Five South Dakota Hospitals Earned Forbes Five-Star Ratings
The national list recognized five facilities across the state for their healthcare quality.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Nursing Jobs
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Forbes released its 2026 hospital rankings, awarding five-star ratings to five medical centers in South Dakota. These top-tier designations were determined by analyzing public metrics provided by Medicare.
Why it matters
Smaller regional medical centers outperformed many large trauma centers in these rankings. This shift occurred because outcome statistics often reflect the specific complexity of cases handled by each facility.
Five South Dakota hospitals received the highest possible rating from Forbes for 2026. This assessment was calculated using public Medicare data across four distinct categories of hospital performance.
The players
Forbes
This global media company publishes financial and business rankings, including annual evaluations of healthcare quality and hospital performance.
Medicare
This federal health insurance program provides the public outcome data used by outside organizations to measure and rank the quality of medical facilities.
The details
The facilities receiving the top rating include Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls, Avera St. Luke's Hospital and Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center in Aberdeen, Brookings Hospital in Brookings, and Prairie Lakes Healthcare System in Watertown. Forbes utilized public performance data from Medicare to evaluate each location across four key operational areas.
Timeline
Forbes released the 2026 national hospital ratings on September 24, 2026.
Market Landscape
These rankings mirror the standard set by the CMS Hospital Compare star rating system, which has long influenced how patients evaluate care. The Forbes list reinforces the trend of utilizing federal data to provide comparative quality metrics across regional hospital systems.
Patients in South Dakota may use these ratings as one tool to inform their choices for medical care and hospital selection. The report highlights high-performing regional facilities that offer competitive quality outcomes relative to larger trauma centers.
The takeaway
These rankings highlight the importance of reviewing quality metrics when evaluating regional healthcare options. Patients should consider that smaller facilities may perform well in specific outcome areas relative to larger, high-acuity medical centers.
Further reading
For additional context on healthcare staffing and employment, visit the Nursing Jobs section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kickin' Country 99.1/100.5.
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