What You Need To Know
Every year, U.S. News & World Report publishes its highly anticipated rankings of the nation’s top hospitals. The rankings, determined through a combination of outcomes data and reputation scores, play a significant role in helping patients decide where to go for care.
We sat down with Dr. Jose Azar, Executive Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, to demystify the rankings and evaluate the role of our voting-eligible physicians.
What the U.S. News Rankings Actually Measure
When U.S. News & World Report first began releasing its annual hospital rankings in 1990, reputation played an outsized role.
“The academic centers that graduated the most physicians had the best ratings - because we all voted for our alma mater or where we trained,” Dr. Azar said. “And that was not really a true reflection of the actual objective outcomes that patients were receiving.”
Today, the methodology looks very different. Roughly 75% of a hospital’s score is based on objective clinical data from sources like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The remaining 25% represents the subjective reputation scores, gathered through physician surveys.
In 2025, U.S. News further updated its methodology to place greater emphasis on outcome-based measures, including risk-adjusted survival, prevention of complications, discharge to home and time spent at home after care. For some health systems, these changes resulted in shifts in ranking. But for Hackensack Meridian Health, the message is clear: our performance - and our voice - still matter. “The beauty of U.S. News is that they’ve structured it in a way that truly reflects, objectively, the outcomes that patients can expect,” said Dr. Azar. “That allows me to go to sleep at night knowing that I have absolute confidence in our clinicians, and I have the objective data that proves it - that we take better care of our patients than anybody else in New Jersey.” Beyond internal benchmarking, the rankings still serve an important external purpose. “What’s helpful is that they combine all of this information - outcomes, safety, experience - into a single place,” Dr. Azar adds. “It gives patients a global sense of where to go for the best hospitals, the best doctors, and the best specialists.” How Does the Survey Work?
Every year, typically from February through March, U.S. News conducts its reputational survey through Doximity. Voting is open to physicians who are board-certified in one of the 15 adult or 10 pediatric specialties evaluated by the publication.
Once logged into Doximity, eligible physicians will be prompted to name up to five hospitals they consider the best in their specialty for patients with serious or complex conditions. Physicians can only vote within their own specialty, and voting must be completed within the designated survey window, which generally lasts about six weeks.
Participation matters - especially given that only about 10% of eligible physicians complete the Doximity survey.
“Whether you work at Hackensack University Medical Center or any of our other hospitals, you’re part of the HMH brand,” Dr. Azar said. “And by voting for HUMC, you’re basically voting for yourself as well, because by showing that HMH is the best out there, you’re telling your patients, I believe in these hospitals. You should believe, too.”
Looking Ahead: Our Reputation at Work
For Dr. Azar, external recognition - from U.S. News to CMS Stars to Leapfrog - is meaningful not as an endpoint, but as validation of deeper work already underway. Dr. Azar views every member of the team - from environmental services aides and nutrition staff to pharmacists and physicians - as integral parts of shaping the patient experience and driving quality.
“I know that every patient who interacts with HMH is going to receive the safest care, the best outcomes and the most humane experience,” he said. “And the next chapter is personalization - to see each patient as a unique individual that has unique needs, and to meet them where they are.”
That future, he added, depends on supporting clinicians just as intentionally.
“My role is to help clinicians deliver the best care possible,” Dr. Azar said. “That means reducing administrative burden, leveraging technology thoughtfully and giving them the tools they need to focus on what brought them into healthcare in the first place - connecting in a personal way with our patients.”
How to Cast Your Vote on Doximity
When the survey opens in February, here’s how you can make your voice heard:
Step 1: Register with Doximity
Step 2: Follow the Link to the Survey
To participate in the online voting, you must be a registered Doximity user with an up-to-date profile. Haven’t claimed your Doximity profile? Click here for detailed instructions on how to register.
Registered Doximity users should receive an email with a link to the survey in February. If you don’t receive the email, you can vote by clicking the U.S. News & World Report button on the Doximity homepage.
You’ll be asked to name up to five hospitals that provide the best care in your respective specialty. The order in which you list your choices does not matter.
Click here for additional information on registering. If you have any trouble completing the survey, please contact usnews@doximity.com and maestro@hmhn.org for assistance.