This IL Hospital Named To Elite List

ILLINOIS — One hospital in Illinois — Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospita — collected the final jewel in its “triple crown” of excellence Tuesday when it was named to an elite list of hospitals receiving Outstanding Patient Experience Awards.

Previously, Healthgrades, a platform that helps people find doctors and hospitals, recognized Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital with two other awards, for Patient Safety Excellence and as one of America’s Best Hospitals for 2025.

Only 15 percent of hospitals nationwide received the patient experience awards, which recognize those that provide top-quality care while giving their patients a positive experience.

The 377 hospitals from 44 states include 66 that are dual recipients of both the Outstanding Patient Experience Award and the Patient Safety Excellence Award, and 10 that have earned Outstanding Patient Experience, Patient Safety Excellence, and America’s Best Hospitals distinctions for 2025.

Texas had four of the triple crown winners. Other states join Illinois with triple crown winners are Arizona, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

In Illinois, two Northwestern Medicine hospitals — Delnor Hospital in Geneva and Memorial Hospital in Chicago — were recognized with both the patient experience and best hospital awards.

Hospitals that received both outstanding patient experience and safety excellence awards are:

• Memorial Hospital Belleville, in Belleville
• Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, in Winfield
• Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago

Hospitals that earned outstanding patient experience awards included:

• Advocate Sherman Hospital, in Elgin
• Wabash General Hospital, in Mount Carmel
• Alton Memorial Hospital, in Alton
• Carle Bromenn Medical Center, in Normal
• Hoopeston Community Memorial Hospital, in Hoopeston
• HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital, in O’Fallon
• Midwest Medical Center, in Galena
• Morris Hospital and Healthcare Centers, in Morris

“Hospital quality, including patient experience, should always be considered when choosing where to receive care,” Dr. Debra Gradick, Healthgrades senior physician consultant, said in a news release.

The awards highlight hospitals that prioritize patient experience and consistently achieve exceptional results The goal of the awards is to “help patients feel heard, confident, and assured of receiving the best possible care,” according to the release.

Healthgrades focused on 10 key patient measures in its assessment of Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems patient survey data. Three areas predict how likely a patient is to recommend a hospital to a family member or friend:

• Doctor communication
• Nurse communication
• Clear communication about care when discharged