North Shore Medical Center Makes Best Hospitals List for Third Straight Year

By Robert Gates

North Shore Medical Center, including Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers, has been ranked as one of the best hospitals in Greater Boston and Massachusetts by U.S. News and World Report.

It is the only medical center on the North Shore to be named to either the Boston or Massachusetts lists, North Shore Medical Center said in announcing the ranking, adding it was the third consecutive year the hospital has made the list.

It was ranked No. 13 in greater Boston and No. 18 in Massachusetts on the Best Hospitals list for 2014-15. The list was announced this week.

Additionally, North Shore Medical Center was named a high-performing hospital in geriatrics based on data such as patient survival, safety and volume, according to the announcement.

North Shore Medical Center is one of 17 out of 77 hospitals in greater Boston to make the list, along with Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Lowell General Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Winchester Hospital, plus medical centers in Boston including Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

In addition to Salem Hospital, North Shore Medical Center includes Union Hospital in Lynn, MassGeneral for Children at North Shore Medical Center and the NSMC Heart Center. It is a member of Partners HealthCare.

“Receiving this award for three years in a row demonstrates the dedication and achievement of our nurses, physicians and staff who continue to make the care at NSMC so exceptional,” said Robert G. Norton, NSMC President and CEO after the list was announced. “We are so grateful to our patients for their trust and confidence and share this extraordinary recognition, not only with some of the best hospitals in the nation, but with each and every patient who turns to us for care.”

The research organization RTI International conducted the physician survey and produced the Best Hospitals methodology and national rankings under contract with U.S. News.

The annual U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients. In addition to its national rankings, U.S. News evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties. In most specialties, it ranks the nation’s top 50 hospitals and recognizes other high-performing hospitals that provide care at nearly the level of their nationally ranked peers.

Hard numbers are used for the rankings in most specialties — patient safety, procedure volume and outcomes. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in.

“U.S. News strives to provide patients and their families with the most comprehensive data available on hospitals,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News health rankings editor. “Measuring safety performance is critical to understanding how well a hospital cares for its patients.”