Our Quality vision is to achieve top decile performance in national quality measures.
St. Luke’s has been honored with more than 200 health care quality awards including but not limited to:
St. Luke's Named Top Workplace in Nation and in Region
St. Luke's University Health Network has been named the Top Workplace in the large employer category by the Morning Call. This is the second year in a row that St. Luke’s has been recognized as a Top Workplace.
In addition, St. Luke’s has been named a Top Workplace nationally, in the Philadelphia region and in New Jersey. St. Luke’s is the ONLY healthcare institution in Pennsylvania and the third-highest ranked healthcare entity in the nation to be designated a Top Workplace in 2024.
Richard A. Anderson, President & CEO of St. Luke’s, also received the 2024 Top Workplace Leadership Award from The Morning Call based on the feedback from St. Luke’s employees.
Of 42,000 organizations nationally that participated, St. Luke’s ranked 47th. On average, less than 3 percent of eligible organizations earn a Top Workplaces designation. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a confidential third-party survey administered by Energage LLC, an employee engagement technology company. The survey measures 15 culture drivers critical to any organization’s success, including alignment, execution, and connection.
St. Luke’s is recognized as a health care Top Workplace for our work-life flexibility, compensation & benefits, culture, innovation, employee appreciation, employee well-being and professional development.
Fortune/ PINC AI™ 100 Top Hospitals- 10th year in a row plus multiple 100 Top Hospital awards
St. Luke’s University Health Network has been named to the 2024 Premier’s 2024 Fortune/PINC AI™ 100 Top Hospitals list, formerly known as the Fortune/Merative® 100 Top Hospital list.
Fortune/PINC AI has identified the 2024 top hospitals from a rigorous evaluation of 2,601 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals in the U.S.
As compared to their peer hospitals, the organizations included on the 100 Top Hospitals list had outstanding outcomes on key clinical and operational performance indicators:
- patient outcomes and quality
- operational efficiency
- financial health
- community impact
Individual St. Luke’s campuses have won Fortune/PINC 100 Top Hospital awards:
- St. Luke’s University Hospital, Bethlehem, Allentown and Sacred Heart campuses, for the tenth time in a row and the twelfth time overall (among the 15 Best Major Teaching Hospitals category. No other hospital in the Major Teaching category this year has been named to the list more times than St. Luke’s)
- St. Luke’s Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township for the sixth time in a row (among the 25 Best Teaching Hospitals category)
St. Luke’s is the ONLY hospital in the region to win this award. The only one. In fact, no other hospital in the region has EVER been recognized by Fortune/PINC.
Fortune/PINC, formerly IBM Watson Health™, is a multinational health care company that delivers unbiased information, analytic tools, benchmarks, research and services to the health care industry.
Leapfrog Awards All St. Luke’s Hospitals “A” Grades for Patient Safety
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog organization on hospital safety, has released its Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, awarding top marks to more St. Luke’s hospitals than to those of any other health care network in the region. As of Fall 2023, the majority of St. Luke’s Hospitals were awarded an “A” for their commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards in the country. The Safety Grade assigns letter grades to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections, accidents, and other harms.
In addition, six St. Luke’s Hospitals (Allentown, Anderson, Bethlehem, Carbon, Easton and Warren) were named Leapfrog Top Hospitals. The Safety Grade assigns letter grades to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections, accidents, and other harms. Only 132 hospitals in the U.S. and 9 in Pennsylvania were named Leapfrog Top Hospitals.
Out of the 27 Leapfrog Top Ambulatory Surgery Centers in the U.S., only 2 were named in Pennsylvania: St. Luke’s Endoscopy Centers at Buxmont and Twin Rivers.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare Ratings – 5 and 4 Stars
St. Luke’s University Health Network’s hospitals received the highest possible quality rating – five stars – from the annual quality and safety hospital review conducted by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). St. Luke’s was the only health network in the Lehigh Valley to receive the highest rating.
The CMS ratings are based on an examination of the quality of care at more than 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals across the country. The quality measures include safety and value of care, readmission, infection, complication rates, mortality, patient experience, effectiveness and timeliness of care and efficient use of medical imaging.
Named One of America’s Dream Employers by Forbes
St. Luke’s was recognized on the inaugural list of America’s Dream Employers 2025 by Forbes. America’s Dream Employers 2025 was selected based on an independent survey of college students as well as employees working over the last three years for companies and institutions employing at least 1,000 employees in the U.S. from all industry sectors. St. Luke’s was the only healthcare employer in the Lehigh Valley to be named to the list and is in the top 50 healthcare institutions nationwide to receive this designation.
