Best Hospitals in Pennsylvania 2026
Pennsylvania has 188 hospitals with an average procedure payment of $17K. The top-rated hospital is Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster with a 5-star CMS rating.
188 Pennsylvania hospitals appear in the CMS Inpatient Payment dataset. Ranked by average payment per documented procedure: Uniontown Hospital is the lowest at $10,312; Meadows Psychiatric Center the highest at $29,225. 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 Pennsylvania's 188 Medicare-participating hospitals, the average payment per procedure is $17K, above the national average of $16K. 28% ofPennsylvania's hospitals carry a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or higher, and 28% earn an A or B on our Value Score, which weighs price (40%), quality (40%), and patient outcomes (20%).
Procedure prices in Pennsylvania range from Uniontown Hospital at $10K per procedure to Meadows Psychiatric Center at $29K — a difference of $19K 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 Pennsylvania
Lancaster General Hospital
Lancaster, PA
Pennsylvania's top-rated hospital with a 5-star CMS quality rating and an average payment of $12K per procedure. Outcome score: 100/100.
Philadelphia Va Medical Center
Philadelphia, PA
Second-best in Pennsylvania. 5-star CMS rating with an outcome score of 88/100. Average procedure payment: $17K.
Hospital Of Univ Of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Third on quality + outcomes. 5-star CMS rating; Value Score 86/100. Lists 11 priced procedures.
Top 20 of 188 Hospitals in Pennsylvania
Hospital quality and cost data for Pennsylvania is sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on CMS quality ratings and patient outcomes, Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster is the top-rated hospital in Pennsylvania with a 5-star CMS rating and an average procedure payment of $12K. Its Value Score is 93/100 (Grade A).
Pennsylvania has 188 Medicare-participating hospitals. The average procedure payment across the state is $17K, and 28% of hospitals earn an A or B Value Score.
Pennsylvania's average procedure payment of $17K is above the national average of $16K. Within the state, prices range from $10K at Uniontown Hospital to $29K at Meadows Psychiatric Center — a gap of $19K per procedure.
Of 188 hospitals analyzed in Pennsylvania, 52 (28%) 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%).