Area Hospitals Rank Best in New Survey

Several Long Island hospitals were ranked top in the region in the US News & World Report annual survey released Tuesday.

St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn was deemed best on Long Island, and fourth in the state. Moreover, two North Shore-LIJ Health System hospitals –  (NSUH) in Manhasset and  in Suffolk County – made the list, ranking in the nation’s top 50 hospitals in five clinical areas. Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola was also included.

The report highlights more than 720 of the nation’s nearly 4,800 hospitals, with only 148 hospitals ranked nationally in at least one of 16 adult medical specialties.

“In US News’ latest hospital report, North Shore-LIJ demonstrates it can rank among the best hospitals in the nation in multiple specialties, providing our patients with quality care and access to top clinical teams across the New York metropolitan area,” Dr. Jeremy Boal, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer of North Shore-LIJ, said in a statement.

St. Francis was named the best hospital in the nation in geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, and gastroenterology.

“It is a tribute to the skill and dedication of our physicians, nurses, and health care professionals and a reflection of their constant focus on what is best for their patients," said says Alan D. Guerci, M.D., the hospital's president and CEO, in a statement.

Huntington Hospital was recognized for the first time in the report, ranking 43rd in gastroenterology, and 44th in ear, nose and throat and 50th in geriatrics. NSUH was 48th in the country with the report highlighting its neurology and neurosurgery departments and being 49th for gastroenterology. In addition, North Shore-LIJ's Lenox Hill was ranked in 34th place in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery.

Winthrop came in at No. 15 in New York but No. 17 on the list in the Tri-State area. It received rankings of 25th for pediatric diabetes and endocrinology, and was 48th in pediatric urology.

Hospitals that placed within the top 25 percent but did not rank nationally received "high-performing" designations. North Shore-LIJ hospitals collectively received high performing designations in all 12 data-driven specialty areas, including cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, ENT, gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. The four other specialties were evaluated solely on their reputation among specialists – ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation and rheumatology.

Only 720 of the country’s 4,800 hospitals were named in the report and 148 were ranked nationally in 16 medical areas. Each specialty received a score from 0 to 100 based on factors including reputation, patient survival, patient safety and care-related factors such as nursing and patient services. After all hospitals that met the benchmark in a specialty were scored, the top 25 percent were identified and the top 50 performers were then ranked.

“We are extremely proud that the Cushing Neuroscience Institute’s neurosurgery and neurology programs based at North Shore University Hospital have been recognized as one of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report,” said Dr. Raj Narayan, chair of neurosurgery and director of the Cushing Neuroscience Institute, in a statement.

“This is North Shore University Hospital’s (NSUH) inaugural inclusion on US News’ prestigious neurology/neurosurgery list, reflecting the excellent service provided by our dedicated physicians, nurses and support staff to each of our patients,” added Dr. Ronald Kanner, chair of neurology at NSUH.

See the complete rankings and methodology.