Named One of the Nation's Best Employers for New Grads by Forbes
St. Luke's is the ONLY health care organization in the region to receive this honor.
Evan Ochs, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, said in reference to the designation, “This recognition is the latest confirmation that St. Luke’s is a caring organization that believes our employees are our most important asset.”
Ranked among Best Employers in Pennsylvania by Forbes
Ranked Among Best Employers in Pennsylvania by Forbes Magazine
St. Luke’s University Health Network is a top 10 ranked employer in Pennsylvania and the #1 ranked health care employer in the state. For this recognition, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey 160,000 workers at companies with more than 500 employees across the U.S.
Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) –3 Star Ratings (Highest)
St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Bethlehem and Allentown campuses received the highest possible star rating - three stars - for their active participation in the SVS VQI Registry Participation Program. The St. Luke’s campuses are the only facilities to receive the highest star rating from SVS VQI in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington DC.
Operating under the Society for Vascular Surgery, the Vascular Quality Initiative is composed of 14 registries containing demographic, clinical, procedural and outcomes data from more than 670,000 vascular procedures performed nationwide and in Canada. The mission of VQI is to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness and cost of vascular healthcare.
Newsweek World’s Best Hospital
St. Luke’s University Hospital has been named one of the “World’s Best” hospitals by Newsweek magazine for the fifth year in a row.
Of 414 American hospitals to make the list, 27 are based in Pennsylvania. St. Luke’s University Hospital, which encompasses both St. Luke’s Bethlehem and Allentown campuses, was ranked 7th overall in the state and is the top ranked hospital from the Lehigh Valley.
To create this ranking, Newsweek and Statista Inc., a global market research and consumer data company, designed a rigorous methodology that evaluated hospitals using data from three sources:
- Hospital recommendations from peers: an online survey conducted among tens of thousands of doctors, health care professionals and hospital managers in 28 countries
- Patient experience: surveys of patient satisfaction with hospitals
- Medical KPIs (e.g. date on quality of treatment, hygiene measures)
- Patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) implementation survey: questionnaires measuring patients’ perception of their functional wellbeing and quality of life
Becker’s Hospital Review Top 100 List of Hospitals with Great Heart Programs
St. Luke’s University Health Network has been named to the 2016 edition of Becker’s Hospital Review list, "100 hospitals and health systems with great heart programs." The hospitals on this list lead the nation in cardiovascular healthcare. Many have pioneered ground-breaking procedures and are still pioneering breakthroughs today. All have received recognitions for top-of-the-line patient care.
In order to develop this list, the Becker's Hospital Review editorial team examined several reputable ranking and award agencies, including U.S. News & World Report rankings for cardiology and heart surgery, Truven Health Analytics' cardiovascular hospital rankings, CareChex rankings for cardiac care, Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care, star ratings from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Healthgrades cardiology awards and Magnet designation. Hospitals included in this list have received marks of distinction from these organizations.
St. Luke's Bethlehem earned a three-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The hospital includes a Heart Rhythm Center and accredited Chest Pain Center and is designated as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Cardiac Care by Blue Cross Blue Shield.
One of the Nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ by Fortune and PINC AI™
St. Luke’s University Hospital, ranked among the top 50 in cardiovascular care nationwide for the eighth time, demonstrated significantly higher survival rates associated with cardiac care, with fewer readmissions and complications.
The 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ program winners delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently and at a lower cost. Compared to a peer group of non-winning cardiovascular hospitals, winners had:
- Significantly higher inpatient survival rates
- Fewer patients with complications
- Higher 30-day survival rates for heart attack, heart failure, and heart bypass grafting patients
- Lower 30-day readmission rates for heart attack, heart failure, and heart bypass patients
- Shorter hospital length of stay
- Lower overall cost of care
- Patients had a better hospital experience
St. Luke’s is an 8-time recipient of this outstanding recognition.
Stage 7 Designation on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model
St. Luke’s is the first network in Lehigh Valley to earn the prestigious designation at all of its hospitals, including the St. Luke’s Warren Campus, which is the first hospital in New Jersey to achieve Stage 7. Less than 5 percent of U.S. hospitals have reached Stage 7, which is the highest stage on HIMSS Analytics’ scale.
