NJBIZ Hospitals list undergoes shuffle (updated)

While the top two positions on the latest NJBIZ Hospitals list remained unchanged from last year, the remainder of the top five is significantly different.

Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center again topped the list, followed by Hackensack Meridian University Medical Center. The ranking is based on in-patient discharges and Morristown recorded 41,671 while Hackensack Meridian posted 40,696.

After that, the list diverges from last year. The top five is now rounded out by Valley Health System’s Valley Hospital in Ridgewood; Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune; and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

Last year, Cooperman Barnabas ranked third, followed by Cooper University Health Care in Camden and Valley Hospital.

Morristown and Hackensack Meridian University were the only facilities with more than 40,000 discharges. Five others posted more than 30,000: Valley, Jersey Shore, Cooperman, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and Cooper.

St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic turned in the biggest gain this year, moving from No. 48 to No. 33.

Three facilities made the latest list after being unranked last year: Capital Health’s hospitals in Hopewell (23) and Trenton (43) along with RWJBarnabas Health’s Robert Wood Johnson University Health Somerset (24).

The information is provided by the hospitals. The full list appears on pages 20 and 21.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:10 p.m. May 16 to indicate Valley Hospital is located in Ridgewood.