Hackensack University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health was recently ranked the No. 1 hospital in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report and earned a spot on the magazine’s prestigious list of the 20 best medical centers in the United States.
Hackensack University Medical Center is the first hospital in New Jersey’s history to be raked as a Top 20 U.S. hospital on 2025-2025 Best Hospitals Honor Roll. For the national rankings, U.S. News & World Report U.S. News rates hospitals in 22 benchmark procedures and conditions and in 15 areas of complex specialty care. Ratings and rankings are based on each hospital’s patient outcomes, staffing and patient experience.
"This historic Top 20 national ranking belongs to our team members,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. “It was forged in the early morning hours by our nurses, earned in the operating room by our surgeons, and built daily by every team member who puts our patients first.
“To see their incredible work recognized on a national stage is immensely gratifying,” Garrett said. “This is a celebration of them, and a promise to our patients that we will never stop reaching higher."
In addition to being ranked the top hospital in New Jersey and New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area, Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally ranked in 10 specialties – the most nationally ranked specialties of any health network in New Jersey. These include:
- Cancer (#37 in nation, #1 in New Jersey)
- Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery (#37 in nation, #1 in New Jersey)
- Ear, Nose & Throat (#49 in nation)
- Diabetes & Endocrinology (#29 in nation, #1 in New Jersey)
- Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#47 in nation)
- Geriatrics (#32 in nation, #1 in New Jersey)
- Neurology & Neurosurgery (#33 in nation, #1 in New Jersey)
- Orthopedics (#20 in nation)
- Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#23 in nation, #1 in New Jersey)
- Urology (#12 in nation, #1 in New Jersey)
Other Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals have been ranked highly in New Jersey and across the nation for several years in a row, including:
- Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Center – Top 50 Rehabilitation Hospital in the nation for the seventh year in a row, ranked #33 in the nation. In addition, JFK University Medical Center is nationally recognized as high performing in two procedures and conditions: diabetes and stroke.
- Jersey Shore University Medical Center – ranked as a Top 5 Hospital in New Jersey for the 13th year in a row, since U.S. News & World Report began state rankings in 2012. The medical center is ranked #19 overall in the New York/ New Jersey Metropolitan area. The hospital is also nationally recognized as High Performing in the following specialties: Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery, Geriatrics, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery.
Additionally, Ocean University Medical Center is nationally recognized as high performing in urology, and high performing in six procedures and conditions. Riverview Medical Center is nationally recognized as high performing in orthopedics and in two procedures and conditions.
"These national rankings are more than just accolades; they validate our relentless focus on clinical quality and patient safety,” said Jose Azar, M.D., executive vice president and chief quality officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. “For our patients, this means they can be confident they are receiving care that is not only innovative but meticulously managed for safety and effectiveness, from the simplest procedure to the most complex surgery.”
