Recognitions
From a Level II neonatal intensive care unit, to award-winning cardiovascular and orthopedic programs, NKC Health provides a lifetime of care. Our accreditations and recognitions demonstrate our commitment to providing quality healthcare.
America's Best - Forbes
Forbes ranks NKC Health as the top midsize hospital and health system employer in Kansas City. Out of 489 companies, the NKC Health system is No. 171 on the list of America’s Best Midsize Employers. NKC Health earned two spots on Forbes America's Best Employers list. The health system soared to No. 10 on Forbes’ 2025 Best Employers by State list for Missouri, up from No. 16 last year. This marks the fifth time the health system has earned a place on the list. NKC Health also made the Forbes Best Employers for Women list for the second year in a row – one of just 49 hospitals recognized nationwide.
Best of Business Kansas City
In Ingram’s 2025 Best of Business Kansas City Awards, readers voted NKC Health the Gold winner for Best Hospital. For more than 35 years, Ingram’s readers have recognized top businesses across key categories by casting hundreds of votes, making this honor a true reflection of community trust and support.
Best Hospital for Maternity
U.S. News & World Report ranks North Kansas City Hospital among its Best Hospitals for Maternity, with a “High Performing in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy)” rating. The annual survey evaluated 680 hospitals that provide high-quality labor and delivery services for uncomplicated pregnancies. NKCH is one of the only hospitals in Kansas City to receive U.S. News’ highest maternity care honor for 2023 and 2024.
Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2025. This honor is awarded to 444 hospitals in the United States that provide high-quality maternity care from pregnancy and birth to postpartum care. Newsweek Best Maternity Hospital 2025 Statista, a data and business intelligence portal, compiles the list based on a nationwide online survey of hospital managers and medical professionals and public data from hospital surveys.
Best-in-State Hospital
Newsweek has named North Kansas City Hospital among the Top 3 best-in-state Missouri hospitals in the Kansas City area. Sixteen Missouri hospitals made Newsweek’s Best-in-State 2025 list.
In building the Best-in-State Hospitals 2025 list, Newsweek worked with the market research firm Statista. They used quality metrics from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), data from the AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals Database, findings from HCAHPS patient experience surveys, and responses from a voluntary Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) implementation survey.
Best of the Northland
Voted Best Hospital and Best Emergency Room in The Gladstone Dispatch and Courier-Tribune's 2025 Best of the Northland. Readers cast more than 60,000 ballots in 162 categories as they voted for their favorite people, places and services in the Northland. NKC Health and its providers were honored in eleven categories.
Get With the Guidelines
NKC Health is proud to announce for the third consecutive year, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have awarded it the highest level of recognition. Among NKC Health’s seven awards is a fourth consecutive Gold Plus Award for Stroke Care and a third consecutive Gold Plus Award for Heart Failure. The awards reflect NKC Health’s commitment to providing quality care for heart failure, stroke and resuscitation patients, grounded in the latest research and evidence-based guidelines.
Healthiest Employer Award
(2025) The Kansas City Business Journal recognized North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health with the Healthiest Employer Award for 2025. This award recognizes organizations in the Kansas City area that are committed to promoting health and well-being in the workplace. The scores are based on various factors, including the organization's culture and leadership, dedication to wellness, foundational elements, strategic planning, communication and marketing efforts, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis.
Healthy KC PLATINUM Certification
(2020-2023) This award, which is the highest achievable, recognizes NKCH’s efforts to support and champion wellness for its employees. In partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Healthy KC initiative evaluates five areas of health and wellness: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Tobacco Cessation, Work-Life Integration and Design-Built Environment.
Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Award - Gastrointestinal Care
(2024) Healthgrades recognized North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health with the Healthgrades Gastrointestinal (GI) Care Excellence Award™ and GI Surgery Excellence Award™ for 2024. Hospital quality is evaluated annually in 16 specialty care areas for clinical outcomes. These honors rank NKCH and MH in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for GI care and GI surgery.
The annual Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Awards™ and Ratings are announced in conjunction with the annual Specialty Excellence Report. More than 45 million Medicare claims are analyzed for mortality and complication rates at approximately 4,500 hospitals. The results are published to help consumers compare quality and identify the best options for their care needs.
Most Wired Hospital
(2024) The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) certified NKCH and Meritas Health Level 8 in Acute Care and Ambulatory Care. CHIME is an organization supporting healthcare organizations and technology leaders. They support collaboration and the exchange of best practices to improve healthcare. Their annual Digital Health Most Wired survey assesses how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies to their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities. NKCH and MH has been recognized as a Most Wired organization for more than a decade.
National Cardiovascular Data Registry®
Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award
(2012-2024) For the 12th consecutive year, North Kansas City Hospital received the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry® Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award. To earn this award, NKCH demonstrated commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. NKCH also sustained achievement in the Chest Pain - MI Registry for eight consecutive quarters and performed at the top level of standards for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.
U.S. News & World Report - Best Hospitals
(2025) NKC Health achieved High Performing ratings for 14 areas of care in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals 2025-2026 rankings and ratings. This recognition rewards the health system’s performance in complex care in medical specialties and in common procedures and conditions.
