BEATRICE, Neb. - Beatrice Community Hospital has been recognized as one of the nation’s top general acute care hospitals, earning a four-star rating on Forbes’ inaugural “Top Hospitals 2026” list.

More than 5,400 hospitals nationwide were eligible for consideration, with about 2,500 meeting Forbes’ criteria. Of those, 253 hospitals received five stars and 509 earned four stars, including Beatrice Community Hospital. BCH was one of 10 Nebraska hospitals to make the list.

“It’s always exciting to be recognized for the incredible work our providers and staff do,” Haraldson said. “It’s especially rewarding to know it’s based on publicly available data that reflects the quality of our care.”

According to Forbes, the methodology relies on publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with a strong emphasis on patient outcomes such as mortality, infection, survival, and readmission rates, adjusted for social drivers of health. The goal is to help people navigate healthcare and find hospitals that meet their needs. 

In addition to the Forbes recognition, BCH has earned several other honors this year, including Top 20 and Top 100 Critical Access Hospital designations and an A rating from the Lown Institute.

Hospital officials noted that these rankings are independent and that hospitals do not apply or pay to be included.