15 in NJ named to Newsweek’s 2023 Best Maternity Hospitals

Fifteen New Jersey hospitals were named to Newsweek’s recently released America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2023 list, outperforming last year’s tally of eight and 2021’s total of three. 

Compiled along with market research and consumer data firm Statista, the list included 384 U.S. hospitals overall. 

The evaluation is based on three data sources: a nationwide online survey of hospital managers and maternity health care professionals, who were asked to recommend leading maternity hospitals; medical key performance indicator data relevant to maternity care; and patient satisfaction, according to Newsweek. 

The unranked, alphabetical list divides health care institutions into two categories based on their scores: five-ribbon and four-ribbon hospitals. 

5-ribbon NJ hospitals: 

• Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston | RWJBarnabas Health 
• Englewood Health, Englewood 
• Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch | RWJBarnabas Health 
• Morristown Medical Center, Morristown | Atlantic Health System 
• Overlook Medical Center, Summit | Atlantic Health System 
• Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick | Saint Peter’s Healthcare System 
• The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood | Valley Health System 

4-ribbon NJ hospitals: 

• Chilton Medical Center, Pompton Plains | Atlantic Health System 
• Cooper University Hospital, Camden | Cooper University Health Care 
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Newton Medical Center, Newton | Atlantic Health System 
• Pascack Valley Medical Center, Westwood | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro | Penn Medicine Princeton Health 
• Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Virtua Voorhees Hospital, Voorhees | Virtua Health 

Nationwide, 159 hospitals earned five ribbons and 225 earned four.  

“Having a baby can be one of the most joyous and fulfilling experiences in life. But expectant parents also face a number of important decisions like selecting a doctor, creating a birth plan and choosing a maternity hospital,” Newsweek Global Editor in Chief Nancy Cooper said in a statement, adding that she hopes the rankings will help families find the right hospital for them.

Improving maternal care in New Jersey is a top priority for First Lady Tammy Murphy, who helped launched Nurture NJ in January 2019. Since then, the state has made strides on the initiative, including the creation of the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center in Trenton.

Ranking reactions 

Valerie French, senior director of nursing for maternal/child health at Englewood Health, which made the Newsweek list for the second year in a row, said in a May 11 statement that “this distinction is particularly special because it recognizes our team’s enduring commitment to delivering the highest quality maternity care throughout pregnancy, birth, and post-partum.”  

In a May 24 statement, RWJBarnabas Health applauded its facilities that were named to the list. 

“Receiving this prestigious designation for Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and Monmouth Medical Center is a testament to the teams’ dedication to patient-centered care,” said Suzanne Spernal, senior vice president, Women’s Services. “RWJBarnabas Health is committed to providing safe, respectful and consistently excellent care for every mother who entrusts us with the delivery of their babies.”   

Leslie Hirsch, president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, said, “The Newsweek recognition validates the fact that choosing Saint Peter’s means choosing to birth your baby at one of the best facilities in the country and is also a testament to Saint Peter’s team of maternal health specialists that are among the top nationwide providing comprehensive care before, during and after pregnancy.”