US News & World Report Ranks South Nassau Highly in its Updated Best Hospitals Metro Area Ranking

Oct. 28, 2011 - PRLog -- In the recently released and updated U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals metro area rankings, South Nassau Communities Hospital is ranked thirty-third among all hospitals in the New York metropolitan area.  In addition to New York City, the New York metropolitan area includes hospitals based in Long Island, Westchester County, and northern New Jersey.

South Nassau was ranked thirty-fifth in the U.S. News & World Report's first-ever Best Hospitals metro area rankings released in April.  To be ranked in the Best Hospitals metro area rankings, South Nassau had to score in the top 25 percent among its peers in at least one of 16 medical specialties.

“Good, better, best; the best never rest,” said Joseph A. Quagliata, president and CEO of South Nassau.  “The ranking is a direct result of our commitment to our mission to provide the communities and patients we serve with quality, compassionate healthcare that they deserve whenever and wherever they need it.”

The U.S. News & World Report's new rankings recognize 622 hospitals in or near major cities with a record of high performance in key medical specialties, and include 132 of the 152 hospitals already identified as the best in the nation by U.S News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings.  The metro area rankings are relevant to a much wider range of healthcare consumers.  They are aimed primarily at consumers whose care may not demand the special expertise found only at a nationally ranked Best Hospital.  Patients and their families will have a far better chance of finding a U.S. News-ranked hospital in their health insurance network and might not have to travel to get care at a high-performing hospital.

There are nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide.  U.S. News created Best Hospitals more than 20 years ago to identify hospitals exceptionally skilled in handling the most difficult cases, such as brain tumors typically considered inoperable and delicate pancreatic procedures.  The metro area rankings will be updated in July at the same time the 2011-12 national Best Hospitals rankings are posted online.

The U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals ranking is not the only accolade that South Nassau has received in 2011.  The hospital has also been voted the Best Hospital on Long Island by readers of The Long Island Press and named to Becker's Hospital Review listings of “60 Hospitals with Great Orthopedic Programs and the "100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare” in the United States.

South Nassau has also earned awards for quality, performance and patient safety in 2011, including:

ü      American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation’s NCDR ACTION Registry– Association Get With The Guidelines®  2011 Gold Performance Achievement Award for coronary artery disease – one of only 167 hospitals nationwide to do so and the fourth consecutive year South Nassau has received the award;

ü      American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines® 2011 Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award;

ü      HomeCare Elite™ top home health care provider (for 5 consecutive years);

ü      “5-star” rating in bariatric surgery and maternity care for patient safety and quality care.

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South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physicians and 2,900 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.