TidalHealth among the nation’s BEST in numerous clinical specialties
2024, and leading into 2025, is shaping up to be one of the best ever for the national recognition of TidalHealth and its healthcare team as on par with the BEST providers across the United States. These are just some of the significant awards and achievements of the past few months in clinical excellence and patient safety.
Healthgrades
The Healthgrades 2025 Star Report of hospital achievements shows TidalHealth is rated among the nation’s best health systems in several clinical services.
TidalHealth Peninsula Regional’s orthopedic surgery program is currently rated third best among all Maryland hospitals. The Salisbury institution is the only hospital ranked by Healthgrades on the Eastern Shore for orthopedic surgery. The orthopedic service line was also awarded the 2025 Healthgrades Spine Surgery Excellence Award, placing it in the top 10 percent in the nation for spine surgery. Both are new awards in 2025. It retains from last year its designation as one of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery (2024-2025). Orthopedics also earned a 5-star rating — Healthgrades' highest rating — for back surgery and outpatient total knee replacement. Those are also new awards for TidalHealth in the 2025 report.
TidalHealth Peninsula Regional is also again one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Vascular Surgery. This is the 11th consecutive year earning that recognition (2015-2025). The vascular team also maintains the Healthgrades Vascular Surgery Excellence Award for an 11th consecutive year (2015-2025), placing it, this year, among the top 5 percent in the nation for vascular surgery.
TidalHealth Peninsula Regional was also the only hospital in the state to earn a 50 BEST Hospitals for Vascular Surgery designation, for a second consecutive year, and the only Maryland hospital 5-star rated for the Treatment of Abdominal Aorta.
At TidalHealth Nanticoke, the team retained, for a third year, a 5-star ranking for the Treatment of Sepsis (2023-2025) and 5 stars for a second consecutive year for the Treatment of Respiratory Failure (2024-2025).
A total of 11 services at TidalHealth earned a Healthgrades 5-star rating, which indicates it is performing statistically significantly better than its peer services at other U.S. hospitals. Among those, Treatment of Carotid Procedures was 5-star rated for a 15th consecutive year (2011-2025), the Treatment of Hip Fracture for a 10th consecutive year (2016-2025), and the Repair of Abdominal Aorta for a 9th straight year (2017-2025).
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
TidalHealth Nanticoke has received a prestigious 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in its 2024 Hospital Quality Star Ratings.
TidalHealth Nanticoke is the only hospital in Delaware to earn this top rating, highlighting its role as a leader in healthcare excellence within the state. Nationally, TidalHealth Nanticoke is one of only 381 hospitals out of approximately 3,000, representing the top 8% of hospitals across the United States, to receive the highest possible rating from CMS. The 5-star rating reflects excellence across five critical quality measures: mortality, safety, readmissions, patient experience, and timely & effective care.
This significant achievement reflects TidalHealth Nanticoke’s excellence in various quality measures, including patient experience, safety of care, and readmission rates. The hospital’s commitment to continuous improvement and patient-centered care has been instrumental in achieving this recognition.
TidalHealth Nanticoke was also the only hospital where surveyed patients placed the performance of the team at or above the Delaware hospital average in all 10 possible patient care and satisfaction categories.
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report named TidalHealth Peninsula Regional the 5th Best Hospital (tie) in Maryland and a 2024-2025 High Performing hospital for nine challenging and elective health conditions, the highest distinction a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings.
Additionally, TidalHealth Peninsula Regional was recognized as a BEST Regional Hospital on the Eastern Shore and a BEST Regional Hospital for Equitable Access. The BEST equitable access recognition identifies the Salisbury hospital as achieving excellence in caring for patients in historically underserved communities while maintaining high quality care. It was one of only 98 honored across the United States.
TidalHealth Peninsula Regional was recognized as high performing in the clinical fields of abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), colon cancer surgery, treatment of heart attack, treatment of heart failure, hip replacement surgery, knee replacement surgery, lung cancer surgery and treatment of pneumonia.
TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford, Del., was ranked on average with peer United States hospitals in 13 categories (COPD, colon cancer surgery, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, hip fracture, hip replacement, knee replacement, pneumonia, leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, stroke and kidney failure).
Newsweek
Newsweek and Statista have ranked TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford as the No. 2 hospital in the State of Delaware in its “Best-in-State Hospitals 2025 Report.”
The report highlights 700 leading hospitals across the nation, ranked by state, to help healthcare consumers find the most trusted medical facilities.
This year's rankings include facilities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The rankings were compiled using quality metrics from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals Database, a nationwide online survey among medical professionals; results from HCAHPS patient experience surveys; and a voluntary PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures) implementation survey.
“Being named the second-best hospital in Delaware by Newsweek is a testament to the dedication of our team, including our providers, volunteers and Board leadership, and the trust of our community,” said TidalHealth Nanticoke President Penny Short. “This recognition reinforces our ongoing commitment to providing exceptional patient care and maintaining high standards in healthcare excellence.”
Leapfrog
TidalHealth Peninsula Regional was again awarded an “A” from The Leapfrog Group for its Fall 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes the Salisbury hospital’s efforts in protecting patients from preventable harm and errors and providing safer healthcare for a fourth consecutive ratings period.
It is joined by TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford, Del., which also earned Leapfrog’s “A” safety grade this fall, the highest ranking that can be presented to any hospital for the safety offered to its patients.
This fall, TidalHealth Peninsula Regional is one of just 11 of 41 hospitals in Maryland to achieve an “A.” In Delaware, TidalHealth Nanticoke is one of only two hospitals to achieve that distinctive honor.
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems that hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
“Achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade is a significant accomplishment for both TidalHealth hospitals,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It reflects enormous dedication to their patients and families, and the entire Delmarva Peninsula should be proud. I extend my congratulations to TidalHealth, its leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for their tireless efforts to put patients first.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade stands as the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day in the United States. This program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
