When it comes to orthopedic surgery in Kansas City, one name consistently rises to the top, not just locally, but nationally. Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute (KCOI), located in Leawood, Kansas, has earned an impressive collection of awards and recognitions that reflect what patients and healthcare experts alike already know: KCOI delivers exceptional care, exceptional outcomes, and an exceptional experience from the moment you walk through the door.
The accolades are not incidental. They are the result of more than two decades of deliberate, patient-centered practice at Kansas City’s only hospital dedicated exclusively to orthopedics. Here is a closer look at what those awards mean, why they matter, and what they say about the care you can expect at KCOI.
Kansas City’s Only Dedicated Orthopedic Hospital
KCOI opened in January 2000 with a singular focus: provide expert, innovative orthopedic and musculoskeletal care to the Kansas City region. That focus has never wavered. As a physician-owned specialty hospital and joint venture with Saint Luke’s Health System Kansas City, KCOI operates with both the accountability of physician ownership and the resources of a trusted regional health system.
The facility itself reflects that commitment. KCOI features 17 inpatient suites, 8 operating rooms, onsite MRI and imaging, an onsite Ortho Urgent Care, pain management services, and outpatient rehabilitation therapy, all under one roof. The hospital also maintains a 1:2 nurse-to-patient ratio, a staffing standard that directly contributes to the high patient satisfaction scores and safety outcomes for which KCOI has become nationally recognized.
Healthgrades: Top-Ranked for Orthopedic Surgery in Kansas City and Beyond
Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance using objective quality measures, including clinical outcomes, patient safety, and patient experience. KCOI’s track record with Healthgrades is one of the strongest in the country.
In 2026, KCOI was ranked #1 in Kansas for Joint Replacement, a recognition that underscores its dominance in joint replacement Kansas City patients have come to rely on.
KCOI has also earned the Healthgrades award for America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement Award for five consecutive years (2022 through 2026), placing it among the top 1% of hospitals in the nation for this procedure. The Joint Replacement Excellence Award has been awarded every year from 2020 through 2026, with KCOI named among the top 5% in the nation for joint replacement since 2022.
Perhaps most striking is KCOI’s longevity in earning the highest possible rating for specific procedures. KCOI has been a 5-Star Recipient for Total Knee Replacement for 19 consecutive years (2008 through 2026), and a 5-Star Recipient for Total Hip Replacement for 19 consecutive years (2008 through 2026). That kind of sustained excellence is rare, and it speaks to a consistency of surgical skill, team expertise, and patient care that goes far beyond a single good year. KCOI is one of only three hospitals in the Kansas City metro to achieve superior clinical outcomes in both knee and hip replacement.
For patients considering orthopedic surgery in Kansas City, those 19 consecutive 5-star ratings represent something meaningful: a hospital where surgical excellence is not an exception. It is the standard.
Patient Safety: Nationally Recognized, Year After Year
KCOI has received the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award four years in a row (2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026), placing it among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation for preventing infections, medical errors, and other preventable complications.
Patient safety is not a marketing talking point at KCOI. It is built into every protocol, every staffing decision, and every interaction between care team members and patients. The 1:2 nurse-to-patient ratio is one tangible example of how KCOI structures its operations around safety, ensuring that nurses have the time and bandwidth to catch concerns early and respond quickly.
Outstanding Patient Experience: A Top 5% Performer Since 2020
KCOI has earned the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award every year from 2020 through 2026, seven consecutive years, placing it consistently among the top 5% in the nation for overall patient experience.
That award is evaluated across ten measures, including how well doctors and nurses communicate, hospital cleanliness and noise levels, and the quality of medication and post-discharge care instructions. For patients navigating orthopedic surgery in Kansas City, these factors matter enormously. Recovery begins in the hospital, and the environment, communication, and follow-through of the care team directly influence outcomes.
The results of the CMS HCAHPS Patient Survey reinforce this record. The survey, which polls recently discharged patients, summarizes patient experience – one important aspect of hospital quality. The star rating given measures patient experiences, based on responses about important topics such as how well nurses and doctors communicated, how responsive hospital staff were to patient needs, and the cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment.
KCOI earned a 5-star rating for Patient Experience in both 2023 and 2024, and a 5-star rating for Cleanliness in 2025. KCOI is the only patient-rated 5-star hospital in the Kansas City metro and one of only two hospitals across Kansas and Missouri to achieve that distinction. It has also been recognized as a Top Hospital for Nurse Communication four years running (2022 through 2025), the only hospital in the KC metro to earn that recognition.
Press Ganey: The Only Recognized Hospital in the KC Metro
Press Ganey, a leading healthcare performance measurement organization, has honored KCOI with its Human Experience Guardian and Pinnacle of Excellence Awards for Patient Experience in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. These awards recognize healthcare organizations that consistently lead across patient experience, employee and physician engagement, clinical quality, and safety.
KCOI is the only hospital in the Kansas City metro to receive this recognition, a distinction that reflects not just performance in a single year but a sustained organizational commitment to excellence across every dimension of care.
Recognizing the People Behind the Awards
Awards reflect institutions, but they are earned by people. In 2024, Dr. Charles Rhoades was named an Ingram’s Magazine Heroes in Healthcare honoree, a recognition that honors healthcare professionals making a meaningful difference in the Kansas City community. His inclusion in that group is a reminder that KCOI’s national recognition is built on the expertise, dedication, and character of the physicians and staff who show up every day for their patients.
What This Means for You
Whether you are exploring joint replacement Kansas City options, recovering from a sports injury, or seeking a second opinion on a musculoskeletal condition, KCOI’s record of national recognition gives you something that is hard to find: objective, third-party confirmation that this is a place where outcomes are excellent, safety is taken seriously, and patients consistently report feeling well cared for.
KCOI is located at 3651 College Blvd, Leawood, KS 66211. Read about the full list of awards and recognitions here or call 913-319-7633 to connect with the team.
When you need orthopedic surgery in Kansas City, the awards tell part of the story. The patients who return, refer their families, and rate their experience at the highest possible level tell the rest.
