Best Hospitals in Missouri 2026
Missouri has 121 hospitals with an average procedure payment of $14K. The top-rated hospital is St Louis-John Cochran Va Medical Center in St. Louis with a 5-star CMS rating.
121 Missouri hospitals appear in the CMS Inpatient Payment dataset. Ranked by average payment per documented procedure: Mercy Hospital Washington is the lowest at $8,981; Perimeter Behavioral Hospital Of Springfield the highest at $20,379. The gap between the extremes is large enough to matter for any patient with elective scheduling.
Ranking interpretation: the rankings sort on the Medicare payment-per-procedure average, weighted equally across DRG codes. That makes them most useful as a cost-comparison starting point — the LakeQuality value grade layered on top combines this cost data with CMS Hospital Compare quality measures, which is usually the more decision-useful number. 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 Missouri's 121 Medicare-participating hospitals, the average payment per procedure is $14K, below the national average of $16K. 20% ofMissouri's hospitals carry a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or higher, and 38% earn an A or B on our Value Score, which weighs price (40%), quality (40%), and patient outcomes (20%).
Procedure prices in Missouri range from Mercy Hospital Washington at $9K per procedure to Perimeter Behavioral Hospital Of Springfield at $20K — a difference of $11K 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 Missouri
St Louis-John Cochran Va Medical Center
St. Louis, MO
Missouri's top-rated hospital with a 5-star CMS quality rating and an average payment of $9K per procedure. Outcome score: 80/100.
Kansas City Va Medical Center
Kansas City, MO
Second-best in Missouri. 5-star CMS rating with an outcome score of 70/100. Average procedure payment: $13K.
Saint Lukes North Hospital
Kansas City, MO
Third on quality + outcomes. 5-star CMS rating; Value Score 79/100. Lists 11 priced procedures.
Top 20 of 121 Hospitals in Missouri
Hospital quality and cost data for Missouri is sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on CMS quality ratings and patient outcomes, St Louis-John Cochran Va Medical Center in St. Louis is the top-rated hospital in Missouri with a 5-star CMS rating and an average procedure payment of $9K. Its Value Score is 94/100 (Grade A).
Missouri has 121 Medicare-participating hospitals. The average procedure payment across the state is $14K, and 38% of hospitals earn an A or B Value Score.
Missouri's average procedure payment of $14K is below the national average of $16K. Within the state, prices range from $9K at Mercy Hospital Washington to $20K at Perimeter Behavioral Hospital Of Springfield — a gap of $11K per procedure.
Of 121 hospitals analyzed in Missouri, 24 (20%) 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%).