Newsweek Names Heart Surgeon at Silver Cross Hospital No. 2 in the U.S.

New Lenox, IL (Aug. 21, 2025) – More than a dozen members of the Silver Cross Hospital Medical Staff recently were named to Newsweek’s America’s Leading Doctors 2025, including Dr. Pat Pappas, who was ranked #2 in the United States for cardiothoracic surgery.

Dr. Pappas heads the New Lenox hospital’s renowned open heart surgery program, which began in May 2019.

Under his leadership, the program has earned numerous awards, including two consecutive three-star ratings from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for exceptional patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places Silver Cross among the most elite for open heart surgery in the United States and Canada.

Last fall, Healthgrades ranked Silver Cross Hospital’s heart surgery program No. 2 in Illinois, in between two of Chicago’s leading academic medical centers.

Dr. Pappas has over 40 years of expertise in cardiothoracic surgery and has performed well over 25,000 cardiac procedures.

Several of his fellow cardiothoracic surgeons on the Silver Cross medical staff also made the Newsweek America’s Leading Doctors 2025 list: Dr. Philip Alexander, Dr. Chadrick Cross, Dr. George Hodakowski and Dr. Antone Tatooles.

Other Silver Cross medical staff members who earned a spot on the prestigious ranking are:

· Cataract Surgery: Dr. Majid Rassouli

· Foot And Ankle Surgery: Dr. Brian Burgess, Dr. Daniel Dean and Dr. Edward Ratkovich

· Hand Surgery: Dr. Jason Ghodasra

· Knee Surgery: Dr. Anuj Puppala

· Retina Surgery: Dr. Ankit Patel

· Shoulder Surgery: Dr. Robert Thorsness

· Spine Surgery: Dr. Chintan Sampat

· Vascular Surgery: Dr. Mohammad Sarhan

With more than a million licensed physicians in the U.S., the Newsweek ranking recognizes 2,845 outstanding specialists across 15 critical fields including cardiothoracic, cataract, colorectal, foot & ankle, glaucoma, hand, hip, knee, Mohs, retina, shoulder, spine and vascular surgery, sports medicine, and pain management. The top 30 doctors in each specialty are ranked, with those remaining listed in alphabetical order.

For more information or a referral to a specialist on the Silver Cross Medical Staff, visit silvercross.org

About Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit healthcare provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross is nationally recognized for safety, quality and experience by a number of prestigious ratings organizations. We’ve been named a 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner 11 times, honored with an “A” Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group 21 times, and rated 4 Stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition, Silver Cross has been named a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital for 7 years running, and Healthgrades ranked Silver Cross #1 in Illinois in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons rated our open-heart surgery program a 3-star program, the highest rating available, placing Silver Cross among the most elite heart surgery programs in the United States and Canada.

With over 4,500 employees, physicians and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a 348-bed acute care hospital and more than a dozen satellite facilities providing outpatient services and physician offices. Silver Cross opened a state-of-the-art replacement hospital in 2012 at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. In Fiscal Year 2024, Silver Cross provided over $57 million in charity care and other community benefits. Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care. These physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based upon their independent medical judgment and they bill patients separately for their services. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital, visit silvercross.org.

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