Best hospitals in Illinois: the 2026 five-star list
Medicare rates hospitals from one to five stars on safety, outcomes and patient experience. These are the Illinois hospitals with five.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · Written by licensed advisors · Sources are numbered and listed under Notes and sources
The short answer
Of 193 hospitals in Illinois, 136 have an overall star rating from Medicare’s Care Compare, and 14 earned the top rating of five stars. 35 have four stars, 43 three, 29 two and 15 one. The rest aren’t rated, usually because they report too few measures.12
Five-star hospitals in Illinois
Cook County first, then the rest of the state.3
| Hospital | City (county) |
|---|---|
| Rush University Medical Center | Chicago (Cook) |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital | Chicago (Cook) |
| NorthShore University HealthSystem – Evanston Hospital | Evanston (Cook) |
| St. Alexius Medical Center | Hoffman Estates (Cook) |
| UChicago Medicine AdventHealth La Grange | La Grange (Cook) |
| Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital | Barrington (Lake) |
| Memorial Hospital | Belleville (St. Clair) |
| Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital | DeKalb |
| Northwestern Medicine Delnor Community Hospital | Geneva (Kane) |
| UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale | Hinsdale (DuPage) |
| Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital | Lake Forest (Lake) |
| Northwestern Medicine McHenry | McHenry |
| Silver Cross Hospital and Medical Centers | New Lenox (Will) |
| Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital | Winfield (DuPage) |
How the stars work
The overall rating combines a hospital’s results on mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience, and timely and effective care. It is one summary, not the whole picture: a hospital with fewer stars overall can still be strong in the care you need, and a rating can change when CMS updates it.4
Is the hospital in your plan’s network?
A great hospital only helps if your plan covers it. Out of network, you can pay much more, or all of it, except in emergencies. Check the plan’s provider directory before you enroll, and again before planned care.5
What to do: Tell us the hospitals and doctors you want to keep. We check every plan in your county against them before you choose.
Related guides
Obamacare Hotline and/or Medicare Po Polsku are private companies not affiliated with any local, state, or federal government agency. This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice.