The Miriam Hospital Awards and Accreditations

US News & World Report Rankings

The Miriam Hospital earned the “Top Hospital in Rhode Island” designation from US News & World Report for the 15th year in a row in its 2026 to 2027 report on the best hospitals in the country.

US News & World Report also awarded the hospital a "high performing" rating for 8 conditions and adult specialty areas:

• Hip replacements
• Hip Fracture
• Knee replacements
• Back Surgery Spinal Fusion
• Colon cancer surgery
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Pneumonia 

“To be recognized once again as the number one hospital in Rhode Island is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the exceptional care our teams provide every day,” said The Miriam Hospital President and chief quality executive at Brown University Health, Maria Ducharme, DNP, RN.  “For 15 consecutive years, The Miriam Hospital has earned this distinction, underscoring our team’s unwavering commitment to quality, safety and compassionate care. I am deeply proud of our physicians, nurses, clinical teams and staff whose dedication continues to make this recognition possible.”

Other Featured Awards and Recognition

Our greatest reward is caring for our patients. That’s why we’re committed to turning treatment guidelines into lifelines.

• In 2026, the nurses in The Miriam’s Emergency Department were the first in Rhode Island to earn a prestigious Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association. The award acknowledges the nursing team’s superiority in patient care and outcomes, professional development, a supportive work environment, collaboration, executive management, and modernization.
• The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recognized The Miriam Hospital, a Primary Stroke Center, with the 2026 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll achievement award. This prestigious recognition reflects the hospital's sustained commitment to delivering the highest quality, evidence-based stroke care.
• In the spring of 2026, The Miriam Hospital earned a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of “A.” In addition the hospital has earned the highly elite "Straight A" designation from the group over multiple grading cycles. 
• The Miriam Hospital was rated in the Top 10 Health Systems Nationally, the Top 10 Hospitals Nationally, and in the Top 10 Physician Practice Nationally by Castle Connolly for 2026.
• In 2025, The Miriam Hospital made Becker's 2025 list of 100 "Great Hospitals in America". The hospital has been recognized for delivering excellent clinical care, prioritizing patient safety, and driving innovation through research, education and continuous improvement.
• In 2025, the Total Joint Center at The Miriam Hospital continued to meet the rigorous performance standards of The Joint Commission when it earned its fifth Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Total Hip and Knee Replacement. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. This recertification recognizes the ongoing commitment to the highest standards of care and outcomes by all the members of the team at the Total Joint Center.
• The Miriam Hospital has earned American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA). This milestone reflects the ongoing commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care, particularly for a growing geriatric population. This accreditation reflects The Miriam’s implementation of evidence-based best practices in geriatric emergency care including specialized screening tools, careful prescribing to avoid high-risk medications, integration of palliative care and geriatric psychiatry consults, reduction in urinary catheter use, and improved access to transportation and transitional care services including pathways to both short- and long-term rehabilitation.
• The Miriam Hospital was named one of Avant-Garde Health’s  Healthcare Research All-Stars for 2025, placing it among the top one percent for orthopedic surgery research hospitals in the nation. Alan Daniels, MD, chief, division of spine surgery, and director, adult spinal deformity service, Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals, Eren O. Kuris, MD, spine surgeon, Bassel Diebo, MD, spine and scoliosis surgeon, and Brett D. Owens, MD, division chief, sports medicine were among the 2025 Avant Garde Health’s  Research All-Stars. The Healthcare Research All-Stars 2025 list recognizes top surgeons and hospitals across 22 specialties, including spine surgery and sports medicine. Top hospitals and surgeons are identified by procedural volumes, peer-reviewed publications, and publication weight
• The Miriam Hospital Received Castle Connolly's Top Hospital 2025 award for excellence in cancer care (mastectomy) and gastroenterology and bariatrics (colon surgery).
• In the spring of 2025, The Miriam Hospital earned a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of “A.” The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The Miriam received this national distinction for its achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.
• The Spine Center at The Miriam Hospital has earned an Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery (ACSS) from The Joint Commission, making it the first program in the region to earn an advanced certification. The hospital’s Spine Center underwent a rigorous two-day survey by The Joint Commission with “zero findings”, making it an accredited Spine Center of Excellence.
• The Miriam Hospital was named one of Avant-Garde Health’s 16 Healthcare Research All-Stars for 2024, placing it among the top one percent of spine research hospitals in the nation. Alan Daniels, MD, chief, division of spine surgery, and director, adult spinal deformity service, Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals and Eren O. Kuris, MD, spine surgeon, were among the 2024 Avant Garde Health’s 52 Spine Research All-Stars. The Healthcare Research All-Stars 2024 list recognizes top surgeons and hospitals across 10 specialties, including spine surgery. Top hospitals and surgeons are identified by procedural volumes, peer-reviewed publications, and publication weight.
• In 2024, the Center for Bariatric Surgery, a program of Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals, was reaccredited as a Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) Comprehensive Center with Adolescent and Obesity Medicine Qualifications. This recognition acknowledges our commitment to providing and supporting quality improvement and patient safety efforts for metabolic and bariatric surgery patients.
• In the fall and spring of 2024, The Miriam Hospital earned a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of “A.” The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The Miriam received this national distinction for its achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. This grade reflected performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.
• The Miriam Hospital earned the 2023 Top Teaching Hospital by the Leapfrog Group.
• In the spring of 2023, The Miriam Hospital earned a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade of “A.” The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The Miriam received this national distinction for its achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. This grade reflected performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.
