NJ’s top hospitals again celebrate U.S. News rankings

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Some of New Jersey’s most highly regarded health care facilities retained their bragging rights on the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals list, with Morristown Medical Center again earning the top spot. The 2022-2023 list was released July 26.

Morristown was one of two Atlantic Health System facilities ranked by the magazine. Overlook Medical Center in Summit was the other Atlantic hospital on the list at No. 5.

The new ranking marks the fifth consecutive year that Morristown Medical Center has come out on top. And for the seventh straight year, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., topped the national rankings.

“To earn the No. 1 ranking in the state five years in a row validates our commitment to consistently provide exceptional, high-quality care for our patients,” said Trish O’Keefe, Morristown’s president. “This national recognition is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our medical, clinical and support teams to bring about the best possible patient outcomes. Our communities trust us to provide the best resources to help keep them healthy, the latest and most innovative treatments and high-quality care no matter what brings them to our hospital. I’m enormously proud of the extraordinary efforts of our entire team whose exceptional collaboration and focus on excellence made this recognition possible.”

Hackensack Meridian Health placed three hospitals on the list: Hackensack University Medical Center at No. 2; Jersey Shore University Medical Center at six and Ocean University Medical Center, which ranked 13th.

“Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals consistently rank among the best in our state and nation because of our world-class team members who work tirelessly to deliver high-quality, compassionate care to the patients and communities we serve,” said Robert Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “We are incredibly proud of our hospitals and team members who continue to elevate the standard of care in New Jersey and beyond.”

Valley Hospital and RWJBarnabas Health’s Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital filled out the top five.

“RWJUH has earned a top spot on the Best Hospitals rankings in New Jersey and in the New York metropolitan area year after year due to our academic partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers Cancer Institute, as well as our stellar network of community physicians and our Magnet nursing program,” said Bill Arnold, president and chief executive officer of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “As New Jersey’s premier academic medical center, RWJUH is committed to delivering access to the most advanced and equitable interventions and care designed to sustain and build healthier communities.”

Morristown and Hackensack University were also the top-rated New Jersey hospitals in the New York metro region, coming in at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively. NYU Langone Hospitals topped that list.

“For patients considering their options for where to get care, the Best Hospitals rankings are designed to help them and their medical professionals identify hospitals that excel in the kind of care they may need,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “The new cancer ratings provide patients facing surgery for prostate cancer or gynecological cancer with previously unavailable information to assist them in making a critical health care decision.”

According to U.S. News, hospitals are assessed using a variety of measures from data provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association, professional organizations and medical specialists. They include survival rates, patient experience, level of nursing care and how successfully each hospital helps patients get back home.

The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange was the only New Jersey facility to place among the top 10 in any of the U.S. News specialty areas, ranking fourth in Rehabilitation.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ranked No. 2 for cancer care in the nation, behind the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Sloan Kettering operates three New Jersey outpatient treatment locations, in Montvale, Basking Ridge and Middletown.

“MSK’s continued recognition as a top cancer center is a testament to the commitment of every member of the MSK community who work to advance our mission and enhance patient care,” said Craig Thompson, Sloan Kettering’s president and CEO. “This honor reinforces our collective dedication to excellence and leadership in groundbreaking research, clinical treatment advances and discovery, and cancer prevention advocacy in support of the patients and families we serve.”

Virtua Voorhees tied for sixth place in the state rankings and tied for 12th in the Philadelphia region. Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden also made the list at No. 15.

Virtua Voorhees has earned several honors recently. In July, Money magazine and The Leapfrog Group included Virtua Voorhees on its inaugural list of Best Hospitals in America. And in May, Newsweek named Virtua Voorhees as one of America’s best maternity hospitals. That same month, a nursing unit within Virtua Voorhees received the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses’ PRISM Award.

“I am incredibly proud to be part of a team of health care professionals united in vision and values,” said Paul Minnick, who serves as president of Virtua Voorhees and Virtua Marlton hospitals, and a senior vice president for Virtua Health. “Recognition like this reflects that we are dedicated to putting the patient first in each and every encounter. It also underscores that health care, at its best, is not transactional; rather, it is a relationship built on trust.”

Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center tied for 6th place in New Jersey and ranked at 24 in the New York region. According to Penn Medicine, this marks the eighth year in a row that PMC was rated high performing in multiple types of care and the seventh time it earned recognition as a Best Regional Hospital.

“At PMC and across Penn Medicine Princeton Health, we have fostered a culture of pursuing excellence and achieving higher standards,” said CEO James Demetriades. “These results are a tribute to every employee and physician whose work supports patient care at the hospital.”

Elsewhere, the Deborah Heart & Lung Center in Browns Mills, which is celebrating its centennial this year, earned a High Performing rating in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Heart Attack, Heart Bypass Surgery, and Heart Failure.

“U.S. News & World Report is a valued tool that reaches consumers and providers alike, allowing for decision-making based on objective metrics. To achieve High Performance ratings in four of our key specialty services is a mark of distinction that reflects our commitment to safety, quality and patient satisfaction,” said Deborah president and CEO Joseph Chirichella. “When one adds this rating to the many other outstanding consumer and professional medical awards we have received, we believe Deborah stands firmly as a nationally recognized cardiac center.”

In February, Deborah launched its first major capital expansion since the 1990s with DEBORAH100: The Project — a $108 million capital project at the hospital. The work is being financed by an $88 million U.S. Department of Agriculture low-interest loan for rural development; with $10 million from Greater Commercial Lending; and through Deborah‘s own Capital Fundraising Campaign, which the provider said has raised the necessary balance of funds.