The first edition of "America's Best Hospitals," is a reference source More than 1,000 hospitals were ranked in 16 specialties from AIDS to urology by
the national publication.

According to U.S. News & World Report, "the book includes scores for every
one of the nation's tertiary-care centers -- something no government agency
and no research group has done before."

Hackensack University Medical Center received the six national "top 100"
rankings in cardiology, 64th; gastroenterology, 87th; geriatrics,
98th; orthopedics, 98th; otolaryngology, 97th; and rheumatology, 94th.

"This report firmly establishes Hackensack University Medical Center as the premier hospital in the state of New Jersey," said John P. Ferguson, FACHE
of Ridgewood, medical center president and chief executive officer.
"It is also a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our fine medical staff, nurses, employees and board of governors.

The publication also cites Hackensack University Medical Center in its
"Nursing Factor" as one of only two Magnet hospitals in the nation recognized
for nursing excellence by The American Nurses Credentialing Center.
"The notable rankings received by the medical center in 'America's Best
Hospitals' add credibility to our already excellent reputation," said Anthony
Scardino, Jr. of Lyndhurst, chairman of the medical center's board of governors.
"It also confirms Hackensack University Medical Center's commitment to excellence in all areas of healthcare delivery."

According to the chapter on "How to Interpret the Rankings," the hospitals
named had to meet at least one of the following requirements: membership in
the elite Council of Teaching Hospitals, affiliation with a medical school,
or a score of at least 10 on an index of medical technology.
Hospitals also had to satisfy certain specialty-specific standards.
Cardiology, for example, has to admit a minimum of 824 Medicare patients
during the previous year, and operate a full-complement of cardiac services.

The rankings of four specialties -- ophthalmology, pediatrics, psychiatry,
and rehabilitation -- are based solely on reputation.
Mortality is irrelevant for those specialties since deaths rarely occur as a result of
care in those areas. All reputational results are based on annual surveys of
a geographic cross-section of 150 board-specialized specialists in each of
the 16 specialties -- 2,400 doctors in all.

"As America moves into a new era of healthcare delivery, Hackensack
University Medical Center is in a unique position to lead the way in New
Jersey as is evident by this report," said Mr. Ferguson.

Hackensack University Medical Center has an approved licensed bed capacity
of 614 and is a regional-care teaching hospital that serves as the center of
healthcare in northern New Jersey. The medical center provides the largest
number of admissions of any hospital in the state.

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