Orange City and Sioux Center hospitals earn five-star patient experience ratings

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (Sioux County Radio) - Hospitals in Orange City and Sioux Center have received the highest possible marks from patients in a new nationwide analysis of federal hospital survey data.

Orange City Area Health System and Sioux Center Health were among ten Iowa hospitals earning five out of five stars for patient experience, according to an analysis by online fax service iFax.

The company examined the latest Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) summary star ratings published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Two Sioux County hospitals receive top marks

The ratings are based on standardized surveys completed by adult patients following recent inpatient hospital stays.

CMS says the HCAHPS survey measures patients’ experiences in several areas, including communication with doctors and nurses, staff responsiveness, medication information, care coordination, discharge information, hospital cleanliness and the quietness of the hospital environment. Surveys are provided to a random sample of patients between two and 42 days after they leave the hospital.

Along with Orange City and Sioux Center, Iowa communities listed as having a five-star hospital included Carroll, Spirit Lake, Waukon, Waverly, Harlan, Marengo, Webster City, and Onawa.

Iowa ranks 9th nationally

Iowa placed ninth among the 50 states, with an average patient-experience rating of 3.74 out of five across 49 rated hospitals.

That was above the national average of 3.29 stars among the 3,165 hospitals included in the analysis.

Wisconsin ranked first with an average of 4.06 stars across 100 hospitals. South Dakota finished second at an even four stars, followed by Idaho at 3.92.

Nebraska and Minnesota tied for fourth, meaning five of the six highest-rated states were located in the Midwest.

Florida had the lowest average rating at 2.71 stars. New Jersey and New York had the next-lowest averages.

Ratings cover patient experience, not overall hospital quality

The HCAHPS summary star rating is intended to make it easier for patients to compare their experiences at different hospitals. CMS describes HCAHPS as a national, standardized, and publicly reported survey of patients’ perspectives of hospital care.

The patient-experience rating is separate from the broader CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, which considers additional measures such as mortality, safety, readmissions, and the timeliness and effectiveness of care.

That means a five-star HCAHPS rating should be described specifically as a five-star patient-experience rating, rather than a five-star overall hospital rating.

How the rankings were calculated

The hospital surveys used in the analysis covered July 2024 through June 2025 and were included in a CMS dataset released on April 28, 2026. CMS updates publicly reported HCAHPS results quarterly using four consecutive quarters of patient surveys.

Of the more than 5,400 Medicare-listed hospitals nationwide, 3,165 had a published HCAHPS summary star rating and were located within the 50 states. Hospitals without a published rating, often because of insufficient survey volume or nonparticipation, were excluded.

iFax calculated each state’s score using the simple average of the hospital-level ratings. The averages were not weighted based on hospital size or the number of completed surveys.

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