7 Long Island hospitals make Newsweek's best specialized-care list

Seven Long Island hospitals were included on Newsweek's ranked list of America's Best Hospitals for Specialized Care in 2026, and another was ranked in the publication's list of America's Best Children's Hospitals of the year.

The specialized-care ranking highlighted five Northwell Health facilities on Long Island: Huntington Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and Plainview Hospital.

Others on the list were St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center, which is a Catholic Health facility in Roslyn, and Stony Brook University Hospital.

Newsweek's list of top children's hospitals in the country included Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, a Northwell Health facility.

The recognition "reflects the dedication of our teams and the consistently high standard of care they provide — from the emergency departments, surgical suites, physician practices and at the bedside," said Northwell Health president and CEO Dr. John D'Angelo in a news release, in part. "We remain deeply committed to putting patients at the center of everything we do."

In response to Stony Brook University Hospital's spot on the list, Dr. Eric Morley, chief quality officer at Stony Brook Medicine, said in a statement to Newsday, in part: "The honor celebrates the tireless compassion and skill of our staff, who make world-class healthcare a reality right here in Suffolk County."

Catholic Health declined to comment.

The ranking for specialized care recognizes 1,375 hospitals across seven specialties. To create the list, Newsweek mostly uses hospital quality metrics, which are primarily available to the public, according to Newsweek’s methodology breakdown.

Data including "mortality, safety of care, readmissions and timely and effective care" are taken into account, along with accreditations and certifications, according to the publication's website. There are other considerations, such as results from a nationwide online survey conducted by Newsweek, and publicly available patient surveys.

The rankings also use a system called PROMs, or patient reported outcome measures. Newsweek and Statista conduct this patient questionnaire to evaluate well-being and quality of life.

The children’s hospital rankings use a similar methodology. That list features 95 hospitals across the country, focusing on eight pediatric fields.

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, a senior editor at Newsweek who covered this year's children's hospital rankings, said the inclusion of multiple Long Island hospitals on these lists speaks to the region's quality of patient care.

She added, "The doctors and the healthcare professionals within those hospitals that make up those spaces, that further the positive outcomes for patients, it speaks to that talent pool, as well."

Newsweek and Statista "consistently re-evaluate the metrics that we are using to judge these hospitals," Falkenberg-Hull said. This is Newsweek's eighth year publishing hospital rankings.

For patients and guardians, looking at hospital rankings is a good starting point to find the right care. But this information should be assessed alongside other research, such as consultation with a trusted physician, health experts told Newsday in January.

Several New York City hospitals were mentioned on both lists, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (for both children and specialized care) and Northwell Health's Lenox Hill Hospital for specialized care.

Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City was ranked No. 22 out of 250 in Newsweek's list of World's Best Hospitals of 2026. The other New York hospitals featured in the worldwide ranking are New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (No. 87), NYU Langone Tisch Hospital (No. 102) and New York-Presbyterian Weill/Cornell Medical Center (No. 178). This list encompasses hospitals in 32 countries, with the top spot awarded to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Newsweek releases various hospital rankings throughout the year centered on healthcare facilities around the country and the globe. There are more to come this fall, said Falkenberg-Hull.

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.