Periodic surveys conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aim to measure consumer satisfaction with recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. The CMS survey poses questions to consumers about their recent inpatient hospital stays, then consolidates those responses into a unified patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with 5-stars being the scale's highest score.  From these patient surveys, only nine Ohio hospitals earned a five-star patient survey rating.  This included one military hospital - the 88th Medical Group at Wright-Patterson AFB - that does not serve the general public.  Three Ohio hospitals that earned 5 stars from patients - Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center (Akron), Holzer Medical Center (Jackson), and Mercy Allen Hospital (Oberlin) -  also rated as a Five-Star Quality Hospital in separate quality-of-care studies run by the CMS.  Here, listed alphabetically, are the nine hospitals in Ohio that rated as five-stars for patient experience according to CMS surveys (as of February 7, 2026):

Ohio Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

1. 88th Medical Group
   Location:  Wright-Patterson AFB
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2. Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center
   Location:  Akron
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3. Holzer Medical Center Jackson
   
   Location:  Jackson
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4. Institute for Orthopaedic Surgery
   Location:  Lima

   View Rating Details
   
   
5. Kettering Health Greene Memorial

   Location:  Xenia

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6. Mercy Allen Hospital
   Location:  Oberlin
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7. Promedica Defiance Regional Hospital
   Location:  Defiance
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8. Selby General Hospital
   Location:  Marietta
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9. Surgical Hospital at Southwoods
   Location:  Youngstown
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More than 41,500 MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technologists were working in the U.S. as of May 2024 according to the latest occupational employment numbers available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  The four-state Southwestern region accounted for an estimated 3,520 MRI technologist jobs at that time, or about 8% of the national total.  BLS data revealed the Southwestern U.S. to be a modestly better than average one for MRI technologist pay, with about 20% of the region's MRI technologists working in a state where the annual mean wage for the profession was above the national average.  A closer study of May 2024 state-level BLS statistical data provides the following about MRI technologist pay in the Southwestern U.S. region:

MRI Technologist Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	710	$95,170	19th
NM	110	$87,930	26th
OK	360	$82,880	33rd
TX	2,340	$88,150	25th
U.S.	41,560	$89,999	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data accessed on February, 18, 2026

EMT Pay in the Southeast

May 2024 data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that more than 178,010 Americans were employed as emergency medical technicians (EMTs). The twelve-state Southeast region accounted for just over 43,100 of those EMT jobs. In general, the Southeast is the weakest region in the country for EMT pay with only one state, Virginia, having an annual mean wage above the national average for EMTs. Moreover, six states in the Southeast ranked in the bottom quintile nationally for EMT annual mean wages. According to May 2024 BLS data, emergency medical technician (EMT) and paramedic pay in the Southeast looked as follows:

EMT Pay in the Southeast

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AL	2420	$37,680	44th
AR	1230	$35,650	47th
FL	6770	$43,380	23rd
GA	5740	$40,720	33rd
KY	3190	$37,960	43rd
LA	2290	$34,940	51st
MS	1300	$35,380	49th
NC	7540	$43,140	24th
SC	4270	$39,840	37th
TN	3420	$40,090	36th
VA	3780	$44,740	21st
WV	1150	$35,430	48th
U.S.	257,700	$40,370	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on February 17, 2026

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducts market surveys to measure patient satisfaction with recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicaid and Medicare participants.  The CMS methodology poses questions to individuals about their recent inpatient hospital stays at participating hospitals, then organizes that information into a unified patient satisfaction rating on a one to five-star scale, with 5 stars being the top score.  Eleven Pennsylvania hospitals carry a five-star CMS patient survey rating, including three VA hospital that don't typically serve the general public.  Except for two of the VA hospitals, no hospitals in the state that earned five-stars patient ratings also rated as a Five-Star Quality Hospital in separate quality-of-care studies conducted by the CMS.  Based on patient surveys, here listed alphabetically are the eleven hospitals in Pennsylvania that carry five-stars in CMS patient surveys:

