WATERTOWN, S.D. – December 9, 2025 – Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS), a division of Sanford Health, has been named to the inaugural Forbes’ Top Hospitals 2026 list, a national ranking of general acute-care hospitals recognized for delivering high-quality, safe, and value-driven care.

The Forbes Top Hospitals 2026 list evaluates hospitals nationwide using publicly reported quality measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including patient outcomes, hospital best practices, value and patient experience. The methodology gives the most weight — 55% — to patient outcomes such as mortality, readmissions, and infection rates, and it adjusts for social determinants of health to ensure fair comparisons across communities.

Of the approximately 5,400 eligible U.S. acute-care hospitals, close to 2,500 met the methodology’s inclusion criteria. From these, only 253 earned an overall 5-star rating, placing PLHS among a select group of high-performing hospitals across the country.

“We are honored to be included on the inaugural Forbes Top Hospitals list,” said John Allen, president and CEO of PLHS. “This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional, patient-centered care to the communities we serve across northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota.”

This honor adds to a growing list of achievements, becoming Prairie Lakes Healthcare System’s fifth national recognition this year. To view a full list of Prairie Lakes accomplishments, please visit prairielakes.com/achievements.