13 NJ Hospitals Named Among Best In Nation: U.S. News

NEW JERSEY — Several hospitals in the Garden State are considered among the best in the nation, according to a new ranking.

The 2021-22 Best Hospitals rankings, released Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report, rates the best overall hospitals as well as others that consistently deliver the best care.

To compile the rankings, U.S. News compared more than 4,750 medical centers nationwide in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions including cardiology, neurology, geriatrics, orthopedics and more.

U.S. News also added seven new procedures or conditions to the rankings this year, including heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, diabetes, kidney failure, hip fracture and back surgery.

The goal of the rankings is to help patients choose a hospital based on the specific type of care they need.

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Hackensack University Medical Center and Morristown Medical Center shared the honors as the top hospitals in New Jersey.

Morristown Medical Center, ranked No. 1 in New Jersey for the fourth straight year, received high marks in cardiology and heart surgery, gynecology and orthopedics.

"This most prestigious national recognition is a testament to the extraordinary dedication
and commitment to excellence from our medical, clinical and support teams to
consistently provide exceptional care to bring about the best-possible patient outcomes,"
said Trish O’Keefe, president of Morristown Medical Center. "To be No. 1 in the state once again validates our advancements in clinical innovation coupled with our strong collaboration among the teams resulting in high-quality care for our patients. No matter what comes our way, our communities know that they can count on us to provide the best possible care and exceptional resources to keep them healthy. We are ecstatic to be recognized for our steadfast efforts to earn this distinction."

Hackensack University Medical Center received high marks in specialties including cardiology and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, and urology.

"Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals consistently rank among the best in New Jersey and the nation because of our outstanding staff, who put our patients first by delivering high-quality, compassionate care that keeps getting better," Hackensack CEO Robert C. Garrett said. "Their heroic efforts during the pandemic have made our network stronger than ever, and enabled us to continue serving local communities with more top-ranked hospitals than anyone in New Jersey."

The following New Jersey hospitals also were ranked:

No. 3: Valley Hospital, Ridgewood
No. 4: Overlook Medical Center, Summit
No. 5: Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston
No. 6: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick
No. 7: AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City
No. 7: Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune
No. 7: Cooper University Health Care-Camden, Camden
No. 10: Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden
No. 10: Jefferson Health-Stratford, Cherry Hill and Washington Township
No. 10: Virtua Voorhees Hospital, Voorhees
No. 13: Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank

Data used to determine this year’s best hospitals came from a period predating the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning rankings were not affected by the pandemic’s effect on hospitals.

The methodology for the rankings is based largely on objective measures such as risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators.

Learn more about the Best Hospitals methodology.

Of the hospitals analyzed by U.S. News, 531 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 that made it to this year’s Honor Roll, which recognizes the top hospitals nationwide that deliver exceptional treatment across multiple areas of care.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. claimed the No. 1 spot on the Best Hospitals Honor Roll, while Cleveland Clinic ranked No. 2, followed by UCLA Medical Center at No. 3.

In the specialty rankings, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ranked No. 1 in cancer, the Cleveland Clinic is No. 1 in cardiology and heart surgery, and Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City is No. 1 in orthopedics.

See this year’s full Best Hospitals ranking.