Sean Smith, WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center president and CEO (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center has been named amongst America’s 250 Best Hospitals in 2026, according to the latest research released by Healthgrades.

This achievement reflects Camden Clark’s commitment to clinical excellence and top-tier patient care, placing the organization in the top 5% of U.S. hospitals for overall clinical performance — and marking the fourth consecutive year the hospital has earned this distinction, according to a press release from Camden Clark announcing the recognition.

WVU Medicine Camden Clark is the only hospital in the region to earn rankings within America’s 250 Best Hospitals in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, the release said.

“We are honored to be ranked among the best hospitals in the nation for the fourth consecutive year,” said Sean Smith, WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center president and CEO. “Every day, patients in the Mid-Ohio Valley trust us with their care – and that trust drives everything we do. This national recognition highlights the commitment of our providers and staff to deliver exceptional outcomes and compassionate, patient-centered care. Being consistently recognized for clinical excellence is a great source of pride for us, and we will continue investing in the people, services, and expertise upon which our communities depend. We look forward to caring for patients and their families from across our region for years to come.”

To determine the 2026 America’s 250 Best Hospitals, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for more than 30 of the most common conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide. Healthgrades’ analysis found that outcomes vary widely between the nation’s highest- and lowest-performing facilities, reinforcing the importance of choosing a facility with an established record of superior clinical outcomes.

“This year’s America’s Best Hospitals list gives patients a clearer picture of where high-quality care is delivered most consistently,” said Alana Biggers, MD, MPH, medical advisor at

Healthgrades. “Patients can feel confident in their decision to seek care at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, an organization that is setting the standard for clinical excellence nationwide.”

Camden Clark’s 2026 America’s Best Hospitals recognition builds on a strong year of specialty achievements from Healthgrades in key areas including pulmonary, stroke, critical care, cardiovascular, orthopaedics, and gastrointestinal care. Most recently, Camden Clark earned a Five-Star Rating for Treatment of Heart Failure for the ninth consecutive year (2018-2026), was ranked among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Pulmonary Care for the fourth consecutive year (2023-2026), earned Specialty Excellence Awards for Stroke Care (2025-2026), Pulmonary Care (2023-2026), and Critical Care (2024-2026), and received 10 additional five-star ratings across major clinical areas.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Healthgrades not only for overall clinical excellence, but also across multiple specialty areas,” said Martha Dawson, MSN, RN, vice president of quality and patient safety and chief quality officer at WVU Medicine Camden Clark. “These awards reflect the dedication of our multidisciplinary teams who work every day to improve outcomes and provide safe, evidence-based care. Many of these honors have been earned repeatedly over several years, which speaks to the consistency and reliability of the care patients receive at Camden Clark. We remain committed to strengthening quality and ensuring our community has access to high-performing care close to home.”

In addition to recognition among the Healthgrades 250 Best Hospitals and Specialty Care ratings in 2026, WVU Medicine Camden Clark was recognized as High Performing in the most recent U.S. News & World Report ratings for the treatment of Heart Failure and COPD for the 10th consecutive year, among other High Performing ratings for conditions including Heart Arrhythmia and Pneumonia. Camden Clark has also recently received national excellence of care awards in multidisciplinary clinical areas from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, Forbes, Castle Connolly, and CareChex. These achievements further underscore Camden Clark’s dedication to delivering high-quality care to patients throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley year after year, the release said.