Brookings Hospital Named to Inaugural Forbes Top Hospitals List

Brookings Hospital was recently named to the 2026 Forbes Top Hospitals list, a new rating system which evaluates general acute care hospitals throughout the United States. Brookings Hospital is one of only 253 hospitals across the nation to receive an overall 5-star rating from the media company and is the highest rated South Dakota hospital across all five quality measures. 

“Our team members earn honors like these by focusing on delivering high-quality, compassionate, personalized health care to our community,” said Brookings Health System’s President and CEO Jason Merkley. “For us, every patient matters. We have the essentials of great health care hardwired in all we do to provide the best clinical outcomes for patients and offer the best experience possible.”

Forbes assessed 5,400 acute care hospitals based on healthcare quality measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Forbes’ methodology focused on patient outcomes, best practices, value and patient experience. It also adjusted for the demographics and socioeconomics of the communities surrounding the hospitals. Forbes included hospitals that received a 4- or 5-star overall rating on the list, formally known as the Forbes Overall Hospital Quality Ratings (FOHQR).

In 2025 Brookings Health System was named a Top 20 Rural Community Hospital for the eighth time by the National Rural Health Association as well as a Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The health system was also recognized with a ninth consecutive Performance Leadership Award. To learn more about Brookings Health System’s high-quality care, please visit brookingshealth.org/Quality.