Norton Healthcare is ranked the best hospital in Louisville by U.S. News & World Report 2025–2026, with high-performing ratings across key specialties.

Published: October 2, 2025

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

When it comes to choosing a hospital, patients and families want to know they are receiving trusted, high-quality care. Each year, U.S. News & World Report helps guide those decisions with its “Best Hospitals” rankings: a nationally recognized benchmark for hospital performance.

For 2025-2026, Norton Healthcare’s adult-service facilities earned recognition as the Best Hospital in Louisville, receiving the No. 1 ranking in the Louisville area along with “High Performing” ratings in 11 specialties and procedures.

Norton Healthcare’s high-performing specialties and procedures

Norton Healthcare was recognized for excellence in the following areas of care:

• Back surgery (spinal fusion)
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Gynecologic cancer surgery
• Heart bypass surgery
• Hip replacement
• Kidney failure
• Knee replacement
• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma
• Pacemaker implantation
• Prostate cancer surgery
• Stroke

What this means for patients

These designations reflect Norton Healthcare’s commitment to advanced, patient-centered treatment across a wide range of complex and common conditions.

Being named the Best Hospital in Louisville and earning multiple “High Performing” ratings reinforces Norton Healthcare’s role as a trusted provider for everyday care and highly specialized care.

U.S. News emphasizes that no ranking should replace personal medical advice or jeopardize insurance network coverage.

How the recognition is calculated

The U.S. News Best Hospitals program evaluates nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide each year.

A “High Performing” rating indicates better-than-average outcomes and quality of care compared with peer hospitals — one of the key reasons Norton Healthcare was named the best hospital in Louisville.

Rankings are determined by patient outcomes, patient experience, safety and quality metrics, volume and expertise, and equity of care. Additionally, each recognition has qualifications specific to the condition and patient need.

Back surgery (spinal fusion), hip and knee replacement, pacemaker, heart bypass

• These are technically complex procedures that require advanced technology and provider training. Our hospitals have skilled multidisciplinary surgical teams that deliver lower complication rates and strong postoperative care.

COPD, kidney failure, stroke

• These chronic and acute conditions require coordinated, multidisciplinary care and ongoing management. Norton Healthcare has established critical care protocols, timely interventions and effective use of evidence-based guidelines.

Gynecologic and prostate cancer surgery, leukemia/lymphoma/myeloma

• Cancer care rankings highlight the oncology expertise, surgical precision, lower readmission rates and access to advanced treatments and clinical trials at Norton Cancer Institute.

Choosing Norton Healthcare

Whether you need advanced surgery, cancer treatment or management of a chronic condition, Norton Healthcare’s recognition in the U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings highlights our dedication to delivering safe, high-quality care right here in Louisville.