Awards & Recognition

Avera’s high quality in care and service is validated by numerous recognitions received from external organizations. Below, awards and recognition are listed for the Avera system as well as our individual facilities.

Avera

Avera Health

No. 1 health system employer for South Dakota by Forbes in its ranking of Best Employers by State 2024 and 2025
Avera Research Institute, 2024 Site Excellence in Patient Inclusion Award, Society for Clinical Research Sites
Level 10 Most Wired Health Care Organizations by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME)
Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association
Gold Stevie^® Awards as part of the American Business Awards in 2023 for Avera’s “Ask the Question” suicide public awareness campaign and “Moving Health Forward” branding campaign. “Ask the Question” also received a Grand Stevie Award as the Highest Rated Nomination of the Year.
We Honor Veterans “Partner Level Three” for hospice support of veterans from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – Avera@Home

Chartis Center for Rural Health

Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals

Avera Granite Falls Health Center, Granite Falls, MN
Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital, Miller, SD (also Top 20)
Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital O’Neill, NE
Floyd Valley Healthcare, Le Mars, IA (an Avera partner)
Pipestone County Medical Center & Family Clinic Avera, Pipestone, MN (an Avera partner)

Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals in Patient Satisfaction

Avera Dells Area Hospital, Dell Rapids, SD
Hegg Memorial Health Center, Rock Valley, IA

Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals

Avera St. Luke's Hospital, Aberdeen, SD
Avera St. Mary's Hospital, Pierre, SD
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, SD (also Top 20)
Lakes Regional Healthcare, Spirit Lake, IA

Avera Hospitals

Avera St. Luke's Hospital, Aberdeen, SD

Avera St. Luke’s Hospital

Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals, Chartis Center for Rural Health
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 5-star rating
Premier Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN) Award for Excellence in Patient Safety
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award
Avera@Home Hospice in Aberdeen, S.D., was recognized as a “Superior Performer” in 2023, 2024 and 2025 by Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) with an SHPBest™ Hospice Caregiver Satisfaction award.

Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center, Marshall, MN

Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center

2024 Exceptional Hospital Workplace Award and a Community Benefit Award from the Minnesota Hospital Association
Accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care
American College of Surgeons Surgical Quality Partner Diamond designation
Named among Best Regional Hospitals in the Midwest for 2025, Money Magazine
Avera@Home Southwest Minnesota: 5-star hospice agency by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
5-Star rating for Dialysis Center, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, Mitchell, SD

Avera Queen of Peace Hospital

2023 Becker’s Hospital Review list of Great Community Hospitals
Becker's Hospital Review 100 Great Community Hospitals
Accredited by The Joint Commission
Avera Brady Health and Rehab, Mitchell, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 5-star rating
Avera@Home Home Health in Mitchell was recognized as a “Superior Performer” in 2024 with an SHPBest™ Home Health Patient Satisfaction Award and in 2023 with SHPBest™ Hospice Caregiver Satisfaction award by Strategic Healthcare Programs
5-Star rating for Dialysis Center, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Avera St. Mary's Hospital, Pierre, SD

Avera St. Mary's Hospital

Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals, Chartis Center for Rural Health
Top 10% in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Hospital Value-Based Purchasing reimbursement program (8th out of nearly 3,000 hospitals)
Accredited by The Joint Commission
5-Star rating for Dialysis Center, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Avera Maryhouse, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) 5-star rating

Avera Heart Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD

Avera Heart Hospital

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 5-star rating
2023 Becker's Hospital Review list of Top Recommended Hospitals in each state
Becker’s Top Hospitals for Patient Experience (2023)

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls, SD

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center

2024 Human Experience (HX) Guardian of Excellence Award®, received by Avera McKennan Emergency Departments, Press Ganey
100 Great Hospitals in America for 2024 as named by Becker’s Hospital Review
American College of Surgeons Surgical Quality Partner Diamond designation
Top rehabilitation hospital in South Dakota as named by Becker's Hospital Review in 2024
American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Silver Plus with Target: Heart Failure Optimal with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, 2025
2023 Becker's Hospital Review list of Top Recommended Hospitals in each state
Comprehensive Stroke Center and Heart Failure Advanced Certification, DNV GL Healthcare
Avera Addiction Care Center, 2022 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award^{^®} by Press Ganey
HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award, recognizing the highest level of electronic health record implementation
Sixth consecutive Magnet^® recognition for nursing excellence
Recognized Treatment Center by The ALS Association.
Continued laboratory accreditation to the ISO 15189 standard
Accredited by The Joint Commission
Avera Prince of Peace, Sioux Falls, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 5-star rating
2023 Outstanding Achievement Award: Recognition of Excellence in Occupational Injury Prevention by the South Dakota Safety Council
5-Star rating for Dialysis Center, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, SD

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital

Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals, Chartis Center for Rural Health (also Top 20)
Accredited by The Joint Commission
Avera Sr. James Nursing Home, Yankton, Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) 5-star rating

Avera St. Anthony's Hospital, O'Neill, NE

Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital

2023 Becker's Hospital Review list of Top Recommended Hospitals in each state
5-Star Rating on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) assessment system
Avera@Home in O’Neill, Neb., was recognized as a “Superior Performer” in 2024 and 2023 by Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) with an SHPBest™ Home Health Patient Satisfaction award.