Five Connecticut Hospitals Earn a Place in Ranking of Best in the World

Yale New Haven Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center in Hartford, Griffin Hospital in Derby, John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington and Hartford Hospital have been ranked among the best in the United States in this year’s World’s Best Hospitals, as ranked by Newsweek and Statista.

They are the only five hospitals in Connecticut to make the 2023 rankings.  Among the hospitals earning a place on the list, Yale was ranked 31st in the U.S., Saint Francis was #164, Griffin #202, John Dempsey was #399 and Hartford Hospital ranked #403 in the U.S.   

Yale New Haven was the only Connecticut hospital to be included on the worldwide rankings, at number 164 world-wide.  Five U.S. hospitals were in the top 10 on Newsweek's list of the World's Best Hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (1), Cleveland Clinic in Ohio (2), Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (3), Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore (4), and UCLA Health- Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles (10).

The Newsweek list also indicated that all five Connecticut hospitals performed above average for Infection Prevention measures amidst the ongoing COVID pandemic. 

Among neighboring states, Massachusetts has 16 hospitals among the best in the U.S., New York has 13, New Jersey has seven,  and Rhode Island has two.  “Among the hallmarks of great hospitals,” Newsweek points out, “are not just first-class care, first-class research and first-class innovation. The very best institutions also share another quality: consistency.”

Hospital officials in Connecticut appreciated the recognition of their efforts.

“This prestigious recognition awarded to UConn John Dempsey Hospital and our staff by Newsweek reflects our growing national and international reputation for excellent care and our being a healthcare destination,” says Dr. Scott Allen, Chief Medical Officer at UConn Health. “It is a fantastic honor representing our hospital’s steadfast excellence in care, patient safety, and teamwork.”

For the first time in 2023, Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals ranking also recognized John Dempsey Hospital for its specialty in infection prevention and its above national average performance.

“The sincere commitment and dedication to infection prevention of our leadership and those who provide direct patient care has been remarkably unwavering. This focus has allowed us to achieve successes, of which, have a tremendous impact to the safety and wellbeing of our patients. The culture of patient safety is of ultimate importance to all of us who work at UConn Health,” said Nancy Dupont, Director of Epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Control at UConn Health.

Yale New Haven was also ranked among the leading specialized hospitals in the world for oncology, ranking at #190 among the top 300 worldwide.  Yale New Haven also earned a place among the top “smart” hospitals, defined as  “hospitals that use state-of-the-art technology to fundamentally rethink how care is delivered within the health system.”  Yale New Haven ranked #94 among the top 300 in the world.

Newsweek global Editor in Chief Nancy Cooper noted that “Taking advantage of these new technologies not only improves care delivery outcomes and efficiencies within the hospital but sets up hospitals as a member of a wider ecosystem to help drive health goals around prevention, population health and quality of life outcomes.”

The World’s Best Hospitals ranking is now in its fifth year. This year the U.S. had 420 hospitals ranked and over 2,300 hospitals were ranked worldwide in 28 countries including in the U.S., Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Canada, India, Australia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Austria, Thailand, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Israel, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, and Taiwan.

Newsweek and Statista’s ranking methodology scored hospitals by comparing them to others in the same country. This year’s four data sources used for the evaluation included an international online survey sent to more than 80,000 doctors, hospital managers and health care professionals; patient hospitalization satisfaction surveys; measurement of hospital quality metrics such as patient safety, hygiene measures, waiting times and quality of treatment; and scoring for the first time of voluntary Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) on patient satisfaction with hospitals.

Back in 2019, prior to the pandemic, only three Connecticut hospitals earned a place on the annual list:  number 46 Yale New Haven Hospital; number 189 St Francis Hospital & Medical Center; and number 204 Griffin Hospital.