St. Luke’s University Health Network has received IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospital awards for the eighth time.

St. Luke’s University Hospital Bethlehem and Allentown campuses have been named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals in the Major Teaching Hospital category by IBM Watson Health for the sixth year in a row and the eighth time overall.

Additionally, for the second time, St. Luke’s Anderson Campus was named a 100 Top Hospital, one of 20 in the Medium Community Hospital category.

IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals is one of the health industry’s most prestigious honors. Unlike many other health-care awards, it is based entirely on an independent, scientific review of objective data from government and other publicly-available sources.

St. Luke’s University Hospital, Fountain Hill, is the only hospital in the region to ever have been named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals in the Major Teaching Hospital category.

Not only are St. Luke’s hospitals the only hospitals in the region to have received the 100 Top Hospitals designation, the hospitals are the only hospitals to have done so in Pennsylvania in 2020 in their respective categories.

“The IBM Watson 100 Top Hospitals national award recognizes St. Luke’s University Health Network’s ability to provide the highest level of quality care at a lower cost than any hospital network in our region. This recognition is especially significant at this time as our community contends with the COVID-19 epidemic,” Rick Anderson, St. Luke’s President and CEO, said.

“This award focuses on clinical outcomes, efficiencies of care and, importantly, financial performance and is a credit to the entire St. Luke’s family. I cannot thank our outstanding physicians, nurses, other staff and leadership team enough for their dedication and commitment to outstanding quality patient care,” said Anderson.

“Hospitals, health systems and the dedicated clinicians and staff who work at these organizations have emerged as true heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are grateful to be able to recognize these extraordinary leaders at this time,” said Kyu Rhee, M.D., M.P.P., Vice President and Chief Health Officer, IBM Watson Health.

“From small community hospitals to major teaching hospitals, organizations on this list demonstrate a relentless commitment to high value, patient-centered care and innovation. It is clear that the COVID-19 crisis will be a catalyst for reinvention, and we believe these top performing hospitals are positioned to emerge stronger and smarter out of this crisis,” Rhee said.

IBM Watson Health, formerly known as Truven Health Analytics, uses independent and objective research to analyze hospital and health system performance in 11 areas, addressing: inpatient mortality; 30-day mortality rate; complications; core measures; 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate; severity-adjusted average length of stay; mean emergency room throughput; inpatient expense per discharge; Medicare spend per beneficiary; adjusted operating profit margin, and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) score (patient rating of overall hospital performance).

The study has been conducted annually since 1993.

Information: www.100tophospitals.com