Where U.S. News Best Hospitals data comes from
Most of a U.S. News Best Hospitals score is built from data hospitals don’t submit directly. The main sources are: CMS Medicare claims (MEDPAR) for risk-adjusted outcomes; the AHA Annual Survey for structural and operational data; HCAHPS for patient experience; and the Doximity-administered physician reputation survey. Knowing which source feeds which component tells you exactly what you can — and can’t — directly influence.
On this page
The source map
| Source | Feeds | Directly controlled by hospital? |
|---|---|---|
| CMS Medicare claims (MEDPAR) | Risk-adjusted outcomes (survival, returning home) | No — reflects actual care |
| AHA Annual Survey + data to U.S. News | Structural/operational measures (staffing, services, technology, volume) | Yes — you report it |
| HCAHPS | Patient experience | No — standardized patient survey |
| Physician survey (Doximity) | Expert-opinion / reputation component | Indirectly — through legitimate awareness only |
CMS Medicare claims (MEDPAR)
The Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) file is a dataset of Medicare inpatient claims. U.S. News uses it — over multiple years — to compute risk-adjusted outcomes such as survival and the rate of returning home rather than to further institutional care. Because it is built from actual claims, it reflects real performance and isn’t something a hospital edits; accurate clinical documentation and coding do, however, matter to how care is represented.
The AHA Annual Survey
The American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey is a primary source for structural and operational data — nurse staffing, services and technologies, patient volume, and related measures. Together with information hospitals report directly to U.S. News, this is the input a hospital most directly controls, which is why accuracy and completeness here matter so much.
HCAHPS
HCAHPS (the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) is the standardized, publicly reported patient-experience survey. It contributes to the care-related portion of the score and, like outcomes, reflects measured experience rather than self-reported data.
The physician survey
The expert-opinion (reputation) survey, administered by Doximity, asks board-certified physicians to name the best hospitals in their specialty. It contributes one weighted component and can be influenced only through legitimate awareness — never vote solicitation. See the reputation survey, explained.
What this means for you
Frequently asked questions
What data sources does U.S. News use?
Chiefly CMS Medicare claims (MEDPAR) for outcomes, the AHA Annual Survey for structural data, HCAHPS for patient experience, and a Doximity-administered physician reputation survey. Hospitals also submit some data directly to U.S. News.
What is MEDPAR?
The CMS Medicare Provider Analysis and Review file — a dataset of Medicare inpatient claims that U.S. News uses to compute risk-adjusted outcomes like survival across multiple years.
Which sources can a hospital influence?
Outcomes (claims) and patient experience (HCAHPS) reflect actual performance and aren’t editable. The structural data reported via the AHA survey and directly to U.S. News is the input a hospital most directly controls — by reporting it accurately and completely.
Own the part you control — the reported data
Shield Tracker helps hospital teams prepare and manage the structural data they report to U.S. News accurately and completely, across every service line — the one major input you directly control.
Schedule a demoSources
- U.S. News & World Report, “FAQ: How and Why We Rank and Rate Hospitals.” health.usnews.com
- CMS, “MEDPAR (Medicare Provider Analysis and Review).” cms.gov
- American Hospital Association, “AHA Annual Survey.” aha.org · CMS, “HCAHPS.” cms.gov
Independence & trademarks. Shield Tracker is an independent software product. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by U.S. News & World Report, CMS, the AHA, or Doximity. “U.S. News & World Report” and “Best Hospitals” are trademarks of U.S. News & World Report L.P., used here descriptively for education and commentary. Methodology facts reflect U.S. News’s published 2025–26 Best Hospitals methodology and are subject to change each year.