What drove Hackensack’s flagship hospital to US News’ Honor Roll  – Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News

Hackensack Meridian University Medical Center has become the first hospital in New Jersey to ever earn a spot on U.S. News & World Report’s list of top hospitals in the nation. 

“The real beneficiaries here are the patients that we see and their families — if you think about the deaths that are avoided, the complications that don’t happen, the readmissions that don’t occur and the patient experience that is superior,” Bob Garret, CEO of Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health Network, said in an interview with Becker’s.

As part of the publication’s annual ranking, the hospital also received several other accolades: It ranked in the top 50 hospitals across the country in 10 major specialties, including cancer care and cardiac surgery. Hackensack Meridian University Medical Center ranked high in all of the 22 procedures and conditions that U.S. News evaluates as part of the ranking, leaders at the health system said. These include patient experience, mortality, readmissions and complications. 

“In all of these, we outperform comparable hospitals across not just New Jersey and the region, but nationally,” said Jose Azar, MD, chief quality officer at HMHN. “When we compare our mortality, for example — within the hospital, but also up to 30 days after a patient leaves —  our risk adjusted mortality is 20% better than expected in the national average.”

Over the past year, the hospital achieved an 8% reduction in readmissions, which leaders estimate prevented thousands of patients from having to return to the hospital. The hospital also saw a 26% year-over-year improvement in hospital-acquired infections, equating to 121 fewer patients experiencing an infection compared to the previous year. 

“We’re performing the best evidence-based care consistently across the board, not just in the hospital, but we’re also supporting patients after they leave so that they continue their recovery at home,” Dr. Azar said. 

Behind the accolades is a culture committed to excellence and innovation, according to health system leaders. The recognition reflects years of building operational processes and structures to support teams in delivering safe and effective care, and investments in innovative technology, which have helped attract and retain top clinical talent. 

Leaders said having the right talent and processes in place are two factors that have helped drive a culture of innovation and continuous improvement at the health system. Clinical teams look at trends in patient outcomes’ data each day and, “if performance is not excellent, they turn that around,” Dr. Azar said. Clinical leaders routinely meet with operational leaders and administrators to align on evidence-based practices. 

“This is really about challenging the team and inspiring them to implement standard processes and evidence-based work,” said Mark Sparta, COO of HMHN. “[It’s about] getting Magnet award-winning nurses and our world-class physician leaders and clinical chairs of the departments to work in concert and synergy to provide the best possible outcomes through disciplined processes that reduce variation in care.”

Over the years, the organizations’ investments in research, development and innovation have elevated patient care and supported the retention of top clinical talent. In 2023, for example, the system opened the Helena Thuerer Pavilion — a nine-story facility outfitted with the latest operating room technologies and advanced critical care equipment.

“Those kinds of investments are hard today with the challenges facing healthcare,” Mr. Garret said. “The benefit of having a network like Hackensack Meridian Health is that we can make those investments to really aid the caregivers that are on the front line.”