Pennsylvania Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

1. Advanced Surgical Hospital
   Location:  Washington
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2. Geisinger Medical Center Muncy
   Location:  Muncy
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3. Lebanon VA Medical Center

   Location:  Lebanon

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4. OSS Orthopaedic Hospital
   Location:  York
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5. Physicians Care Surgical Hospital
   Location:  Royersford
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6. Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital
   Location:  Bensalem
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7. Surgical Institute of Reading
   Location:  Wyomissing
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8. Troy Community Hospital
   Location:  Troy
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9. UPMC Muncy
   Location:  Muncy
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10. Van Zandt VA Medical Center
    Location:  Altoona
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11. Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center
    Location:  Wilkes Barre
    View Rating Details

Physical Therapist Pay in New England

There were nearly 249,000 physical therapists (PTs) employed in the United States as of May 2024 according to data released earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  More than 16,000 of those employed as physical therapists in the U.S. lived in the six-state New England region of the country.  Except for Connecticut and Massachusetts, New England was not a good region for physical therapist pay. Whereas Connecticut and Massachusetts ranked among the fifteen best states in the nation for PT annual mean wages, the other five states in the region all had physical therapist annual mean wage levels that were below the national average. In fact, two New England states ranked among the ten worst states in the nation for PT annual mean wages. A closer look at BLS data from May 2024 reveals the following details about physical therapist pay in New England:

Physical Therapist Pay in New England

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CT	4,310	$102,420	15th
MA	6,600	$104,130	12th
ME	1,780	$92,780	47th
NH	1,610	$93,750	43rd
RI	1,420	$98,190	29th
VT	690	$94,060	42nd
U.S.	248,620	$99,913	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on February 16, 2026

Patient surveys conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aim to gauge customer satisfaction with recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicare and Medicaid participants. The CMS survey asks questions about recent inpatient hospital stays, then standardizes responses into an all-encompassing patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with 5-stars being the high score on the scale.  Only six Michigan hospitals earned a five-star patient survey rating.  This included one VA hospital - VA Ann Arbor Healthcare - that customarily does not serve the general public.  Other than the VA hospital, none of the five-star Michigan hospitals in the eyes of patients also rated as a Five-Star Quality Hospital in separate CMS quality-of-care studies.  Here, listed alphabetically, are the six hospitals in Michigan that rated as five-stars for patient experience according to CMS surveys (as of February 4, 2026):

Michigan Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

1. Bronson Lakeview Hospital
   Location:  Paw Paw
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2. Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus / Trinity Health Shelby
   Location:  Shelby
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3. Mymichigan Medical Center Gladwin
   
   Location:  Gladwin
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4. Sparrow Carson Hospital / UM Health-Sparrow
   Location:  Carson City

   View Rating Details
   
   
5. UP Health System Portage

   Location:  Hancock

   View Rating Details
   
   
6. VA Ann Arbor Healthcare
   Location:  Ann Arbor
   View Rating Details

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) periodically runs research surveys to measure patient opinions on recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicaid and Medicare enrollees.  The CMS methodology involves questioning individuals about their recent inpatient hospital stays at participating hospitals, then aggregating that information into a single, all-encompassing patient satisfaction rating on a one to five-star scale, with 5 stars being the scale's best score.  As of February 4, 2026, only three North Carolina hospitals earned a five-star patient survey rating, and one of those was a VA hospital that doesn't serve the general public.  Excluding the VA hospital, no hospitals in the state that  earned five-stars from patients also rated as a Five-Star Quality Hospital in separate CMS quality-of-care studies.  From patient satisfaction surveys conducted by the CMS, these were the three hospitals in North Carolina that rated as five-stars for patient experience (alphabetically listed):

North Carolina Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

1. Asheville VA Medical Center
   Location:  Asheville
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2. UNC Chatham Hospital
   Location:  Siler City
   View Rating Details
   
