LVH Top-Ranked Again by U.S. News & World Report

This post was written by Tom De Martini and Daryl Nerl

Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest has once again received prestigious honors from U.S. News & World Report magazine.

LVH was ranked, for the 18th time, as one of the nation’s top hospitals on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list. 

"I am thankful, proud and humbled by my colleagues unrelenting passion for better medicine that brings this kind of national distinction," said Ronald Swinfard, M.D., Lehigh Valley Health Network's (LVHN) president and CEO in a release.

"Their focus on providing a superior medical experience supported by personalized service is the reason we were recognized."
U.S. News also ranked St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill and Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg in West Bethlehem among the best hospitals regionally and statewide.

The 2013-2014 report by U.S. News names LVH—Cedar Crest among the nation's top three percent of leading hospitals in seven categories: cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, orthopedics , pulmonology and urology. 

In addition, LVH’s gastroenterology, orthopedics and pulmonology specialties also made the 2012-2013 Best Hospitals list.

LVH has made the U.S. News national rankings in at least one specialty area every year since 1996.  

Over the past 10 years, LVH has a combined total of 44 specialty category listings, including cardiology and heart surgery, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, hormonal disorders including diabetes, geriatrics, gynecology, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. 

In addition to the Best Hospitals national rankings, U.S. News cites only about 15 percent of hospitals as “high-performing” in regional markets around the country. 

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg and St. Luke’s University Hospital were both recognized among the best hospitals in Northeastern Pennsylvania/Lehigh Valley. 

Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg is listed as a high-performer in gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics; neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics; pulmonology and urology.

St. Luke’s was listed as a high-performer in diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; and pulmonology.

St. Luke’s Hospital—Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township was unranked in any category.

"A hospital that emerges from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of," said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor in the release. "Only about 15 percent of hospitals are recognized for their high performance as among their region’s best. Just three percent of all hospitals earn a national ranking in any specialty."

The rankings have been published athttp://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in print in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2014 guidebook, available in bookstores and on newsstands August 27.