Denver-based HealthGrades has recognized 263 hospitals as top performers in emergency medicine. HealthGrades analyzed three years of patient data covering millions of admissions from the emergency department for 12 conditions, including pancreatitis, sepsis and stroke.

The highest performing emergency departments, which account for the top 5% of hospital EDs in the country, based on HealthGrades' metrics, are concentrated in a few regions of the country, according to the Feb. 21 report (PDF). Eighteen are in Chicago, for instance, and 12 more are based in Baltimore.

Cincinnati, Cleveland and Milwaukee are among the top 10 cities with the lowest risk-adjusted mortality for patients who are admitted through the ED, HealthGrades said.

Based on the data used for the report, top-performing hospitals had nearly 42% lower risk-adjusted mortality rates across the 12 diagnoses, according to a news release.

“It is imperative that anyone experiencing a medical emergency go directly to the closest hospital, especially in the event of a heart attack or stroke,” Dr. Arshad Rahim, HealthGrades' director of accelerated clinical excellence and author of the report (PDF), said in the release. “That said, our study findings show the care you receive once admitted to the hospital can also make the difference between life and death. We encourage all patients to educate themselves about the quality of emergency medical providers in their area and to choose a top performing hospital whenever there is a choice."