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

Seven Long Island hospitals were included among Newsweek's ranked list of America's Best Hospitals for Specialized Care in 2026, and one hospital in the region 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.

Other local hospitals 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.

Northwell Health and Newsweek did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Catholic Health declined to comment on their inclusion in the list.

In response to Stony Brook University Hospital's spot in the ranking of top hospitals for specialized care, Dr. Eric Morley, the chief quality officer at Stony Brook Medicine, provided a statement to Newsday that reads 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. As Long Island grows, we remain committed to elevating patient experiences, improving outcomes and providing unmatched care."

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 uses a similar methodology, and that list features 95 hospitals across the country, focusing on eight pediatric fields.

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.

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 NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (No. 87), NYU Langone Tisch Hospital (No. 102) and NewYork-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 has been publishing their hospital rankings for eight years.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

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.