St. Luke’s Hospital in Quakertown has been ranked one of the top socially responsible health care facilities in the country by The Lown Institute, a Boston-area think tank.
For the past five years, the institute has released its Lown Institute Hospitals Index evaluating thousands of hospitals on 50 metrics in categories for health equity, value of care and patient outcomes.
St. Luke’s ranked ninth in the country and second in Pennsylvania — Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown ranked first — on this year’s index which reviewed more than 2,700 acute care hospitals nationwide.
Duke Regional Hospital, in Durham, North Carolina, ranked highest in the nation, followed by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Pflugerville, Texas, and UCHealth Greeley Hospital, in Greeley, Colorado.
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“Traditional ratings and rankings have been focused somewhat narrowly on important matters like outcomes and patient safety,” said Dr. Vikas Saini, the institute’s president. “But increasingly, I think everyone recognizes the importance of an equitable health system, especially after the pandemic.”
Lown’s hospital rankings include those “traditional” measures, but also focus on equity metrics like racial inclusivity and pay equity as well as its investment in the communities served.
The 10 top acute care hospitals in the United States are:
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Duke Regional Hospital, Durham, North Carolina
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Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Pflugerville, Texas
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UCHealth Greeley Hospital, Greeley, Colorado
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Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, Ukiah, California.
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UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
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Suburban Community Hospital, Norristown, Pennsylvania
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Cedar City Hospital Cedar City, Utah
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Methodist Medical Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
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St. Luke’s Hospital – Upper Bucks Campus, Quakertown, Pennsylvania
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Sonoma Valley Health Care District, Sonoma, California
As an example of community investment, Saini cited St. Luke’s programs to address food insecurity, including its summer meal program for school children in Allentown and Quakertown.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, which includes 15 campuses and 300 sites in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey, was also ranked third in the country for most socially responsible hospital network.
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Nebraska Medicine and UCHealth, in Colorado, took the top two spots on that list, respectively. Temple University ranked ninth in the nation for socially responsible health networks.
More information about St. Luke’s community programs can be found at the network’s Department of Community Health website.
Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at cullery@couriertimes.com or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: St. Luke’s Hospital in Quakertown ranked high by Lowns Institute
