“An unwavering commitment” — that’s what it takes to be considered one of the nations’ top 15% of hospitals for outstanding patient experience by Healthgrades. This year, four Georgia hospitals made the cut.

“As consumers take a more hands-on approach to their health care journeys, hospital quality should be a top consideration when choosing where to receive care,” Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades, said in a news release.

“Our goal at Healthgrades is to offer direct, data-driven insights on the hospitals that make the safety and experience of their patients a top priority and consistently deliver exceptional results in this aspect of care,” he continued. “With this information, consumers can feel confident they’re making the most informed decisions about their health care.”

The Colorado-based doctor and hospital review outlet presented 388 medical facilities with the Outstanding Patient Experience Award for providing best-in-class service from January to December 2022. Although Healthgrades rated each facility on a variety of metrics, the outlet determined three factors proved to be the greatest predictors of award-winning service: doctor communication, nurse communication and clear communication about care when discharged.

Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital was honored for the third consecutive year, having also been ranked among the top 1% of U.S. hospitals for two years running. Northside Hospital Cherokee, the health care system’s Canton location, was also awarded for the third time.

Newnan’s CTCA Atlanta earned the Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the first time this year, while Vidalia’s Memorial Health Meadows Hospital walked away with its second consecutive honor.

To determine the best hospitals for patient experience in the United States, Healthgrades analyzed data from 2,575 medical facilities that each provided at least 100 patient experience surveys. The 20% of hospitals considered lowest in quality were excluded from consideration.