2 Kentucky hospitals rank among the best in the nation for patient care
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Two Kentucky hospitals earned top five-star ratings from CMS for overall care.
- Baptist Health Paducah and Louisville VA rank among top 10% of hospitals assessed by CMS.
- CMS ratings measure mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience and timely care.
Two Kentucky hospitals earned five-star ratings from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, placing them among approximately 300 hospitals nationwide to earn the honor.
Each year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rate hospitals from one to five stars based on their overall quality and performance on patient outcomes.
While several major Lexington hospitals performed well in this year’s results, they came up shy of snagging the coveted five-star rating. Here’s a look at the Kentucky hospitals that managed that feat, along with a deeper dive into how the ratings work.
Which Kentucky hospitals earned 5-star ratings?
Baptist Health Paducah and the Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center were the only two Kentucky hospitals to earn five-star ratings this year.
Only 10% of assessed hospitals received five-star ratings this year, according to CMS. That amounts to 291 hospitals across the country rated as the best of the best by CMS in 2025.
For Baptist Health Paducah, it marks the second consecutive year it has received the rating.
“Earning this distinction two years running reflects Baptist Health Paducah’s unwavering commitment to patient safety and adherence to evidence-based standards of care,” Kenny Boyd, the president of Baptist Health Paducah, said in a statement.
“Not all health care providers perform at the same standard so it’s important for patients to do their homework, and having access to quality data and ratings for hospitals and providers allows them to do that,” Boyd said.
“Achieving this distinction two years in a row shows that our dedication to excellence is not just a moment in time. It’s an incredible testament to the safe, quality care we provide our patients every single day,” he said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs did not respond to a request for comment about the recognition for the Louisville VA Medical Center.
On the separate patient survey rating, which uses survey data from recently discharged patients, both hospitals received three out of five stars.
Which Kentucky hospitals had the lowest rating?
These hospitals received 1-star ratings this year, according to CMS:
- Jennie Stuart Medical Center (Hopkinsville)
- Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital (Somerset)
- Monroe County Medical Center (Tompkinsville)
- Pikeville Medical Center
- University of Louisville Hospital
How did Lexington-area hospitals do?
The full list of star ratings for 56 Kentucky hospitals is available at Medicare.gov through the website’s Care Compare tool.
Here’s how several major Lexington-based hospitals performed:
- Baptist Health Lexington: 4 stars
- Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center: 4 stars
- Saint Joseph Hospital: 2 stars
- University of Kentucky Hospital: 4 stars
How were the hospitals rated?
Hospitals are assigned overall star ratings based on how they perform across five measure groups, which are themselves made up of 45 individual measures, such as the death rate for stroke patients.
The full list of measures is available at data.cms.gov. Depending on the measure, the data collected can range from 2020-2024.
The five measure groups for overall hospital quality include and are weighted as follows:
- Mortality - 22%
- Safety - 22%
- Re-admission - 22%
- Patient Experience - 22%
- Timely and Effective Care - 12%
The ratings use available data reported by hospitals to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.