Three Penn Highlands Hospitals Earn Top Nursing Ratings
Three Pennsylvania facilities received five-star ratings for nurse communication from the CMS in September 2026.
Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Nursing Jobs
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Three Penn Highlands Healthcare hospitals achieved five-star ratings for nurse communication based on data collected between October 2024 and September 2025. The results come from the latest Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey.
Why it matters
High ratings in nurse communication demonstrate a facility's success in listening to patients and treating them with courtesy and respect. These metrics help patients evaluate hospital quality based on direct feedback from peers.
Three Penn Highlands Healthcare hospitals, specifically Brookville, Elk, and Tyrone, earned five-star ratings. This ranking is drawn from the HCAHPS survey, which receives feedback from nearly two million patients annually.
The players
Penn Highlands Healthcare
This is a non-profit health system that operates multiple hospitals and specialty facilities across Pennsylvania.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
This federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services administers the Medicare program and works with state governments to manage Medicaid.
The details
The rankings are derived from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. This tool measures specific patient experiences, including how effectively nurses listen to needs and interact with patients in a respectful manner.
Timeline
Data collection for these ratings occurred from October 2024 to September 2025.
The survey ratings were released in September 2026.
Market Landscape
The use of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey standardizes how hospitals compete for patient trust across the state. By achieving five-star status, these facilities distinguish themselves in a crowded healthcare market by highlighting superior staff engagement.
Patients choosing between healthcare providers in Pennsylvania can use these ratings to identify hospitals that prioritize strong nurse-patient communication. These scores provide a reliable indicator of the level of courtesy and respect individuals can expect when seeking care.
The takeaway
Patients should consider communication ratings alongside other quality indicators when selecting a healthcare provider. High scores in these areas often reflect a hospital culture that values patient-centered care and attentive clinical staffing.
Further reading
For more information on the regional labor market, visit the Pennsylvania Nursing Jobs section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Courier Express.
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