   
3. Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

   Location:  Winston-Salem

   View Rating Details

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducts patient surveys to gauge adult patient satisfaction with recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicare and Medicaid participants. The CMS survey involves collecting patient responses to questions about their hospital stay, then standardizing that information into a single, overall patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with 5-stars being the top grade on the scale.  As of February 4, 2026, only five Georgia hospitals earned a five-star patient survey rating.  This included one hospital - AdventHealth Murray in Chatsworth - that also rated as a Five-Star Quality Hospital in separate CMS studies on the quality of care delivered.  Based on CMS patient satisfaction surveys, these were the five hospitals in Georgia that rated as five-stars for patient experience (alphabetically listed):

Georgia Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

1. AdventHealth Murray
   Location:  Chatsworth
   View Rating Details
   
   
2. Eisenhower Army Medical Center
   Location:  Fort Gordon
   View Rating Details
   
   
3. Higgins General Hospital
   
   Location:  Bremen
   View Rating Details
   
   
4. Optim Medical Center - Tattnall
   Location:  Reidsville

   View Rating Details
   
   
5. Southeastern Regional Medical Center
   (doing business as City of Hope Cancer Center Atlanta)

   Location:  Newnan

   View Rating Details
   

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) periodically conducts patient surveys to measure adult patient perspectives on recent hospital stays at hospitals that treat Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. The methodology used by CMS involves gathering patient responses to questions about their recent inpatient hospital stays, then consolidating that information into a single, all-encompassing patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with five stars being the best score on the scale.  As of February 2, 2026, only seven Illinois hospitals earned a five-star patient survey rating.  Interestingly, only one hospital in the state - Crawford Memorial in Robinson - that rated five-stars for patient satisfaction also rated as a Five-Star Quality Hospital in separate CMS studies that focused on the quality of care delivered.  From CMS patient satisfaction surveys, these were the seven hospitals in Illinois that rated as five-stars for patient experience (alphabetically listed):

Illinois Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

1. Crawford Memorial Hospital
   Location:  Robinson
   View Rating Details
   
   
2. Gibson Community Hospital
   Location:  Gibson City
   View Rating Details
   
   
3. Hammond Henry Hospital
   Location:  Geneseo
   View Rating Details
   
   
4. Memorial Hospital
   Location:  Carthage
   View Rating Details
   
   
5. Midwestern Regional Medical Center
   Location:  Zion
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6. Midwest Medical Center
   Location:  Galena
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7. OSF Holy Family Medical Center
   Location:  Monmouth
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There were over 1,388,000 nursing assistants employed in the USA according to recently published May 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Approximately 226,000 of those employed as nursing assistants lived in the five-state Great Lakes region of the country.  Annual mean wages for nursing assistants in the region ran slightly below the national average, except in Illinois and Wisconsin.  BLS data from May 2024 reveals the following about nursing assistant pay in the Great Lakes region of the U.S.:

Nursing Assistant Pay in the Great Lakes Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IL	64,660	$43,950	16th
IN	31,240	$38,610	33rd
MI	40,230	$40,210	28th
OH	62,360	$39,840	31st
WI	27,480	$43,050	20th
U.S.	1,388,510	$41,173	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on February 3, 2026

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducts periodic patient surveys to measure adult patient perspectives on recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. The CMS survey gathers responses to questions about various patient experiences during an inpatient hospital stay, then consolidates that information into a single, overall patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with 5-stars being the top of the scale.  While ten acute care hospitals placed on the list of CMS Five-Star Quality Hospitals in New York, not a single one of those 5-star quality hospitals earned five-star marks from patients.   As of January 31, 2026, only two hospitals, both in upstate New York, rated as 5 stars in CMS patient surveys:

Two New York Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

1. Adirondack Medical Center - Saranac Lake
   Location:  Saranac Lake
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2. Elizabethtown Community Hospital
   Location:  Elizabethtown
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