20 best NC hospitals named by US News and World Report. Here’s where
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
U.S. News and World Report released its 2026 hospital rankings Tuesday, with three North Carolina hospitals earning spots in the top 50 nationally by specialty. Twenty hospitals across the state were also recognized as Best Regional Hospitals.
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FULL STORY: These are the best hospitals in NC for 2026, US News says. See the full list
U.S. News and World Report released its hospital rankings Tuesday, Aug. 4, with three North Carolina hospitals earning top-50 national rankings by specialty.
Of nearly 4,500 hospitals evaluated nationwide, 178 earned at least one top-50 national ranking. Hospitals not in the top 50 but performing above average in a specialty are labeled high performing.
Twenty North Carolina hospitals were named Best Regional Hospitals, a designation given to general hospitals with at least eight high-performing ratings across 23 measured procedures and conditions, plus maternity care. Just over 500 hospitals nationwide earned the recognition. Here’s the North Carolina list:
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Duke University Hospital was highlighted as one of the best hospitals in the nation in last year’s rankings. Atrium Health, the largest hospital provider in the Charlotte region, announced a merger agreement with WakeMed earlier this year.
U.S. News built its rankings using data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, professional organizations and medical specialists. A search tool lets patients look up local rankings and compare up to five hospitals side by side.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
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