Reston Hospital Center landed among the nation's 50 best hospitals for surgical care in the 2027 Healthgrades rankings released Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The designation puts the Reston hospital in a small group. Nine Virginia hospitals made the top-50 cut in any specialty, according to Patch. Only three of those were in Northern Virginia.
Reston Hospital Center also earned recognition for gastrointestinal care and outpatient prostate care. Inova Fair Oaks Hospital shared the gastrointestinal recognition.
Healthgrades evaluated roughly 4,500 hospitals nationwide across 31 common procedures and conditions. The rankings identify hospitals with stronger outcomes in specific areas of care rather than assigning a single overall score.
What the rankings measure
Healthgrades based its inpatient analysis on Medicare patient records from 2023 through 2025, examining deaths and complications tied to specific procedures and medical conditions. Healthgrades adjusts its comparisons for patient risk factors, including age and existing medical conditions.
The rankings do not guarantee an individual patient's outcome. A hospital recognized for one specialty is not necessarily top-rated in another.
Alana Biggers, a physician and medical advisor at Healthgrades, said in a statement that the awards "identify the nation's top-performing hospitals across numerous medical specialties, helping consumers find high quality care tailored to their specific needs."
Statewide picture
Thirty-five Virginia hospitals received specialty care recognition. Eight were in Northern Virginia.
Healthgrades separately named Inova Alexandria Hospital and Inova Fair Oaks Hospital among the top 50 nationally for emergency hospitalization. Reston Hospital Center, UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, Inova Alexandria Hospital and Mary Washington Hospital all earned recognition for outpatient prostate care.
The Specialty Excellence Awards go to hospitals in the top 15 percent of eligible facilities in their specialty areas. The top-50 designation is a more selective distinction drawn from that group.
Outpatient care trend
The 2027 rankings include outpatient awards, reflecting a shift in how surgeries are performed. According to Healthgrades, outpatient hip replacement procedures increased 81 percent from 2020 to 2025, while inpatient hip replacements declined 75 percent. Outpatient knee replacements grew 71 percent in the same period as inpatient volumes fell 70 percent.
Other recent recognitions
Reston Hospital Center earned a 2026 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award, placing it in the top 5 percent nationwide for patient safety. It also received a "Straight A" designation from The Leapfrog Group for earning five or more consecutive "A" safety grades.
Residents can search the full state rankings and hospital-specific results at healthgrades.com.
