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U.S. News & World Report

File photo/TBR News Media

Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson was rated as high-performing in four adult specialties and two procedures and conditions by U.S News & World Report’s 2023-2024 Best Hospitals rankings. Mather was rated as high performing in: 

  • Gastroenterology & GI surgery
  • Geriatrics
  • Orthopedics
  • Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
  • Heart Failure
  • Kidney Failure

Northwell’s North Shore University Hospital was ranked No. 1 in the state and in the top 20 hospitals in the nation. Two other Northwell hospitals placed in the top 10 in state rankings, and dozens of programs across the health system were highly ranked. Overall, eight Northwell hospitals were ranked among the best in New York. North Shore University Hospital tied for the best hospital in the state. Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan was ranked No. 5, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center tied for No. 6. 

Now in its 34th year, Best Hospitals evaluates hospitals in more than 30 medical and surgical services, with the objective of providing patients with data-driven decision tools. U.S. News said that to keep pace with consumers’ needs and the ever-evolving landscape of health care, several refinements are reflected in the 2023-2024 Best Hospitals rankings and ratings. 

The 2023-2024 rankings highlight 484 Best Regional Hospitals that deliver high-quality treatment across many areas of care. Of those, 22 hospitals are named to a national Honor Roll for demonstrating exceptional breadth of excellence across clinical specialties. 

Visit U.S. News’ website for the full Best Hospitals rankings

Photo from Whisper Woods

Whisper Woods of Smithtown, a Benchmark assisted living and Mind & Memory Care community, has ranked among the best assisted living with memory care communities in New York and the entire U.S. for the second straight year. In U.S. News & World Report’s second annual Best Senior Living ratings published today, the community was selected following a comprehensive resident and family member survey. Whisper Woods is the only senior living community in the greater Smithtown area to have earned this prestigious award.

Whisper Woods earned “Best” status by achieving the highest possible rating for assisted living. Respondents gave the community high marks in critical areas, such as overall value, management and staff, resident enrichment, dining and food, safety, transportation, maintenance, housekeeping and location.

Forty Benchmark communities throughout the Northeast received a total of 53 U.S. News awards for the second straight year.

“We are honored and humbled that our residents and their families, once again, recognized the hard work, compassion, and dedication of our 6,000-plus associates. It’s their shared purpose of transforming lives through human connection that earned Benchmark these U.S. News & World Report awards and continues to separate Benchmark communities from other senior living companies,” said Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark.

Whisper Woods’ care and experiences spans independent assisted living to specialized memory care assisted living for those who would benefit from a safer, engaging environment, chef-prepared meals, supportive living services, transportation and assistance with daily activities, such as getting dressed and medication management. Residents enjoy connecting over programs and amenities offered in many common spaces including a bistro, art gallery, hair salon and spa, fitness center, recreation room and outdoor terrace with wine bar.

Whisper Woods’ award-winning Mind & Memory Care program offers carefully created living environments and unique opportunities for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia to find joy in each new day. Residents are supported by 24/7 care providers who have been hired for heart and educated in memory loss, communication and empathy. Neighborhoods provide the comforts of home and have unique features that help those with memory impairment stay connected to who and what matters most to them. Thoughtful touches, visual cues and purposeful amenities further promote familiarity and wellness.

“Our team is committed to keeping our residents connected to who and what matters most through outstanding care and experiences,” said Desiree Krajnyak-Baker, executive director of Whisper Woods. “Exceeding expectations every day is what we strive for so it’s incredibly exciting to have our dedication recognized by an industry leader like U.S. News.”

For more than 30 years, U.S. News has served the American public as an unbiased arbiter of quality across a variety of important choices. Whether picking a college, selecting a hospital or moving to a nursing home, consumers go to U.S. News to research and make consequential life decisions.

“For the second consecutive year, U.S. News is providing in-depth information to help potential residents and their loved ones find the best place to help meet their needs,” said Sumita Singh, senior vice president and general manager of Healthcare at U.S. News. “Communities that are highly rated excel in making residents feel safe, well cared for and highly satisfied by the services provided.”

For more information about Whisper Woods of Smithtown, click here or go to its U.S. News profile at https://health.usnews.com/best-senior-living/whisper-woods-of-smithtown-644.

Photo from Stony Brook Medicine
Ranked Top 10 in the State

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) has been recognized as a Best Hospital for 2022-23 by U.S. News & World Report, ranking in the top 50 nationally for Urology, Diabetes and Endocrinology. SBUH also climbed to a No. 9 ranking overall in New York State out of more than 155 hospitals statewide, up from No. 10 in the state last year.

SBUH ranked No. 41 nationally out of 1491 peer hospitals in Urology, which is in the top 3 percent. In Diabetes and Endocrinology, SBUH ranked No. 50 nationally out of 764 peer hospitals, which is in the top 7 percent.

“I’m delighted that Stony Brook Medicine continues to garner national recognition,” said Hal Paz, MD, Executive Vice President of Health Sciences and Chief Executive Officer, Stony Brook University Medicine. “U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital rankings is a national benchmark of quality and a metric that consumers rely on when seeking care. This ranking is the latest illustration of our never-ending commitment to delivering a quality patient experience and demonstrates the range of top-caliber expertise in our healthcare system.”

