HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital has been recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Vascular Surgery for 2026. The hospital also received several other distinctions, including the Healthgrades 2026 Vascular Surgery Excellence Award and a ranking among the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for vascular surgery.
Chase Christianson, CEO of HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital, stated, “As a top-performing hospital, we are grateful for this national recognition of our team’s dedication to providing the highest quality of patient care. These achievements further affirm HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital’s expertise in multiple areas of specialty care and underscore our hospital’s longstanding commitment to our community.”
In addition to its vascular surgery honors, the hospital earned five-star ratings from Healthgrades in carotid procedures for both 2025 and 2026. It has also maintained a five-star rating in pacemaker procedures for eight consecutive years (2019-2026), defibrillator procedures for three years (2024-2026), and coronary interventional procedures for two years (2025-2026). Other recognitions include the Healthgrades 2026 Surgical Care Excellence Award and placement among the nation’s top 10% of hospitals for surgical care.
The facility achieved a five-star rating in hip fracture treatment for six consecutive years (2021-2026), gallbladder removal surgery for seven years (2020-2026), and treatment of diabetic hospitalizations over six years (2021-2026).
Healthgrades bases these distinctions on evaluations that consider risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates across more than 30 common conditions and procedures at about 4,500 hospitals nationwide. The results aim to help patients identify hospitals that excel in specific types of care.
Alana Biggers, MD, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades, commented, “Healthgrades’ specialty awards identify the nation’s top-performing hospitals in key service areas, helping consumers find high quality care tailored to their specific needs. We’re proud to recognize HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital for its consistently superior outcomes in key service areas, including vascular surgery and several other vital areas of care.”
A recent analysis by Healthgrades indicated that if all hospitals performed similarly to those with five-star ratings during the study period from 2022 through 2024, an estimated average of more than 230,000 lives could have been saved and over 156,000 complications avoided.
For more information on how these rankings are determined or about specialty excellence awards, consumers can visit the Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Patient Advocate Center or review details about the methodology used.
