Overall Star Rating from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). The star rating summarises up to five measure groups — mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely & effective care — into a single 1-5 figure published on Hospital Care Compare. Gera reports the CMS star rating exactly as published and never alters it.
What share of US hospitals are rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS?: As of April 2026, 41.9% of the 3,182 CMS star-rated hospitals in the United States hold 4 or 5 stars: 384 are 5-star (12.1%), 950 are 4-star (29.9%), 987 are 3-star (31.0%), 662 are 2-star (20.8%) and 199 are 1-star (6.3%). The mean rating is 3.21 stars. Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare.
What is the Gera US Hospital Quality Index?: The Gera US Hospital Quality Index (GHQI) is a single 0-100 figure Gera computes from the real CMS data for a hospital or a state. Each hospital’s CMS star rating (1-5) is rescaled onto 0-100, then nudged up or down by a small, capped adjustment based on how many of its mortality and readmission measures CMS found statistically better or worse than the national rate. A state’s GHQI is the average across its rated hospitals. Nationally it is 55.1 out of 100. It is a transparent summary of CMS data, not a Gera rating of any individual hospital — CMS remains the rating authority.
Which US states have the highest and lowest hospital quality?: On the Gera US Hospital Quality Index, Utah ranks highest (81.4/100, mean 4.24 stars across 29 rated hospitals, 79.3% at 4 or 5 stars), while Mississippi ranks lowest (32.8/100, mean 2.33 stars). All underlying figures are CMS’s own star ratings, aggregated by Gera.
How often are CMS hospital ratings updated?: CMS refreshes the Hospital Care Compare datasets on a rolling basis, typically several times a year. This dataset is the April 2026 snapshot. Gera re-dates these pages and recomputes the Gera US Hospital Quality Index whenever CMS publishes a new Hospital General Information file.

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Contains public sector information published by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and licensed under the U.S. Public Domain (federal government work). Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Hospital Care Compare (Hospital General Information) (April 2026, published 28 April 2026).