Best Hospitals in Illinois 2026
Illinois has 194 hospitals with an average procedure payment of $16K. The top-rated hospital is Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago with a 5-star CMS rating.
194 Illinois hospitals appear in the CMS Inpatient Payment dataset. Ranked by average payment per documented procedure: Clay County Hospital is the lowest at $10,247; Vista Medical Center East the highest at $27,716. The gap between the extremes is large enough to matter for any patient with elective scheduling.
These rankings are pure-cost rankings. The quality dimension lives in the CMS Hospital Compare star rating shown alongside each entry; the combined-value grade on the right of the table aggregates both. For patients comparing hospital costs, the ranking is a useful first cut, but the procedure-specific page is the better tool: cost spreads vary by DRG code, and the all-procedure average can hide important per-procedure differences.
Across Illinois's 194 Medicare-participating hospitals, the average payment per procedure is $16K, above the national average of $16K. 23% ofIllinois's hospitals carry a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or higher, and 24% earn an A or B on our Value Score, which weighs price (40%), quality (40%), and patient outcomes (20%).
Procedure prices in Illinois range from Clay County Hospital at $10K per procedure to Vista Medical Center East at $28K — a difference of $17K on the same kinds of inpatient stays. Where you go for the same procedure can swing the bill by more than the procedure itself.
All numbers come from the latest CMS Hospital Compare release, which uses Medicare claims data and only reflects payments for Medicare inpatient stays — not what private insurers or self-pay patients actually pay. Star ratings combine seven groups of measures including mortality, patient safety, readmissions, and patient experience. Lower-priced hospitals can still earn an A on the Value Score if their quality stays competitive.
Top 3 Hospitals in Illinois
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL
Illinois's top-rated hospital with a 5-star CMS quality rating and an average payment of $18K per procedure. Outcome score: 100/100.
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, IL
Second-best in Illinois. 5-star CMS rating with an outcome score of 100/100. Average procedure payment: $17K.
Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital
Evanston, IL
Third on quality + outcomes. 5-star CMS rating; Value Score 88/100. Lists 12 priced procedures.
Top 20 of 194 Hospitals in Illinois
Hospital quality and cost data for Illinois is sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on CMS quality ratings and patient outcomes, Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago is the top-rated hospital in Illinois with a 5-star CMS rating and an average procedure payment of $18K. Its Value Score is 84/100 (Grade A).
Illinois has 194 Medicare-participating hospitals. The average procedure payment across the state is $16K, and 24% of hospitals earn an A or B Value Score.
Illinois's average procedure payment of $16K is above the national average of $16K. Within the state, prices range from $10K at Clay County Hospital to $28K at Vista Medical Center East — a gap of $17K per procedure.
Of 194 hospitals analyzed in Illinois, 45 (23%) earn a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or better. CMS star ratings combine measures of mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, timeliness, and effectiveness of care.
Hospitals are ranked first by CMS star quality rating (1-5 stars), then by outcome score, which reflects mortality rates, patient safety, and readmissions. The Value Score combines price percentile (40%, lower price = higher score), quality rating (40%), and outcome score (20%).
Hospitals ranked by CMS star quality rating and outcome score. Value Score: price percentile (40% inverted), quality rating (40%), outcome score (20%).