Cape Fear Valley Health Medical Center is one of the best hospitals in North Carolina, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
The Fayetteville hospital was ranked 20th among 119 hospitals in the state in the publication’s 2025-2026 Best Regional Hospitals list.
“We are pleased to receive this recognition from U.S. News & World Report,” Micheal Nagowski, CEO of Cape Fear Valley Health, said in a press release. “Providing exceptional healthcare for all our patients has always been our top priority. Our team of caregivers is committed to the highest standards for quality and safety, and this recognition is a result of that commitment.”
U.S. News & World Report ranked hospitals based on measures like mortality rates and preventable complications. It also awarded points for specialty care. The medical center earned “high performing” marks for eight procedures and conditions: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart failure, hip fracture, kidney failure, pacemaker implantation and stroke.
It was also named a “Best Regional Hospital for Community Access” for the second year in a row. U.S. News & World Report gives the award to hospitals successfully treating patients from historically underserved communities, particularly those living in poverty. Over 90% of medical and surgical patients treated at the hospital live in vulnerable neighborhoods, according to data from U.S. News & World Report and the Area Deprivation Index, which ranks neighborhoods by income, education, employment levels, and housing quality.
Despite the accolades, U.S. News & World Report gave the medical center low scores for patient experience. The hospital received two out of five possible stars, consistently ranking several percentage points below state and national averages in categories like overall experience, cleanliness and communication.
The medical center’s Leapfrog Safety Ranking also remains a ‘C’ for the seventh grading period in a row. Released twice a year, the safety ranking is a culmination of a hospital’s scores in categories like infection and safety problems. The scores are determined by data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the annual voluntary Leapfrog Hospital Survey.
Cape Fear Valley Health is also carrying out initiatives to bolster the medical center’s emergency department, which is the 15th busiest in the country, CityView previously reported. To alleviate wait times, the health system expanded its intensive care unit (ICU), more than doubling the number of beds from 41 to 85. It’s also retained more emergency physicians, especially those trained in trauma.
CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville.