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NYC's New Safety Rankings: Which Hospitals Are the Best?

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Thursday, November 13th 2025 at 13:18 GMT by Patch

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NYC’s New Safety Rankings: Which Hospitals Are the Best?
(Summarized from Patch.com’s “These are NY’s safest hospitals—new ranking says”)

A fresh wave of data is reshaping how New Yorkers think about where they should seek care. A newly released safety ranking, compiled by a consortium of health‑policy analysts and the New York State Department of Health, has identified the safest hospitals in New York City for 2023‑24. The study, which pulls together 12 different quality indicators—from infection rates to surgical outcomes—offers patients a clearer lens through which to view the city’s 28 acute‑care hospitals. In this article we distill the key findings, explain the methodology, and consider what the rankings mean for patients, clinicians, and the hospitals themselves.

How the Rankings Were Made

The methodology is a hybrid of quantitative metrics and peer review. Data were gathered from the State Hospital Quality Reporting System, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare database, and a 5‑point survey of internal quality‑assurance personnel at each institution. The 12 metrics include:

1. Hospital‑Acquired Infections (HAIs) – Clostridioides difficile and surgical site infections.
2. Readmission Rates – 30‑day readmissions for heart failure, pneumonia, and other common conditions.
3. Mortality Rates – All‑cause inpatient mortality, adjusted for case mix.
4. Patient‑Reported Experience – Scores from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey.
5. Staffing Ratios – Nurse‑to‑patient ratios, especially in intensive‑care units.
6. Medication‑Related Events – Adverse drug events captured through incident reporting systems.
7. Fall Rates – Inpatient falls per 1,000 patient days.
8. Surgical Outcomes – Mortality and complication rates for general surgery, orthopedics, and cardiothoracic procedures.
9. In‑patient Violence – Incidents involving patient aggression.
10. Response Times – Emergency department door‑to‑doctor times and time to first bedside assessment.
11. Safety Culture Score – Derived from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC).
12. Peer Review – Qualitative assessment from an independent panel of clinicians.

Each metric was weighted according to its clinical importance (mortality and infection rates carry the most weight). Hospitals received a composite score, and then a percentile rank relative to the entire state.

The 2023‑24 Safe‑Hospital List

The ranking places NewYork‑Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell (Manhattan) at the top spot, followed by Mount Sinai Hospital (New York) and NYU Langone Hospital (Manhattan). A quick look at the table below (in the original article) shows that all three score above the 90th percentile for overall safety.

The ranking also notes that Queens Hospital and St. George’s University Hospitals are tied for 11th place, while Inwood Community Hospital falls below the 50th percentile, marking it as a lower‑risk environment for many common complications.

What Drives the Differences?

Staffing and Culture

The analysis confirms a long‑standing theory: hospitals with higher nurse‑to‑patient ratios and a culture that encourages error reporting tend to score higher on safety metrics. NewYork‑Presbyterian and Mount Sinai have invested heavily in their nursing staff, and both have formal “safety champions” embedded in every unit.

Infection Prevention

The most pronounced difference between the top hospitals and their competitors lies in infection control. NewYork‑Presbyterian reported only 0.7 Clostridioides difficile cases per 10,000 patient days, while Jamaica Hospital’s figure sits at 5.3. Both top hospitals employ “bundled” protocols for central line and ventilator‑associated pneumonia, with strict hand‑hygiene compliance checks.

Surgical Outcomes

Orthopedic and cardiac surgery outcomes were a pivotal factor for NYU Langone. The hospital’s 30‑day mortality rate for cardiac bypass is 1.3%, compared with 3.6% statewide. The article cites the hospital’s “pre‑operative optimization” program—where patients’ comorbidities are managed aggressively before surgery—as a key reason for its success.

Patient Experience

While safety and clinical outcomes are the pillars of the ranking, patient‑reported experience makes a notable impact. NYU Langone and Mount Sinai consistently score above 90% in the “communication with nurses” and “pain management” domains of HCAHPS, reinforcing the idea that a patient‑centered approach dovetails with safety.

Voices from the Field

Dr. Maya Gupta, Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai, commented, “This ranking is a validation of our safety culture, but more importantly, it is a call to action for the rest of the city.” She added that Mount Sinai has set a target of reducing HAIs by 15% over the next two years.

Sarah Torres, Patient Advocate for the NYC Health Alliance, noted that the rankings will “provide transparency that patients have been calling for. When a patient knows which hospitals have the best outcomes, they can make informed decisions, especially when navigating urgent care.”

Implications for Patients and Providers

1. Informed Decision‑Making – Patients can use the ranking as a starting point, especially when dealing with complex, high‑risk procedures. The article advises that patients still consult their primary physician to weigh local expertise, insurance coverage, and proximity.

2. Benchmarking for Hospitals – Even those ranked lower are encouraged to investigate specific weaknesses. For instance, St. Luke’s can look to the top hospitals’ staffing models to reduce falls.

3. Policy and Funding – The ranking is already being cited by the New York City Board of Health as a benchmark for allocating resources, with an emphasis on funding infection‑control initiatives.

4. Patient‑Safety Training – Hospitals across the city are reportedly investing in simulation training, as the article links to a resource on “safety‑culture workshops” that have proven effective at Weill Cornell.

Bottom Line

The new safety ranking offers a data‑driven, transparent snapshot of where New York City’s patients can expect the safest possible care. While the list’s top three hospitals—NewYork‑Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, Mount Sinai, and NYU Langone—are not surprising, the rankings underscore that safety is a multi‑dimensional construct: it’s not just about low infection rates, but also about staffing, culture, patient experience, and surgical excellence.

For patients, the takeaway is simple: use the ranking as a guide, but also discuss with your care team. For hospitals, the ranking is both a commendation and a challenge—an invitation to close gaps and share best practices across the city’s diverse health‑care ecosystem.

For the full data set, methodology, and an interactive map of the rankings, the original Patch.com article links to a PDF and an online dashboard that allow users to drill down by borough, specialty, and metric.