October 24, 2023 — Stony Brook University Hospital is named a top-performing hospital — top 5% for stroke care and top 10% for cardiac care, according to Healthgrades, a leading resource that evaluates approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide solely on patient outcomes. By focusing on clinical outcomes, including risk-adjusted mortality and complications, the Healthgrades ratings provide critical feedback for patients and hospitals alike. These newest rankings come on the heels of Stony Brook achieving the highest level of national recognition as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2023.

The Healthgrades ratings place Stony Brook among the top tier of hospitals nationwide for stroke and cardiac care.  

Top-Rated Clinical Care 

Stony Brook University Hospital also received Excellence Awards in the areas of cardiac care, neurosciences and gastrointestinal care, as well as five-star (the highest level) ratings for critical care and other treatments and procedures.

• Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ (2015-24) and Five-Star Distinction for Heart Attack (2022-24) and Heart Failure (2014-24)
• Neurosciences Excellence Award™ (2016-24)
• Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award™ (2020-24) and Five-Star Distinction (2020-24) for Cranial Neurosurgery (2020-24)
• Stroke Care Excellence Award™ (2016-24) and Five-Star Distinction for Treatment of Stroke (2015-24)
• Gastrointestinal Care Excellence Award™ (2024) and Five-Star Distinction for Treatment of GI Bleed (2024)
• Critical Care Five-Star Distinctions for treatment of sepsis (2015-24), pulmonary embolism (2024) and Respiratory Failure (2021-24)

“These achievements reflect our steadfast commitment to the consistent delivery of outstanding clinical outcomes for critical services across the medical system enterprise — all for our patients, their families and the community,” said Carol A. Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer.

Commitment to Quality 

The 2024 Healthgrades analysis revealed that the variation in performance among hospitals continues to widen, making it increasingly important to seek care at top-rated programs. From 2020-2022, patients treated at hospitals receiving the America's 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care Award had, on average, a 41.6% lower mortality risk than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award and hospitals receiving the America's 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care Award had, on average, a 33.5% lower mortality risk.

“Healthgrades congratulates Stony Brook University Hospital for being a national leader and demonstrating a deep commitment to providing high quality care to all patients,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades. “As health systems nationwide endeavor to elevate the quality of care, these elite facilities provide a roadmap for success. We commend Stony Brook for their dedication to excellence in patient care.”

Consumers can visit Healthgrades.com to learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access a patient-friendly overview of how we rate and why hospital quality matters here.