Monday, March 23, 2026

Indiana Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

Periodically, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducts surveys to measure adult patient satisfaction with their recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicaid and Medicare plan enrollees. The ratings methodology used by CMS involves collecting patient responses to questions about their recent stays, then aggregating that information into a unified patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with five stars being the highest score.  As of March 21, 2026, only seven Indiana hospitals earned five-stars on CMS patient surveys.  From CMS patient satisfaction surveys, here are the seven Indiana hospitals that rated as five-stars for patient experience (listed alphabetically):

Indiana Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

  1. Community Hospital of Bremen
    Location:  Bremen
    View Rating Details

  2. Franciscan Health Orthopedic Hospital Carmel
    Location:  Carmel
    View Rating Details

  3. Greene County General Hospital
    Location:  Linton
    View Rating Details


The CMS also examines the quality of care delivered at Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals.  For a look at which Indiana hospitals rate high for quality, check out CMS Five Star Quality Acute Care Hospitals in Indiana.


Friday, March 20, 2026

EMT Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

The most current occupational employment data made available by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that, as of May 2024, more than 41,560 Americans were working as EMTs (emergency medical technicians). The four-state Southwestern U.S. accounted for a bit more than 3,500 of those EMT. BLS data shows the Southwestern region to be a relatively weak one for EMT, with nearly every state in the region having an annual mean wage level for EMTs that was below the national average.  A closer look at May 2024 BLS data shows the following details about EMT in the Southwestern U.S.:

EMT and Paramedic Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

EMT and Paramedic 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 extracted on March 20, 2026

Monday, March 16, 2026

Physical Therapist Pay in the Great Lakes Region

The most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on physical therapist (PT) employment put PT employment in the U.S. at just under 249,000 jobs as of May 2024.  The five-state Great Lakes region accounted for about 38,000 of those physical therapist jobs according to BLS data.  The Great Lakes region was a relatively weak one for physical therapist pay, with four states in the region having an annual mean wage level for physical therapists that was below the profession's national average of $99,913.  The exception to the subpar PT annual mean wage levels was Illinois, which ranked 6th in the nation for physical therapist annual mean wages.  More examination of BLS data from May 2024 reveals the following details about physical therapist pay in the Great Lakes region:

Physical Therapist Pay in the Great Lakes Region

Physical Therapist Pay in the Great Lakes Region

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
IL 10,390 $107,980 6th
IN 5,180 $98,320 28th
MI 7,800 $96,840 34th
OH 9,240 $99,500 22nd
WI 5,240 $99,340 25th
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 March 16, 2026

Minnesota Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

Periodic surveys done by the CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) are aimed at measuring patient satisfaction with recent stays at hospitals that treat Medicare and Medicaid participants. The CMS survey solicits input from consumers about their recent inpatient hospital stays, then combines those responses into a  patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with 5-stars being the top score.  Based on these patient surveys, 16 Minnesota hospitals earned a five-star rating from patients.  Listed alphabetically, here are the sixteen hospitals in Minnesota that rated as five-stars for patient experience according to CMS surveys (as of March 11, 2026):

Minnesota Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

  1. Glacial Ridge Hospital
    Location:  Glenwood
    View Rating Details

  2. Glencoe Regional Health
    Location:  Glencoe
    View Rating Details

  3. Lake Region Healthcare
    Location:  Fergus Falls
    View Rating Details

  4. Lakeview Memorial Hospital
    Location:  Stillwater
    View Rating Details

  5. Mayo Clinic Fairmont
    Location:  Fairmont
    View Rating Details

  6. Mayo Clinic New Prague
    Location:  New Prague
    View Rating Details

  7. Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester
    Location:  Rochester
    View Rating Details

  8. New Ulm Medical Center
    Location:  New Ulm
    View Rating Details

  9. Northfield Hospital
    Location:  Northfield
    View Rating Details

  10. Perham Health
    Location:  Perham
    View Rating Details

  11. River's Edge Hospital & Clinic
    Location:  St. Peter
    View Rating Details

  12. RiverView Hospital
    Location:  Crookston
    View Rating Details

  13. Riverwood Healthcare Center
    Location:  Aitkin
    View Rating Details

  14. St Josephs Area Health Services
    Location:  Park Rapids
    View Rating Details

  15. Welia Health
    Location:  Mora
    View Rating Details

  16. Windom Area Health
    Location:  Windom
    View Rating Details

The CMS also rates the quality of care delivered at Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals.  For a look at which Minnesota hospitals rate high for quality, check out CMS Five Star Quality Acute Care Hospitals in Minnesota.

