St. Francis receives top honor from Forbes, Only hospital in the state
GRAND ISLAND–CHI Health St. Francis has been recognized as one of the nation’s best hospitals, earning a prestigious 5-star rating and inclusion in the inaugural “Forbes Top Hospitals 2026” list. St. Francis is the only hospital in Nebraska to receive the highest-possible distinction, placing it in the top 10% of the list for quality, safety and value according to the news release.
Forbes Top Hospitals 2026 list is a recognized guide to the most effective and efficient hospitals across the country. Developed by a panel of experts, quality data from sources like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is analyzed and compared. The scoring methodology prioritizes patient outcomes, including mortality, readmission and infection rates, and adjusts for social drivers of health to ensure fair comparison. This process is designed to provide patients with an unbiased scorecard to inform their health care choices.
“Forbes is a credible source the public can trust. It’s an honor to be listed as one of their best hospitals. I’m so proud of our staff. We really are having a banner year at St. Francis!,” say Steve Schieber, president, St. Francis. “All these awards are incredible, but at the very heart, it’s about our patients. We strive to be the best for them, for our community, for each other.”
St. Francis has received several top honors for excellence this year including CMS 5-star Quality Rating, ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from LeapFrog and Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades. Their nursing staff earned the prestigious Magnet with Distinction designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, an honor held by only 43 hospitals worldwide. The Emergency Department also achieved global recognition, becoming the only one in Nebraska and one of just 96 globally to receive the Emergency Nurse Association Lantern Award.
More about Forbes Top Hospitals 2026 list: https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-hospitals.
A Forbes 5-Star Hospital is a U.S. general acute care hospital recognized for exceptional performance in clinical outcomes, best practices, value and patient experience, representing the top 91st-100th percentile of hospitals evaluated. This designation, part of Forbes' first-ever hospital quality ranking list, signifies outstanding quality, with only about 253 hospitals earning this top rating out of thousands considered. The calculation prioritizes outcomes, including infection, readmission and mortality rates, assigning that category 55% of the total weight. The remaining percentage is allocated across best practices (20%), value (15%) and patient experience (10%). Forbes is unique among rating sites because it statistically adjusts for social drivers of health—such as socioeconomics and access to medical services—due to their established impact on health outcomes.
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