HIMSS Analytics, a subsidiary of the Health Information Management Systems Society, is a healthcare research and advisory firm for healthcare organizations and governments worldwide. Following a rigorous review process, HIMSS Analytics grades hospitals on their application of electronic medical records. The Stage 7 designation recognizes St. Luke’s extensive and creative use of electronic medical records to establish better service and higher quality care at lower costs.
American College of Cardiology Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized St. Luke’s for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain. St. Luke’s was awarded Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI based on rigorous onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.
Blue Distinction® Centers for Cardiac Care Designation
The Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) designation signifies that your facility’s cardiac program met nationally established criteria by demonstrating expertise in delivering quality specialty care, safely and effectively. Those facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also demonstrated both expertise and cost efficiency in delivering specialty care.
Blue Distinction® Centers for Maternity Care Designation
The Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) designation signifies that your facility’s maternity program met nationally established criteria by demonstrating expertise in delivering quality specialty care, safely and effectively. Those facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also demonstrated both expertise and cost efficiency in delivering specialty care.
SOAP Recognizes St. Luke’s Anderson Campus for Excellence in Maternity Care
St. Luke's Anderson Campus has achieved national recognition for excellence in maternity care. The Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) has designated both the Labor and Delivery Unit and the Obstetric Anesthesia Service as a Center of Excellence (COE). This puts St. Luke's in a prestigious group alongside other top organizations across the country, all committed to providing the safest and most effective anesthesia care for mothers and their newborns.
This achievement is particularly significant as St. Luke's becomes only the third health system in Pennsylvania to earn this distinction. Joining the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, St. Luke's is solidifying its dedication to implementing best practices in pain management and safe delivery. This commitment is evident with nearly 5,000 babies welcomed into the world at St. Luke's each year.
Award-Winning Stroke Care!
St. Luke's has been recognized for exceptional work in stroke care with several Get With the Guidelines (GWTG) gold and silver awards from the American Heart/Stroke Association. GWTG awards recognize the St. Luke’s network’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. Learn more!
American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
CoC accreditation recognizes a cancer program that meets the following standards:
- Comprehensive care including a complete range of state-of-the-art services and equipment.
- A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options.
- Information about ongoing cancer clinical trials and new treatment options.
- Access to prevention and early detection programs, cancer education, and support services.
- A cancer registry that offers lifelong patient follow-up.
- Ongoing monitoring and improvements in cancer care.
- Quality care, close to home.
Hospital and Health Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) Achievement Awards Program
Each year HAP honors hospitals and health systems for their innovation, creativity, and commitment to patient care through its Achievement Awards program. St. Luke’s continues to hold the distinction of winning the most HAP Achievement Awards of any health system in the state, having won 23 awards since 2010.
Premier QUEST Award for High-Value Healthcare
This national award recognizes hospitals that achieved top performance in seven categories: Cost and Efficiency, Inpatient and Outpatient Evidence-Based Care, Mortality, Safety, Patient Experience and Appropriate Hospital Use.
Premier, Inc. is a healthcare performance improvement alliance of nearly 3,400 U.S. hospitals.
Premier is an industry leader, which has created the most comprehensive database of actionable data, best practice and cost reduction strategies:
- The QUEST collaborative includes over 370 hospitals nationally which have committed to save lives, safely reduce the cost of care, deliver the most effective care, improve patient safety, and increase patient satisfaction. Of the 370 hospitals, 30 received a QUEST Award
National Committee for Quality Assurance
NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition is awarded to physician practices, which meet standards proven through research to provide safer and higher quality primary patient care.
St. Luke’s University Health Network has more physician practices that are NCQA recognized than any other area hospital.
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accredited Comprehensive Center
An accredited Bariatric Surgery program is one, which meets rigorous requirements including evidence-based clinical care, high quality clinical outcomes and strict physical environment of care standards. The accreditation is voluntary and is conducted by the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). St. Luke’s Allentown Campus has been MBSAQIP accredited since 2010.
American College of Radiology
St. Luke’s Regional Breast Center offers diagnostic imaging exclusively and has been designated a Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.
Facilities that receive accreditation by the American College of Radiology have voluntarily gone through a rigorous review process to ensure nationally-accepted high practice standards have been met. This review process includes an evaluation of staff qualifications, facility equipment and quality assurance.