Healthgrades Names St. Joseph’s Medical Center a 2026 Leader in Specialty Care

(STOCKTON, CA) – October 28, 2025 – Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center (SJMC) announced today that it has achieved numerous accolades for clinical excellence from Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital. Among St. Joseph’s distinctions is the Critical Care Excellence Award for the fifth consecutive year (2022-2026), placing the hospital among the nation’s top 10% Critical Care. SJMC was also rated five stars for four service areas, including Coronary Interventional Procedures, Carotid Procedures, Treatment of Bowel Obstruction, and Treatment for Sepsis.

“We are honored to be recognized for our efforts in achieving the highest standard of care by Healthgrades, placing us in the top 10% in the nation for Critical Care for the fifth consecutive year,” said David Ziolkowski, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Medical Center. “These specialty acknowledgments are a true testament to our staff and physicians’ continued commitment to providing San Joaquin County with nationally-recognized care, with humankindness, right here in our community.”

St. Joseph’s Medical Center’s achievements are based solely on what matters most: patient outcomes. Each year, Healthgrades evaluates risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for over 30 common conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide to identify the top hospitals in key specialty areas. Through easy-to-understand, objective measures of hospital performance, Healthgrades empowers patients with the information they need to find a hospital that excels in their procedure or condition.

As performance gaps persist between the nation’s highest- and lowest-achieving facilities, seeking care at a top program has never been more important. Healthgrades’ 2026 analysis revealed that if all hospitals, as a group, performed similarly to five-star hospitals during the 2022-2024 study period, on average, 230,466 lives could have been saved and 156,797 complications could have been avoided.*

“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,” said Alana Biggers, MD, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “We’re proud to recognize St. Joseph’s for its consistently superior outcomes in key service areas, including Critical Care, Coronary Interventional Procedures, Carotid Procedures, Treatment of Bowel Obstruction, and Treatment for Sepsis.”

Consumers can visit Healthgrades’ Specialty Excellence Patient Advocate Center to learn more about how Healthgrades identifies the top-performing hospitals for specialty care. 

*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2022 through 2024 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. Click here to view the complete 2026 Specialty Awards and Ratings Methodology. 

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About St. Joseph’s Medical Center 
Dignity Health St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 355 beds, a physician staff of over 700, and more than 2,700 employees. Specializing in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services, St. Joseph's is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. As a Sponsoring Institution for Graduate Medical Education, St. Joseph’s supports rapidly growing educational programs for both resident physicians and medical students. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health/CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit Catholic health system with care sites across 21 states dedicated to advancing health for all people. For more information, please visit DignityHealth.org/Stockton.

About Healthgrades
Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering meaningful connections between patients, doctors, and hospitals. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their healthcare professional of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.

For over 20 years, our health system, group practice, and life sciences marketing solutions have helped our partners reach and engage consumers on their way to the doctor. 

Healthgrades is part of RVO Health, a partnership between Red Ventures and Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group. RVO Health has the largest consumer health and wellness audience online across its brand portfolio, including Healthgrades, Healthline, Medical News Today, Greatist, Psych Central and Bezzy, which touch every part of the health and wellness journey. RVO Health helps more than 100 million unique visitors live their strongest and healthiest lives each month.