Recognitions
From a Level II neonatal intensive care unit, to award-winning cardiovascular and orthopedic programs, to home health and hospice, North Kansas City Hospital provides a lifetime of care. Our accreditations and recognitions demonstrate our commitment to providing quality healthcare.
U.S. News & World Report - Best Hospitals
(2023) North Kansas City Hospital was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the third Best Hospital in the Kansas City metro area. This honor recognizes the hospital’s performance in complex care in medical specialties and in common procedures and conditions. NKCH also ranked High Performing in nine procedures and conditions.
National Cardiovascular Data Registry®
Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award
(2012-2021) For the 10th 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.
Get With the Guidelines
NKCH’s stroke and heart failure programs received six awards and honors from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. These awards recognize NKCH’s efforts to implement quality improvement measures that ensure stroke and cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.
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.
Home Health Patient Satisfaction Award
(2021) Strategic Healthcare Programs awarded our Home Health department with the Best Superior Performer award in 2021, naming our agency to the top 20% nationwide in overall patient outcomes and patient satisfaction scores.
NKCH Home Health is the first agency in the Midwest to receive Home Health Heart Failure certification from the American Heart Association.
The certification provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating home health agencies against the American Heart Association’s rigorous science-based standards for heart failure patients, including program management, patient and caregiver education and support, care coordination, clinical management, and quality improvement.
Most Wired Hospital
(2023) The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) certified NKCH and Meritas Health Level 9 in Acute Care and Ambulatory Care. Level 9-10 is the highest level of certification and is reserved for technology leaders who drive the industry forward. These leaders leverage advanced technologies and innovation to achieve meaningful patient outcomes by, for example, reducing costs, providing broader patient access and improving quality of 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.
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.
Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence
North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a recipient of the 2022 Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award. This honor ranks NKCH and MH in the top 5% of hospital systems in the nation for providing a quality patient care experience.
Press Ganey provides healthcare technology solutions to over 41,000 healthcare facilities. Its survey platform offers tools for employee engagement, patient experience, marketing and analytics. From July 2020 through March 2022, NICU families rated the system highly for the level of care and likelihood to recommend it to others.
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.
America's Best Midsize Employers
Forbes ranks North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health as the top midsize hospital and health system employer in Kansas City. Out of 500 companies, the NKCH and MH system is No. 148 on the list of America’s Best Midsize Employers, up 34 spots for 2023. Forbes partners with market research firm Statista to build its list of America’s Best Midsize Employers. Statista surveys approximately 45,000 workers employed by companies with 1,000-5,000 employees. Participants are asked to evaluate employers on key indicators, including diversity, employee compensation, image, opportunities for development and workplace environment.
Best Employers by State
Forbes has ranked North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health one of the best employers in Missouri three out of the last four years. The health system is No. 20 on the 2023 list of Best Employers by State, climbing 34 spots from 2022. NKCH and MH also ranked fifth among in-state hospitals and health systems, up from ninth the previous year. Forbes partners with market research firm Statista to conduct the annual survey. They ask 70,000 workers from every U.S. state and Washington, D.C. if they would recommend their employers to others. Participants consider several factors, including compensation, image, development, diversity and workplace environment.
Best of the Northland
Voted Best Hospital and Best Emergency Room in The Gladstone Dispatch and Courier-Tribune's 2023 Best of the Northland. Readers cast more than 46,000 ballots in 158 categories as they voted for their favorite people, places and services in the Northland. NKCH and MH were honored in eight categories with five first-place finishes.