Morristown, Hackensack tie for top spot in U.S. News hospital rankings

One or the other has claimed title of ‘Best Hospital in N.J.’ for the past 10 years

Morristown Medical Center and Hackensack University Medical Center tied for the No. 1 spot in New Jersey in the prestigious U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday — and therefore share the title of Best Hospital in the State.

It is perhaps fitting that the two hospitals share the top spot, as one or the other has been No. 1 for the past 10 years. Morristown was tops in 2018-20; Hackensack was No. 1 from 2012-2017.

U.S. News compared more than 4,750 medical centers nationwide in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions. Of these, 531 were recognized as Best Regional Hospitals, based on their strong performance in multiple areas of care. See the full rankings here.

Here’s a look at the 13 hospitals in New Jersey that were ranked:

T1. Morristown Medical Center
T1. Hackensack University Hospital
3. Valley Hospital (Ridgewood)
4. Overlook Medical Center (Summit)
5. Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston)
6. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick)
T7. AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (Atlantic City)
T7. Jersey Shore University Medical Center (Neptune)
T7. Cooper University Health Care (Camden)
T10. Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (Camden)
T10. Jefferson Health-Stratford, Cherry Hill and Washington
T10. Virtua Voorhees Hospital
13. Riverview Medical Center (Red Bank)

Morristown and Hackensack tied for No. 7 in the ranking of the best hospitals in the New York City area.

And, while neither Morristown nor Hackensack placed among the Top 20 hospitals in the country, both had three adult specialties ranked among the Top 50 nationally. They were the only New Jersey hospitals to achieve such a Top 50 ranking.

Morristown ranked in Gynecology (No. 28), Orthopedics (No. 30) and Cardiology and Heart Surgery (No. 42). Hackensack was ranked in Cardiology and Heart Surgery (No. 45), Urology (No. 48) and Neurology and Neurosurgery (No. 50).

The editors of the U.S. News Best Hospitals list say it is intended to provide a multifaceted assessment on nearly every hospital nationwide that is designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to seek care.

This year’s version, the 32nd that has been compiled, has been updated. Seven new procedures and conditions join the existing 10 ratings.

Here’s a look at the top hospitals in the metro area and the country:

New York City metro:

1. New York-Presbyterian
2. NYU Langone
3. Mount Sinai
4. Lenox Hill
5. North Shore University
6. St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center
T7. Hackensack University Medical Center
T7. Morristown Memorial Medical Center
T7. Long Island Jewish Medical Center
T7. Montefiore Medical Center

Nation:

1. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) (Sixth straight year in top spot)
2. Cleveland Clinic
3. UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles)
4. Johns Hopkins (Baltimore)
5. Mass General (Boston)
6. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles)
7. New York Presbyterian
8. NYU Langone
9. UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco)
10. Northwestern Memorial (Chicago)