• The Center for Bariatric Surgery, a program of Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals under the direction of Beth Ryder, MD and Kellie Armstrong, MSN, RN, CBN, has been designated an Aetna Institute of Quality Bariatric Surgery Facility for 2022-2024. The program recognizes high-performing healthcare facilities that offer specialized care and meet high standards of quality and cost-efficiency. The Center for Bariatric Surgery is recognized for consistently delivering evidence-based, quality care for bariatric surgery patients from the interprofessional team of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and pharmacists.
• In 2022, The Miriam Hospital joined the Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative, a national movement to improve care for older adults. The Miriam Hospital provides a skilled team of nurses certified in gerontological nursing working in collaboration with doctors, occupational therapists, physical therapists, case managers, and pharmacists to meet the complex needs of older adults.
• In late 2021, The Leapfrog Group named The Miriam Hospital a "Top Hospital" in the United States. The Miriam was one of just 149 hospitals to make the list and was grouped among the top 72 teaching hospitals in the country. The Miriam has received Top Hospital designation from Leapfrog numerous times in recent years.
• The Miriam Hospital ranked as one of America’s 100 Best Gastrointestinal Care hospitals and has earned the Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award for 2022, according to Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. The Miriam earned the same distinctions in 2021.
• The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at The Miriam Hospital was designated in 2021 as a Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
• In fall 2021, The Miriam Hospital received an “A” from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, an independent national watchdog organization that assesses hospitals achievements in protecting patients from harm and error in the hospital.
• In 2021, the obesity medicine program in the Center for Bariatric Surgery at The Miriam Hospital became the first and only program of its kind in Rhode Island to earn national Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) accreditation. The adult program was accredited in 2015, 2017, and 2021. The adolescent program earned accreditation initially in 2017 and again in 2021. With this voluntary yet rigorous accreditation, the center meets all criteria according to national quality standards established to deliver safe, high-quality metabolic and bariatric patient care.
• For the seventh time in a row, U.S. News & World Report named The Miriam Hospital tops in Rhode Island on its Best Regional Hospitals list as well as the number one hospital in the Providence metro area for 2020-2021. The hospital was also recognized for offering the region’s best orthopedic services. U.S. News & World Report also designated The Miriam as a “high performer” in the areas of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment, hip replacement, knee replacement, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure, and in the specialties of geriatrics, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, urology, and diabetes.
• Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island recognized The Miriam Hospital a Blue Distinction Center+ for bariatric surgery, and knee and hip replacement for 2020. The hospital also received a Blue Distinction Center+ designation for cardiac care and was named a Blue Distinction Center for cancer care. The designations recognize exceptional expertise and cost efficiency in delivering quality specialty care.
• The Miriam Hospital was included on the IBM Watson Health Top 100 Hospitals for 2019. Divided into four categories, the list grouped The Miriam among the top 15 “major teaching hospitals” in the nation.
• The Intensive Care Unit at The Miriam Hospital was recognized in 2019 with the gold Beacon Award for Excellence, the highest designation conferred by The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
• The Total Joint Center at The Miriam Hospital, in 2019, once again earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement.
• The Miriam Hospital was named the best in Rhode Island for total joint replacement by CareChex in its 2018 Hospital Quality Rankings, a national survey.
• The Miriam Hospital was named by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2016 as one of 100 hospitals across the country with great orthopedic programs.
• The hospital was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2016 as one of 53 hospitals across the country with the lowest heart attack mortality rates.
• The Brown University Health Cancer Institute earned the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer in 2015, 2013, and 2012.
• The Brown University Health Cancer Institute sites at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Newport Hospital was named to Becker's Hospital Review 2015 “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs.”
• The Brown University Health Cancer Institute at Rhode Island Hospital was recognized in both 2015 and 2012 by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Certification Program for delivering high-quality patient care.
• The Intensive Care Unit at The Miriam Hospital earned a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
• The Miriam Hospital received the Partner Recognition Award from Practice Greenhealth in 2013.
• The Miriam Hospital was voted "Best Hospital" in The Providence Journal's 2017 Reader's Choice Awards.

Accreditations and Certifications

• In 2024, The Miriam Hospital once again attained Magnet recognition for nursing excellence and is just one of four hospitals worldwide in receiving the four-year designation seven consecutive times.
• The Total Joint Center at The Miriam Hospital continued to meet the rigorous performance standards of The Joint Commission when it earned its fourth Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Total Hip and Knee Replacement in 2023. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. This recertification recognizes the ongoing commitment to the highest standards of care and outcomes by all the members of the team at the Total Joint Center. Learn more about our decade of clinical excellence.
• In 2015, The Miriam Hospital became one of only four hospitals nationwide to achieve Magnet designation five consecutive times. It was redesignated in 2015 for another four years. This is the highest nursing credential given, recognizing excellence in professional nursing.
• The Miriam Hospital’s Center for Bariatric Surgery has been a Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery since 2011 and was accredited in 2014 and reaccredited in 2017 by the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program as an adult and adolescent center for weight loss surgery.
• The Joint Commission continues to recertify The Miriam Hospital as an advanced Primary Stroke Center.
• The Center for Bariatric Surgery received the Center of Excellence designation from The Clinical Sciences Institute of Optum in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023.