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The basics:

• 14 NJ hospitals, 3 affiliated facilities earn 2026 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award
• Honors place recipients among the top 10% of US hospitals for safety
• Rankings evaluate preventable complications, adverse events
• Patients at award-winning hospitals saw significantly lower safety risks

Healthgrades announced the recipients of the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award March 10.  

The health care platform recognized 438 hospitals from 40 states for providing top-quality care while preventing serious safety issues. The list represents the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for patient safety. 

This year, Healthgrades honored 14 health care providers in New Jersey, along with three affiliated facilities. 

This number represents a slight uptick from 2025, when 12 hospitals and one affiliated facility were recognized. 

To determine the rankings, Healthgrades evaluates “the safety and quality of care at a hospital by measuring the rate at which serious, potentially preventable complications and adverse events occurred in the hospital.” 

To be eligible for the award, hospitals must 

• Meet certain clinical quality thresholds 
• Have zero instances of a foreign object left behind during a procedure 
• Have data on at least seven out of eight core patient safety indicators 

Healthgrades uses inpatient data from 

• Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) file 
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators Technical Specifications 
• AHRQ WinQI software (August 2025) 

“The data behind this year’s Patient Safety Excellence Award highlights how measurable improvements in safety can prevent thousands of complications,” said Healthgrades’ medical advisor Dr. Alana Biggers. “Hospitals that prioritize evidence-based safety practices not only achieve better clinical outcomes, but also cultivate a culture where patients come first.” 

New Jersey’s 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award winners are (in alphabetical order): 

• Bayshore Medical Center, Holmdel | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Chilton Medical Center, Pompton Plains | Atlantic Health 
• Englewood Hospital, Englewood | Englewood Health 
• Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck 
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Ocean University Medical Center, Brick | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro 
• Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick | Saint Peter’s Healthcare System
  Affiliated facility: The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital 
• Southern Ocean Medical Center, Manahawkin | Hackensack Meridian Health 
• St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, Paterson | St. Joseph’s Health
  Affiliated facility: St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center 
• St. Luke’s Hospital-Warren Campus, Phillipsburg | St. Luke’s Health Network 
• St. Mary’s General Hospital, Passaic | Prime Healthcare 
• Virtua Voorhees Hospital, Voorhees | Virtua Health
  Affiliated facility: Virtua Marlton Hospital 

Behind every decision

Englewood Health shared its announcement with NJBIZ the day the rankings were announced. 

“Every decision we make begins with one question: Is this the safest, best care for our patients?” Kathleen Kaminsky, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer, said in a statement. “This award is a powerful affirmation of the culture we’ve built — one where vigilance, teamwork, and accountability come together to protect our patients and deliver care they can trust.”

In January, Healthgrades named a dozen New Jersey facilities among the 2026 America’s Best Hospitals. That list evaluated clinical performance for about 4,500 hospitals across more than 30 common procedures and conditions.