New Haven, Conn. (May 14, 2026) — Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), one of the largest hospitals in the United States and Connecticut’s nationally-ranked academic medical center, has earned a prestigious five-star overall hospital quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The recognition places Yale New Haven Hospital among a select group of hospitals nationwide to receive the highest distinction for patient safety and quality of care.
The CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating reflects how well hospitals perform across multiple categories, including safety of care, mortality, readmissions, patient experience and timely and effective care. Fewer than 15 percent of hospitals nationwide achieve a five-star rating, and it is especially rare for very large, highly complex academic medical centers to earn the designation.
Yale New Haven Hospital’s five-star CMS rating further builds on a strong record of excellence in safety, quality, education and research. This spring, the hospital earned an “A” grade for hospital safety from The Leapfrog Group and also achieved its fourth Magnet® designation, the highest national recognition for nursing excellence.
“For an academic medical center of Yale New Haven Hospital’s size and complexity, achieving a five-star CMS rating is exceptionally rare,” said Katherine Heilpern, MD, president of Yale New Haven Hospital. “This distinction reflects not only rigorous performance across a broad range of quality and safety measures, but also the deep, sustained commitment to our patients by our entire team of physicians, nurses and staff. It is a powerful affirmation of the culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement that we bring to work every day.”
Alan Friedman, MD, chief medical officer of Yale New Haven Hospital, highlighted the significance of the achievement.
“Receiving a five-star CMS rating at Yale New Haven Hospital acknowledges that a large academic medical center can deliver consistently outstanding outcomes in quality, safety and patient experience, even while managing the highest-acuity, most complex cases,” said Dr. Friedman. “It confirms that clinical excellence is linked with our academic mission of innovation, education and research to deliver exceptional care for our patients and community.”
A five-star CMS rating requires sustained performance across dozens of quality measures and reflects years of coordinated effort, clinical excellence, innovation and collaboration among clinical and operational teams.
CMS, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers the nation’s major healthcare programs and publishes hospital quality ratings to help patients make informed decisions about where to receive care. Patients can compare organizations through its Care Compare website.
The five-star recognition affirms Yale New Haven Hospital’s ongoing dedication to advancing patient safety, delivering high-quality care and fulfilling its mission as a leading academic medical center serving communities across Connecticut and the region.
Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org
