These New Hampshire Hospitals Are The State’s Best: U.S. News

NEW HAMPSHIRE — Several New Hampshire hospitals are among the best-performing in the state, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report released Tuesday.

The 33rd edition of the list rates the 20 best hospitals in the country and includes top regional hospitals and hospital rankings based on specialty care.

U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals in 15 specialties and 19 procedures and conditions, adding rankings for ovarian cancer surgery, prostate cancer surgery, and uterine cancer surgery to its 2022 list.

The 2022-23 rankings also took into account several health equity measures for the first time, noting hospitals that provide more care to low-income patients and those with racial disparities in medical and surgical outcomes.

The rankings are meant to help patients and doctors make health care decisions, according to Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor of U.S. News.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon was named the top hospital in New Hampshire, receiving high performing ranking in specialties including cancer, neurology and neurosurgery, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, colon cancer, COPD, heart attack, hip replacement, kidney failure, lung cancer, ovarian cancer surgery, stroke, and uterine cancer surgery.

Susan A. Reeves, the executive vice president of said the ranking showed that even though the institution was located in a rural part of the state and country, the services offered were on par with larger systems.

“While clinical recognitions are important and reinforce the quality of care we provide to our friends and neighbors, they don’t tell the full story,” she said. “From physicians to advanced practice providers, allied health team members to those in non-clinical administrative or support roles, high-quality care, and positive patient experiences start with our people. Their skills, dedication, and heart are the foundation of everything we do.”

Concord Hospital and Catholic Medical Center in Manchester were ranked second in the state.

Concord Hospital received high-performing rankings for COPD, heart attack, hip replacement, kidney failure, knee replacement, and lung cancer.

CMC received high-performing rankings for aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, COPD, heart attack, kidney failure, stroke, and TAVR.

Concord Hospital-Laconia, Elliot Hospital in Manchester, Exeter Hospital, Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital, Portsmouth Regional Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital-Nashua, and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover all had rankings.

Parkland Medical Center in Derry and Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua were not nationally ranked in any specialty.

Jeff Hughes, the president and CEO of Wentworth-Douglass, said the rankings in the categories were an affirmation of employees' work at the hospital.

“These rankings noted that Wentworth-Douglass offered strong patient experience, advanced techniques, high percentages of survival, and discharges directly to home – despite the seriousness of many of these conditions,” he said.

To read the full list of the best hospitals in Northern New Hampshire, click on this link. The list of the best hospitals in Southern NH can be found here.

U.S. News made several adjustments in its evaluation of hospital visits in 2020 to normalize its 2022 rankings against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rankings excluded all hospital visits in March 2020 as well as visits in which a patient was diagnosed with COVID-19. Visits to any hospital were excluded if they occurred during a month of 2020 in which the hospital’s COVID-19 rate exceeded the national average.

Learn more about the U.S. News Best Hospitals methodology.

Of the hospitals evaluated, 164 earned top 50 rankings in at least one of the specialty care categories, and nearly 500 were recognized as Best Regional Hospitals, based on their strong performance in multiple areas of care.

In addition to state, regional, and specialty rankings, U.S. News also announced the 20 hospitals named to this year’s Honor Roll, which recognizes the top hospitals nationwide that deliver exceptional treatment across multiple areas of care.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, claimed the top ranking on the Honor Roll for the seventh consecutive year. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is ranked second, and NYU Langone Hospitals came in third.

Among notable specialties, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston is the top-ranked hospital for cancer, the Cleveland Clinic is No. 1 in cardiology and heart surgery and NYU Langone Hospitals is the top hospital in neurology and neurosurgery.

See this year’s Best Hospital Rankings.

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