Consumers know that most hospitals exhibit high quality for some procedures, like bypass surgery or knee replacement, but low quality in other areas. But, this group of 50 hospitals have the highest-quality patient outcomes across the board over the last five years. In HealthGrades' most recent study, patients going to these hospitals have a 28% lower mortality rate, and a 5% lower risk of complications on average.

The ratings are based on the annual Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study, which analyzes 40 million Medicare hospitalization records and rates the quality of care at each of the nation's more than 5,000 nonfederal hospitals.

The ratings are independent and objective, based on mortality and complication rates. The star ratings are free to consumers on www.healthgrades.com. To go directly to the star ratings, click here.