Skip to Main Content

Covenant Health LeConte Named in 2026 Modern Healthcare 100 Top Hospitals® Presented by Premier

  • 3 minute read.
  • Last Updated: 4/27/2026

Sevierville, Tennessee– April 28, 2026 – Covenant Health LeConte was recently listed in the 2026 Modern Healthcare 100 Top Hospitals® Powered by Premier.  For more than 30 years, the 100 Top Hospitals® program has used objective, quantitative analysis of publicly available data to identify the top-performing hospitals in the United States. The program is designed to help healthcare leaders pursue higher performance and deliver added value to patients and communities by providing transparent, nonbiased benchmarks and actionable insights.

A group of hospital staff and professionals pose together in the lobby of a medical center, smiling at the camera. The group stands in front of a sign that reads LeConte Medical Center.
Covenant Health LeConte Leadership Team

Hospitals do not apply to participate in the study, and award recipients do not pay to market their honor. 

“Being named in the 100 Top Hospitals® is an extraordinary honor and a true reflection of the unwavering commitment our team brings to patient care every single day,” said Aaron Burns, president and chief administrative officer of Covenant Health LeConte. “This national recognition affirms not only the quality and outcomes we deliver, but also our deep-rooted commitment to serving the Sevier County community with compassion, excellence and integrity.” 

Covenant Health LeConte offers a comprehensive range of services including emergency care, orthopedics, imaging and diagnostics, rehabilitation therapies, cancer care and women’s services. The hospital continues to invest in advanced technology, workforce development and care delivery models designed to ensure patients receive high-quality care close to home.   

Three people stand smiling in a lobby area with a sign reading LeConte Medical behind them. The person in the center holds a glass award. The group appears professionally dressed.
Jackie Hounshell – Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, Aaron Burns – President/Chief Administrative Officer, Jodi Whitaker – Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer

100 Top Hospitals® Program Performance 

Based on comparisons between the study’s top performers and peer hospitals, the analysis found that this year’s 100 Top Hospitals® delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently. If all hospitals performed at the level of this year’s top performers, the impact for Medicare inpatients could include: 

  • More than 279,000 additional lives saved 
  • More than 477,000 additional complication-free patients  
  • More than $14.3 billion inpatient cost savings 
  • More than 21,700 fewer patients readmitted within 30 days 

Additionally, this year’s benchmark hospitals outperformed peer hospitals across all ten performance measures and in every comparison group. Key findings from the study include: 

  • A 36.8 percent difference in inpatient mortality between benchmark hospitals and peer hospitals nationally 
  • Small community hospitals showed the largest inpatient mortality difference, with a 49.3 percent improvement compared to peers 
  • Teaching hospitals demonstrated the largest difference in complications, outperforming peer hospitals by 30 percent  
  • Fifty-five hospitals were repeat winners from the previous year, reinforcing the role of sustained improvement and system-level performance 

“Premier’s 100 Top Hospitals® program recognizes healthcare organizations that consistently deliver high-quality care while improving operational and financial performance,” said David Zito, president of performance services at Premier. “By highlighting top performers and providing transparent, data-driven insights, this program helps hospitals nationwide identify opportunities to enhance care delivery, strengthen financial sustainability and improve outcomes for the communities they serve.” 

Hospitals are stratified and ranked within peer groups to allow fair comparisons. Learn more about this recognition, including methodology details.   

About Covenant Health LeConte 

Covenant Health LeConte, a member of Knoxville-based Covenant Health, is a 79-bed medical center serving Sevier County and the surrounding region. The hospital provides a wide range of services, including emergency care, surgical services, diagnostic imaging and a birthing center. For more information, visit CovenantHealth.com/LeConte.  

Loading Next Page