Area hospitals rank among best in state

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Quality health care is abundant in South central Pennsylvania and Lehigh Valley, according to rankings by Newsweek and Statista Inc. 

In its World’s Best Hospitals 2024, the organizations ranked 2,400 hospitals across 30 countries. They further broke the rankings down by states.  

In Pennsylvania, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center ranked third with a score of 89.08% and Reading Hospital earned the fifth spot with a score of 85.54%. 

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital came in at number seven with a score of 84.78%, Lehigh Valley-Cedar Crest was ninth with a score of 84.41%, and St. Luke’s University Hospital was 15th with a score of 81.86%. 

Pinnacle Health Hospitals, now affiliated with UPMC, ranked 18th with a score of 80.39%. 

“This acknowledgement from Newsweek validates the commitment each member of our dedicated team makes to providing every patient with safe, compassionate, high-quality care,” said Don McKenna, president of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “We take very seriously our responsibility as the region’s only academic medical center to provide the best possible health outcomes to everyone in our community and beyond.”  

Newsweek said each hospital’s score is based on an online survey of more than 85,000 medical experts and public data from post-hospitalization patient surveys on their general satisfaction.  

The score also considers metrics on things like hygiene and patient/doctor ratio as well as a Statista survey on whether hospitals use Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), which are standardized questionnaires completed by patients to assess their experience and results, the magazine said. 

“I’m so proud of the team at Reading Hospital for their continued efforts and focus on providing our patients the highest level of care,” said Dr. Charles Barbera, president and CEO, Reading Hospital. “Because of their ongoing efforts they are once again ranked among the best.” 

With so much at stake for individuals and institutions, reliable data is key, said Nancy Cooper, Newsweek Global editor in chief. The Newsweek-Statista rankings provide crucial insights for patients, families and health care executives looking for profiles of an industry that will generate $4.24 trillion worldwide in 2024.  

“Anytime we are recognized for the care we provide our patients it’s a credit to everyone here at LVHN,” said Dr. Matthew McCambridge, Lehigh Valley Health Network’s chief quality and patient safety officer. “It’s especially gratifying when the acknowledgement for what you’re doing comes from medical experts and patients expressing their satisfaction about their experience.”