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Virginia Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducts periodic surveys to measure adult patient perspectives on recent inpatient stays at hospitals that treat Medicaid and Medicare plan participants. The methodology used by CMS involves gathering patient responses to questions about their recent 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.  As of March 9, 2026, only seven Virginia hospitals earned five-stars on CMS patient surveys.  From CMS patient satisfaction surveys, here are the seven Virginia hospitals that rated as five-stars for patient experience (listed alphabetically):

Virginia Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

  1. Buchanan General Hospital
    Location:  Grundy
    View Rating Details

  2. Carilion Giles Community Hospital 
    Location:  Pearisburg
    View Rating Details

  3. Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital
    Location:  Bedford
    View Rating Details


The CMS also examines the quality of care delivered at Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals.  For a look at which Virginia hospitals rate high for quality, check out Five Star Quality Acute Care Hospitals in Virginia.

Monday, March 9, 2026

Massachusetts Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

According to CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) analysis of quality of care metrics, seven (7) Massachusetts hospitals earned 5-star quality ratings. But delivering highly rated care doesn't necessarily translate into five-star patient ratings.  Designed to gauge patient satisfaction with hospitals that treat Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, the CMS survey solicits feedback from consumers about recent inpatient hospital stays, then aggregates responses into a unified patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with 5-stars being the scale's top score.  From these patient surveys, only two Massachusetts hospitals earned a five-star patient survey rating.  And not a single 5-star quality rated hospital in the state made the five-star patient list.  Listed alphabetically, here are the two hospitals in Massachusetts that rated as five-stars for patient experience according to CMS surveys (as of March 9, 2026):

Massachusetts Hospitals Rated Five-Star in CMS Patient Surveys

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Nursing Assistant Pay in the Far West U.S.

There were more than 1,388,000 nursing assistants working in the USA according to May 2024 data released earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over 158,200 nursing assistants were employed in the six-state Far West region of the country.  Per BLS data, the Far West U.S. was the top region in the country for nursing assistant pay. Not only did all states in the region feature an annual mean wage for nursing assistants that topped the national average, but all six Far West states ranked among the top fifteen states nationally for nursing assistant pay. Moreover, four of the top five states nationally for nursing assistant annual mean wages were in the Far West region. A further examination of BLS data from May 2024 reveals the following about nursing assistant pay in the Far West U.S.:

Nursing Assistant Pay in the Far West U.S.

Nursing Assistant Pay in the Far West U.S.

State # Employed Annual Mean Wages Wage Rank*
AK 1,660 $48,550 4th
CA 102,380 $48,790 3rd
HI 4,620 $45,480 11th
NV 8,670 $44,360 15th
OR 12,800 $49,970 1st
WA 28,080 $49,9602nd
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 March 4, 2026

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

California Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducts regular surveys to ascertain adult patient perspectives on recent inpatient hospital stays at hospitals that treat Medicaid and Medicare participants. The methodology used by CMS involves collecting patient responses to questions about their recent hospital stays, then combining that information into a unified patient satisfaction rating on a 1 to 5-star scale, with the scale's top rating being five stars.  As of February 23, 2026, only six California hospitals earned five-stars on CMS patient surveys.  Among the six was Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla), the only hospital in the state that also rated five-stars for quality in a separate CMS quality analysis.  From CMS patient satisfaction surveys, here are the only six California hospitals that rated as five-stars for patient experience (alphabetically listed):

California Hospitals with Five-Star CMS Patient Survey Ratings