Community Regional Medical Center Image via CRMC Facebook page
published on June 16, 2026 – 3:33 PM
Written by Ben Hensley
Several San Joaquin Valley hospitals earned national recognition in Healthgrades’ 2026 hospital rankings, receiving distinctions for spine surgery, outpatient specialty care and patient safety.
Healthgrades’ 2026 hospital awards and specialty rankings, released in phases beginning in late 2025 and continuing into early 2026, recognize hospitals for clinical performance across a range of specialties, procedures and patient safety measures.
Hospitals in Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties received honors across multiple categories, reflecting the region’s growing investment in specialty and outpatient care.
Valley hospitals earn specialty-care distinctions
In Fresno County, Community Regional Medical Center was named a 2026 Healthgrades Top 100 Spine Surgery Program. Saint Agnes Medical Center also received recognition for spine surgery, continuing a streak of specialty honors highlighted by the hospital in recent years.
“We are proud to be recognized as national leaders in spine and orthopaedic surgical care,” Saint Agnes President and Market Leader Dr. Gurvinder Kaur said in a statement announcing the recognition.
Kaur credited physicians, nurses and clinical teams for helping achieve the distinction.
Community Health System publicly acknowledged Community Regional’s spine surgery designation, describing the recognition as an acknowledgment of the hospital’s quality outcomes and specialized care for patients undergoing spine procedures.
Kaweah Health Medical Center in Visalia also received recognition for spine surgery.
Patient safety and outpatient services highlighted
A number of Fresno-area hospitals also received specialty designations, highlighting the breadth of advanced surgical and outpatient services available locally. Fresno Surgical Hospital earned recognition for outpatient joint replacement and outpatient orthopedic surgery, while Clovis Community Medical Center received a Patient Safety Excellence Award. Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital also received honors related to specialty surgical care.
Adventist Health Hanford earned distinctions for outpatient prostate care and patient safety, while Adventist Health Selma received patient safety recognition.
Rankings remain a key marketing tool for health systems
Healthgrades evaluates hospitals nationwide using risk-adjusted clinical outcomes data derived primarily from Medicare records. The organization assesses performance in areas including mortality and complication rates for common procedures and conditions.
The Healthgrades recognitions arrive amid a steady stream of third-party hospital rankings that health systems use to highlight quality outcomes and specialty expertise.
In recent months, hospitals have also promoted performance in reports from organizations including The Leapfrog Group, which releases hospital safety grades twice annually, and U.S. News & World Report, which publishes annual national and regional hospital rankings.
Leapfrog’s Spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grades, released in May, focused on measures including preventable medical errors, infections and patient safety practices. U.S. News evaluates hospitals based on specialty performance, patient outcomes and physician reputation.
Hospitals increasingly use national recognitions from organizations such as Healthgrades, The Leapfrog Group and U.S. News & World Report to demonstrate quality performance as competition for patients and specialty services intensifies. The awards also support ongoing efforts by health systems to expand specialty care programs and outpatient services designed to keep patients closer to home for advanced treatment.