U.S. News and World Report Recognition
Lehigh Valley Hospital ranks as one of the nation’s top hospitals in three specialty care delivery areas in the 2008 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Hospitals.”
The 2008 list recognizes Lehigh Valley Hospital among the nation’s leading hospitals for:
The hospital has made the U.S. News rankings 13 consecutive years—eight times for heart care and heart surgery—with a total of 28 specialty category listings in the past five years alone.
“All of us strive to consistently be the best at what we do,” said Elliot J. Sussman, M.D., Lehigh Valley Health Network’s president and CEO. “At Lehigh Valley Hospital, our community has entrusted us with providing the highest quality care while ensuring the safety of our patients. This recognition by U.S. News & World Report demonstrates the commitment made everyday by our physicians, nurses and staff to care for our community’s health care needs.”
According to U.S.News & World Report, “America’s Best Hospitals” assessed care in 16 specialties. Only 170 of 5,453 hospitals that were evaluated made the list in one or more specialties. In order to be considered, a hospital must meet one of three standards: membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH), affiliation with a medical school, or availability of specific technology-related services. In each specialty, a hospital must perform a certain number of specified procedures on Medicare inpatients, or be cited by at least one physician as among the best in that specialty in the past three years of U.S. News surveys. These hospitals received a score that equally weighed reputation, mortality and certain care-related factors such as nursing and advanced services.
“I’m extremely proud of my colleagues, our nurses and our staff because their expertise, commitment and teamwork in caring for our patients have earned this distinction,” said Linda Lapos, president of LVHN’s medical staff of 1,100 physicians. “It is especially gratifying when others notice that the quality of care you provide is improving the health and lives of the community.
The hospital's latest “America’s Best Hospital’s” ranking follows other recent national recognition including:
- One of 41 U.S. hospitals named 2007 “Leapfrog Top Hospitals” for quality and safety
- Hospitals & Health Networks 100 Most Wired for the sixth straight year
- and Most Wireless for the third time in 2007
- National re-certification as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission
- National Magnet Hospital re-designation, the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) highest honor for excellence in nursing—the only hospital in the greater Lehigh Valley to achieve this status.
- FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2007 and 2008.
This page last updated 12/11/08 09:32 PM
