Northwell’s Mather Hospital Transitional Care Unit (TCU) has been recognized as a Best Nursing Home for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report.
“The TCU has been proud to provide superior care and social support to our patients,” said Medical Director Michael Fishkin, DO. “It is our goal to get individuals back to their baseline conditions after their hospital stay.”
Since its debut in 2009, the annual U.S. News Best Nursing Homes analysis has served as a critical resource, providing trusted, data-driven insights to families – in consultation with their healthcare providers – seeking the best options for either short-term rehabilitation or comprehensive long-term care. A high-performance designation, the highest level of recognition offered by U.S. News, was awarded to Mather Hospital’s TCU for outstanding quality in short-term rehabilitation.
“We are so pleased to be recognized,” said Carolyn Germaine, TCU Director of Patient Care. “I believe the core of our success is the incredible interdisciplinary team we have on the TCU that assures that our residents are treated with care and compassion. We work together to continually improve and it is evident in our outstanding outcomes.”
Mather’s TCU is one of three Northwell Health facilities on Long Island to be recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Nursing Homes list. The Stern Family Center for Rehabilitation, a skilled nursing facility in Manhasset, earned the highest possible rating, “High Performing,” in both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care categories. The Orzac Center for Rehabilitation in Valley also earned top status in short-term rehabilitation.
U.S. News’ annual evaluation of nursing homes recognized fewer than 19% of the evaluated U.S. nursing homes as “Best Nursing Homes” for the 2026 ratings. This designation is reserved for facilities that satisfy U.S. News’ rigorous, proprietary assessment criteria demonstrating a consistent and superior commitment to quality patient and resident care. U.S. News evaluated nearly 15,000 nursing homes on patient and resident outcomes, such as hospital readmission rates; staffing levels; health inspection results and other indicators of quality.“U.S. News’ annual Best Nursing Homes ratings are designed to place the needs of patients and residents at the center of the selection process, equipping families with reliable, fact-driven metrics when making crucial care decisions,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “We are proud to spotlight the nursing homes across the country that consistently demonstrate exceptional care quality and prioritize both the safety and long-term well-being of those they serve.”
The 2026 U.S. News Best Nursing Homes proprietary ratings feature a significant methodology update, expanding both the Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care ratings to include 17 distinct quality measures each, offering a comprehensive assessment.
For more information, visit USNews.com and explore #BestNursingHomes on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X.
About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 249-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality health care services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion, respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather received its third top five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for outcomes, patient experience and process and the prestigious Magnet® recognition three times from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The hospital was rated high performing by U.S. News & World Report 2025-2026 Best Hospitals rankings in two medical specialties of gastroenterology and GI surgery and pulmonology and lung surgery, and for congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and pneumonia. Mather also was named one of America’s 250 best hospitals for 2023, 2024 and 2025 by Healthgrades and in 2025 received Healthgrades’ Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for the fifth consecutive year. Our Graduate Medical Education program prepares physicians for future careers through Internal Medicine, Transitional Year, Diagnostic Radiology, Interventional Radiology, Psychiatry and Pharmacy residency programs and gastroenterology and hematology/oncology fellowships. For information about Mather Hospital, visit matherhospital.org or follow us @MatherHospital on Facebook.
About Northwell Health
Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 104,000 employees including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell, named a TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025, is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.