For the second consecutive year, Atlantic Health took two of the top three spots in the
prestigious 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital rankings.
Atlantic Health Morristown, which has been in the top spot five times in the past decade,
was No. 2 in the rankings. Atlantic Health Overlook came in at No. 3.
Hackensack University Medical Center was ranked No. 1 overall, but no other system
had more than one facility in the top five.
Atlantic Health CEO Saad Ehtisham said he is most proud of the fact that the honors go
deeper than just the top overall three rankings.
Atlantic Health Morristown earned national rankings for three of its Adult Specialties:
Orthopedics (#13), Urology (#25), and Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery (#41) and
was ranked as high-performing in Geriatrics & Gastroenterology and GI Surgery.
Among the most significant achievements, Atlantic Health Morristown’s Orthopedics
program remains the state’s highest-ranked and is also the number four program across
the New York Metro area. The Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery program joins
Orthopedics as the highest-ranked program in New Jersey this year.
Atlantic Health Morristown was ranked No. 8 overall in the New York Metro Area.
Atlantic Health Overlook, No. 16 in the metro area, was recognized as high-performing
in one Adult Specialty: Neurology & Neurosurgery.
Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center was recognized as high-performing in
Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma, Pneumonia and Stroke. And Atlantic Health Newton
Medical Center was also recognized as high-performing in Stroke.
“National recognition in multiple specialties speaks to the incredible work occurring
every day throughout the Atlantic Health enterprise,” Ehtisham said. “These
achievements reflect our commitment to innovative care that delivers extraordinary
outcomes. Congratulations to our entire team for always putting our patients first while
elevating the bar for high-quality care across New Jersey.”
Atlantic Health Morristown was recognized as high-performing in 22 Common Adult
Procedures & Conditions: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Aortic Valve Surgery,
Back Surgery (Spinal Fusion), Colon Cancer Surgery, Diabetes, Ear, Nose & Throat
Surgery, Gynecological Cancer Surgery, Heart Arrhythmia, Heart Attack, Heart Bypass
Surgery, Heart Failure, Hip Fracture, Hip Replacement, Kidney Failure, Knee
Replacement, Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma, Lung Cancer Surgery, Pacemaker
Implantation, Pneumonia, Prostate Cancer Surgery, Stroke, and TAVR (transcatheter
aortic valve replacement).
Atlantic Health Overlook received recognition for 15 of its Common Adult Procedures &
Conditions, including COPD, Colon Cancer Surgery, Diabetes, Heart Arrhythmia, Heart
Attack, Heart Failure, Hip Fracture, Hip Replacement, Kidney Failure, Knee
Replacement, Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma, Pacemaker Implantation, Pneumonia,
Prostate Cancer Surgery, and Stroke.
U.S. News evaluated nearly 4,500 hospitals across 14 adult specialties and 23
procedures and conditions; only 16% of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals
designation.
The rankings cap a busy year for Atlantic Health beyond the hospital wards.
The system landed at No. 75 on Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work list in April — its
17th consecutive year on the list — and in May it rolled out a
partnership with Garner Health Technology, tapping a database of more than 60 billion medical records to steer employees at participating companies toward high-performing doctors.
The system says the effort has cut patients’ out-of-pocket costs by an average of 80% and trimmed employers’ total health spending by about 12% in its first year.
Ehtisham has led Atlantic Health since last summer. He has described his approach at
Atlantic Health as one of stewardship — protecting and building on a culture and clinical
reputation he says was already in place when he arrived, rather than remaking the
system in his own image. He’s also been vocal about resisting “growth for growth’s
sake,” pushing instead to bring care closer to where patients live and work.
