The WellSpan Spotlight

Awards and recognitions

7 WellSpan hospitals earn national quality awards

Three WellSpan hospitals rank among Pennsylvania’s top five for critical care, with more in America’s Top 100 than any other health system in the state

WellSpan Health - Fall 2026 Healthgrades Awards

Seven of WellSpan Health’s acute care hospitals earned honors from Healthgrades, the leading resource for consumers seeking high-quality hospitals and physicians. Notably, three WellSpan Hospitals were recognized among Pennsylvania’s top five for critical care. 

WellSpan also received more America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care™ Awards than any other health system in Pennsylvania. 

WellSpan York Hospital was the only hospital in Central Pennsylvania1 to earn America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention Award and all four Healthgrades cardiac excellence awards for 2027. It was one of just 36 hospitals nationwide, and three in Pennsylvania, to receive all four cardiac honors. 

 “These recognitions reflect how our teams work as one across WellSpan to provide high-quality and safe care for every patient,” said David Vega, M.D., senior vice president and chief quality officer at WellSpan Health. “The expertise and dedication of our team members, nurses, physicians and advanced practice professionals continue to improve care across complex specialties while keeping each patient’s needs at the center of everything we do.” 

WellSpan York ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania for critical care, followed by WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital at No. 2 and WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital at No. 5 in Pennsylvania. Highlights of the honors earned by each WellSpan hospital include: 

WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital received seven Healthgrades recognitions across cardiac, pulmonary and critical care: 

  • Emergency Hospitalization Excellence Award™
  • Five-Star Distinctions: Treatment of Heart Attack for the 16th consecutive year (2012-2027), Treatment for Respiratory Failure for the 13th consecutive year (2015-2027), Treatment of Sepsis for the 13th consecutive year (2015-2027) and Treatment of Pneumonia, Treatment of Heart Failure and Treatment of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeries (2027). 

WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital received 17 Healthgrades recognitions across cardiac, neurosciences, hospital wide and critical care: 

  • No. 3 in Pennsylvania for critical care
  • America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care™ in 2027
  • Top 5 in PA for Emergency Hospitalization
  • 2027 Cardiology Excellence Award™
  • Stroke Care Excellence Award™ for three consecutive years (2025-2027)
  • 2027 Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™
  • 2027 Gastrointestinal Medical Excellence Award™
  • Critical Care Excellence Award for six consecutive years (2022-2027)
  • 2027 Emergency Hospitalization Excellence Award™
  • Five-Star Distinctions: Treatment of Sepsis for the eighth consecutive year (2020-2027), Treatment of Heart Attack for the seventh consecutive year (2021-2027), Treatment of Heart Failure for the seventh consecutive year (2021-2027), Treatment of Respiratory Failure for the fifth consecutive year (2023-2027), Treatment of Stroke for the third consecutive year (2025-2027) and Treatment of Bowel Obstruction, GI Bleed and Pneumonia. 

WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital received two Healthgrades recognitions for stroke and outpatient care: 

  • Five-Star Distinctions in Treatment of Stroke for the fourth consecutive year (2024-2027) and Outpatient Rotator Cuff Repair for the second consecutive year (2026-2027) 

WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital received 13 Healthgrades recognitions across cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal and critical care: 

  • No. 2 in Pennsylvania for critical care
  • America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care™ for five consecutive years (2023-2027)
  • 2027 Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™
  • Pulmonary Care Excellence Award™ for four consecutive years (2024-2027)
  • 2027 Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award™
  • Critical Care Excellence Award for ten consecutive years (2018-2027)
  • Five-Star Distinctions: Treatment of Sepsis for the 11th consecutive year (2017-2027), Treatment of Pneumonia for the 10th consecutive year (2018-2027), Treatment of Respiratory Failure for the fifth consecutive year (2023-2027), Treatment of Heart Failure for the fifth consecutive year (2023-2027), Treatment of GI Bleed for the third consecutive year (2025-2027), Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease for the second consecutive year (2026-2027) and Treatment of Bowel Obstruction in 2027. 

WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital received nine Healthgrades recognitions across neurosciences, gastrointestinal and critical care: 

  • 2027 Stroke Care Excellence Award™
  • Gastrointestinal Medical Excellence Award™ for four consecutive years (2024-2027)
  • Critical Care Excellence Award™ for five consecutive years (2023-2027)
  • 2027 Emergency Hospitalization Excellence Award™
  • Five-Star Distinctions in: Treatment of Stroke for the third consecutive year (2025-2027), Treatment of GI Bleed for the fourth consecutive year (2024-2027), Treatment of Respiratory Failure for the fifth consecutive year (2023-2027), Treatment of Sepsis for the sixth consecutive year (2022-2027) and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery for the fourth consecutive year (2024-2027). 

WellSpan York Hospital received 24 Healthgrades recognitions across cardiac, neurosciences, gastrointestinal and critical care. 

  • No. 1 in Pennsylvania for critical care
  • America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care for three consecutive years (2025-2027)
  • America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care for two consecutive years (2026-2027)
  • America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention in 2027-the only hospital in Central Pennsylvania1 to receive the distinction
  • Cardiac Awards: The Cardiac Care Excellence Award™, the Cardiology Excellence Award™, Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™, the Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ and is the only in Central Pennsylvania1 to receive all four distinctions and one of only 36 hospitals in the nation to receive all four awards in 2027
  • Top 3 in Pennsylvania for Coronary Intervention, Emergency Hospitalization and Top 5 in Pennsylvania for Cardiac Care.
  • Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award™ for two consecutive years (2026-2027)
  • Gastrointestinal Medical Excellence Award™ for five consecutive years (2023-2027)
  • Critical Care Excellence Award™ for two consecutive years (2026-2027)
  • Emergency Hospitalization Excellence Award™ in 2027
  • Five-Star Distinctions: Treatment of Sepsis for the 11th consecutive year (2017-2027), Treatment of Heart Failure for the seventh consecutive year (2021-2027), Treatment of Stroke for the seventh consecutive year (2021-2027), Treatment of GI Bleed for the seventh consecutive year (2021-2027), Cranial Neurosurgery for the third consecutive year (2025-2027), Coronary Interventional Procedures for the third consecutive year (2025-2027),  Treatment of Respiratory Failure for the third consecutive year (2025-2027), Valve Surgery for the second consecutive year (2026-2027) and Treatment of Bowel Obstruction in 2027. 

WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital:

  • Five-Star Distinction in Treatment of Respiratory Failure 

WellSpan Health’s achievements are based solely on what matters most: patient outcomes. Each year, Healthgrades evaluates risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for over 30 common conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide to identify the top hospitals in key specialty areas, including Stoke, Neurosurgery, Critical Care and Pulmonary Care. Through easy-to-understand, objective measures of hospital performance, Healthgrades empowers patients with the information they need to find a hospital that excels in their procedure or condition. 

The impact of choosing a high-performing hospital is significant. Healthgrades’ 2027 analysis revealed that if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated facilities during the 2023-2025 study period, 227,229 lives could have been saved and 158,138 complications could have been avoided.* 

“Finding a hospital that excels in a given procedure or treatment can transform a patient’s health trajectory,” said Alana Biggers, MD, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “We’re proud to recognize WellSpan Health for its top-tier performance in numerous specialty areas and commend its team for delivering exceptional patient outcomes when it matters most.” 

 Consumers can visit Healthgrades’ Specialty Excellence Patient Advocate Center to learn more about how Healthgrades identifies the top-performing hospitals for specialty care.

 To learn more about award-winning care at WellSpan’s acute care hospitals, visit www.WellSpan.org/Hospitals.

*Statistical averages based on Healthgrades’ analysis of MedPAR data for years 2023 through 2025 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. To learn more about how Healthgrades determines the top hospitals for specialty care, view the complete  2027 Specialty Excellence Awards and Ratings Methodology.

1 Central Pennsylvania is defined as: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mifflin, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union and York counties in Pennsylvania.

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