Top heart bypass surgery hospitals by state: A data-based comparison

Top heart bypass surgery hospitals by state are identified differently across major healthcare rankings, so a hospital appearing on a state list should not automatically be treated as the single best choice for every patient. The available data include cardiology scores, cardiac-surgery awards, CABG outcomes, readmission ratios, and broader cardiac-care measures.

How the published rankings are constructed

Becker’s Cardiology reported that U.S. News evaluated nearly 500 heart hospitals using outcomes-focused data covering eight cohorts, including coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic valve surgery, heart attack, heart failure, pacemaker implantation, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The eligibility process reduced an initial group of 665 hospitals to 488, while survival represented 45% of the score and other measures included discharge-to-home rates, readmission prevention, and patient experience. 1

Healthgrades used a different framework for its 2026 cardiac-surgery recognition. Its Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award evaluates clinical outcomes in coronary artery bypass graft surgery and valve surgery, while its broader Cardiac Care Excellence Award includes bypass surgery, coronary interventional procedures, valve surgery, heart attack, and heart failure. Healthgrades stated that its analysis covered approximately 4,500 hospitals across 31 procedures and conditions. 23

State leaders identified by U.S. News data

The U.S. News state-level heart-hospital results reported by Becker’s include University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital in Alabama, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Alaska, Mayo Clinic-Arizona in Arizona, Washington Regional Medical Center in Arkansas, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital in Colorado, Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, ChristianaCare Hospitals in Delaware, and MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute in the District of Columbia. Reported total scores ranged from 48.5 for Washington Regional and ChristianaCare to 83.1 for Cedars-Sinai. 1

Other named state leaders include Massachusetts General Hospital in Massachusetts, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, Mayo Clinic Hospital St. Mary’s Campus in Minnesota, Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Illinois, Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, NYU Langone Hospital in New York, and Piedmont Hospital in Georgia. The results are heart-hospital scores across several conditions and procedures, not a CABG-only ranking. That distinction matters when the intended treatment is isolated bypass surgery or complex bypass combined with valve repair. 14

Hospitals appearing in cardiac-surgery lists

Healthgrades’ cardiac-surgery list identifies hospitals recognized for outcomes in bypass and valve surgery. Florida had seven named hospitals, including AdventHealth Daytona Beach, Mayo Clinic in Florida, Memorial Regional Hospital, and Sarasota Memorial Hospital. California had Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, and Stanford Hospital. Connecticut included Hartford Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital. 2

The same list included Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center in Illinois, Piedmont Hospital in Georgia, The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital in Michigan, Mayo Clinic Hospital St. Mary’s Campus in Minnesota, and HCA HealthONE Swedish in Colorado. New Jersey had five named institutions, while New York had eight, the largest state representation in that 50-hospital cardiac-surgery list. 2

Nationally prominent bypass programs

Newsweek’s 2026 specialized cardiac-care table placed Mayo Clinic in Rochester first, Massachusetts General Hospital and its Corrigan Minehan Heart Center second, Cleveland Clinic’s Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute third, NYU Langone Hospital-Tisch Hospital fourth, and Johns Hopkins Hospital fifth. Each listing identifies heart bypass surgery among its standout specialties, alongside coronary artery disease, valve surgery, and other advanced cardiac services. 4

These nationally prominent programs represent several regions rather than a single state cluster. Mayo Clinic is in Minnesota, Massachusetts General is in Massachusetts, Cleveland Clinic is in Ohio, NYU Langone is in New York, and Johns Hopkins is in Maryland. The ranking describes specialized cardiac care and expert input, so it should be read alongside CABG-specific mortality, complications, volume, surgeon coverage, and follow-up information rather than as a standalone surgical recommendation. 46

Outcome measures that deserve attention

Readmission data provide a narrower view of bypass performance. CMS data reported by Becker’s covered July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024. Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas, had the lowest reported excess readmission ratio at 0.74, followed by St. George Regional Hospital and Cleveland Clinic at 0.75, NYU Langone Hospitals at 0.76, and Kansas Heart Hospital at 0.77. 5

An excess readmission ratio compares a hospital’s predicted readmission rate with the expected rate for hospitals treating similar patient populations. The same report listed 445 CABG discharges for Sarasota Memorial and 404 for Cleveland Clinic, while some facilities had too few cases to report a number of readmissions. A ratio is therefore one outcome measure, not a complete description of surgical quality, and small or unavailable samples require careful interpretation. 5

How to interpret a state-by-state comparison

Healthgrades’ state-ranking methodology used Medicare inpatient data from the CMS MedPAR file for 2022 through 2024 and assessed risk-adjusted mortality and complication outcomes. CABG surgery was one of the mortality-based procedures included. Because the data are Medicare-based, the results may not describe every age group, insurance category, emergency circumstance, or case complexity equally. 6

California provides an example of more detailed public reporting. The state’s HCAI system compares risk-adjusted outcomes with statewide averages and classifies hospitals as Better, Worse, or As Expected for selected measures. Its CABG dataset includes operative mortality for isolated CABG and CABG plus valve surgery, postoperative stroke, 30-day all-cause readmission, case counts, and adverse events through 2023. The state cautions that methodologies differed across years, limiting direct trend comparisons. 78

Risks, eligibility, and practical limitations

CABG is a major surgical intervention, and ranking tables cannot determine whether surgery is appropriate for an individual. Eligibility and treatment planning depend on the coronary anatomy, disease severity, prior procedures, other health conditions, urgency, and whether valve surgery or another intervention is also required. Published rankings also differ in referral patterns, procedure thresholds, risk adjustment, patient experience measures, and the time periods analyzed. 16

Patients and referring clinicians commonly need more specific information than a state label provides, including the program’s recent isolated-CABG outcomes, combined CABG and valve results, readmissions, stroke rates, surgeon participation, intensive-care capacity, rehabilitation arrangements, and continuity after discharge. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons maintains a public reporting program in which three-star ratings represent the highest performance tier, offering another quality framework to consider with government and hospital data. 9

Sources

1. Becker’s Cardiology, “The top heart hospitals by state: US News”
2. Becker’s Cardiology, “Top 50 hospitals for cardiac surgery: Healthgrades”
3. Becker’s Cardiology, “Top 100 hospitals for cardiac care: Healthgrades”
4. Newsweek Rankings, “America’s Best Hospitals for Specialized Care 2026: Cardiac Care”
5. Becker’s Cardiology, “40 hospitals with the highest, lowest coronary bypass readmission rates”
6. Healthgrades, “Specialty State Ranking Award Methodology”
7. California HCAI, “Hospital Performance Ratings Summary Report”
8. California Open Data, “Hospital Performance Ratings for CABG Surgery”
9. Society of Thoracic Surgeons, public reporting program