A total of 4,515 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions were evaluated by U.S. News. Of these hospitals, 1,895 met volume criteria in at least one specialty, and only 164 hospitals in the United States performed well enough to be nationally ranked in at least one specialty. The state ranking reflects the highest performing hospitals in the state across multiple areas of care.

“Achieving these Best Hospital national and state rankings speaks volumes about the quality of care our patients receive at Stony Brook University Hospital,” said Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital. “Whether it is for routine or complex care, the commitment of our faculty and staff is evident at all levels, at all times.”

U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance using a variety of measures such as survival rates, complication rates, patient experience and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals methodology factors in data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association, professional organizations and medical specialists.

In addition to national rankings in Urology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, SBUH earned a “high performing” rating in the specialty of Neurology and Neurosurgery and in 12 procedures and conditions. These include: colon cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery, uterine cancer surgery, ovarian cancer surgery, prostate cancer surgery, heart attack, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, diabetes, kidney failure, stroke, maternity care (uncomplicated pregnancy), hip replacement, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia.

These accolades follow on the heels of SBUH being named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals™ for the past four years by Healthgrades – the only hospital on Long Island to receive the distinction for four consecutive years. Only four hospitals in New York State were named among America’s 100 Best Hospitals™ this year. For 2022, Stony Brook was also named by Healthgrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery™; and one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention™ (seven consecutive years), Cardiac Care (eight consecutive years), and Stroke Care (seven consecutive years).

“Recognition at this level from both U.S. News and Healthgrades does not come easy,” said Gomes. “Such an achievement requires years of hard work, dedication, collaboration and a steadfast commitment to continuously improving quality of care.”

For more information about Stony Brook Urology, click here.

For more information about Stony Brook Diabetes and Endocrinology, click here.

For more information about Stony Brook Heart Institute, click here.

For more information about Stony Brook Neurosciences Institute, click here.

About Stony Brook University Hospital:

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island’s premier academic health center. With 624 beds, SBUH serves as the region’s only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County’s only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visitwww.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.

The college ranking system fails to take into account the intangibles of a university. Photo from Ryan DeVito

By Ryan DeVito

A certain manufactured meritocracy exists in the United States. Success has become indelibly connected to elite college education in the minds of parents and students. Consequently, a student’s potential is dictated by his or her triumphs in the college arena. The logic goes like this: the higher an institution is ranked by U.S. News & World Report, the better a student is and the better their life will be.

College ranking systems are psychological demons. Thousands of data points tell a story that, year after year, paints a skewed picture of higher education. These ranking systems use algorithms to transform a host of statistics about one school into a single score. Students often use this score to make college decisions.

The existing ranking systems are silly, though. They attempt to compare completely disparate institutions on one inflexible scale. As a result, The Ohio State University can be compared to Pepperdine University. The former is an enormous public university in the middle of a large city; the latter is a small private Christian college perched above the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by mountains. Essentially opposites, U.S. News & World Report tells us that these schools are the same.

Ohio State and Pepperdine scored the same in the rankings algorithm. But these institutions are impossible to compare. Ohio State dominates downtown Columbus with nearly 60,000 students and another 20,000 staff members — all spread across dozens of various colleges, schools and departments. How could you possibly reduce the complexity that is The Ohio State University down to one solitary number?

College ranking systems fail to take into account the intangibles that make a college great. Academic reputation — among leadership at peer institutions — and faculty resources are the two variables given the greatest weight in the U.S. News ranking algorithm. The weight on these variables creates an obvious skew toward the well-endowed private universities that consistently grace the top of the rankings list. Rankings drive reputation and funding, and so a glass ceiling forms that keeps lower-ranked schools from every establishing their brands. But these variables tell us nothing about the ability of the institution and its faculty to inform and inspire students.

It’s the intangibles that enable success in students — regardless of whether they attend a top-ranked institution or not.

Students who are engaged and encouraged in their learning are better off. So the ability of professors to get their students excited about learning is much more important than how much research funding they have. The extent to which professors care about their students as people and are willing to act as mentors has a major bearing on the student’s potential for engagement. These are the intangibles that college rankings system could never take into account.

Of course, top-ranked institutions can offer these intangibles. My point, though, is that you can be engaged and encouraged anywhere. There are obvious flaws in the college ranking systems that we all too often rely on when making college decisions. A great college experience is not limited to the top of any ranking’s list. Success after college is not dictated by the ranking of the college you attend.

Rather than depending on any murky ranking system, search for the college that has the greatest potential to inform, inspire and challenge you personally. Your success after college depends most on your ability to find that engaging environment. Four years of engaged learning are more valuable than any ranking on its own. And it’s the engaged student, not necessarily the elite student, who has the potential to achieve the greatest success after graduation.

Ryan DeVito is a Miller Place native who started a college advising company, ScholarScope, to help Long Island students. Learn more at www.ScholarScope.org.