St. Elizabeth Healthcare's Edgewood campus is now the top-ranked hospital in Greater Cincinnati, ending Christ Hospital's 11-year hold on the No. 1 spot, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2026–2027 Best Hospitals rankings on Aug. 4, placing the Edgewood facility first in the Greater Cincinnati metro and first in Kentucky for the second straight year. Nationally, St. Elizabeth Edgewood ranked No. 48 out of nearly 4,500 hospitals evaluated.

It's the highest national recognition the Edgewood campus has ever received.

For Kenton County residents, the practical takeaway: the hospital most of them already use for heart care, joint replacements, stroke treatment and cancer surgery now carries the region's highest independent quality rating.

What the rankings measure

The 37th-year edition of the U.S. News rankings draws on more than 800 million patient-care records, weighting risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and patient experience. St. Elizabeth Edgewood earned "High Performing" marks in 20 of 23 procedures and conditions, plus a separate Maternity designation released in December 2025. High-performing specialties include heart failure, stroke, lung cancer surgery, knee and hip replacement, heart bypass surgery, COPD, colon cancer surgery, diabetes and kidney failure.

Last year, the Edgewood campus earned High Performing in 19 of 22 categories, according to St. Elizabeth's own history page.

Northern Kentucky's largest employer

St. Elizabeth Healthcare is Northern Kentucky's largest employer. A 2023 Cincinnati Regional Chamber report pegged the system at roughly 10,353 employees, making it the fifth-largest employer in the Greater Cincinnati region. The system operates six facilities and more than 172 primary care and specialty practices across Northern Kentucky, southeastern Indiana and Greater Cincinnati.

"To be recognized as the No. 1 hospital system in Kentucky for a second consecutive year, and now as No. 1 in Greater Cincinnati, reflects the extraordinary dedication of our team and the trust our patients place in us," President and CEO Garren Colvin said in a statement Tuesday.

Colvin, a Ludlow native, started at St. Elizabeth as a student co-op in the finance department and became CEO in 2015 after more than 40 years with the organization. Chief Clinical Officer Dr. James Horn said the ranking reflects the system's clinical excellence in heart care, cancer treatment and neonatal services that allow patients to receive advanced care without leaving the region.