Healthgrades: Central Pa. hospitals among best in the country

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Area hospitals are among the top in the country, according to Healthgrades. 

WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, Lancaster General Hospital, and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center were named America’s 50 Best Hospitals by the organization consumers use to find hospitals and doctors. 

Making America’s 100 Best Hospitals are WellSpan York Hospital and UPMC Harrisburg. WellSpan Ephrata Hospital was named to America’s 250 Best Hospitals list. 

WellSpan Health said the achievements puts WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital in the top 1% as a 50 Best hospital. WellSpan York Hospital is in the top 2% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance across the most common conditions and procedures with WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital’s achievement placing them in the top 5%. All three hospitals improved their rankings when compared to previous years. 

“Our commitment to excellence and high-quality care for our patients is what solidifies WellSpan among the best of the best,” said Dr. Michael Seim, senior vice president and chief quality officer at WellSpan Health. “We’re honored to have three hospitals recognized as part of Healthgrades’ most elite ranking. This is only possible through the efforts of our providers and staff that work tirelessly for our patients.” 

Don McKenna, president of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, said, “The team at Hershey Medical Center works hard to provide compassionate, high-quality care each day – this recognition is a testament to them and their dedication. We’re proud to be acknowledged for our ongoing commitment to the exceptional care our community expects from an elite medical center like ours.” 

UPMC and Lancaster General Hospital did not comment on the rankings. 

In addition to overall hospital performance, Healthgrades evaluates patient mortality and complication rates for more than 30 of the most common conditions and procedures at nearly 4,500 hospitals across the country to identify the top-performing hospitals. 

 This year’s analysis revealed significant variation between America’s Best 250 Hospitals and hospitals that did not receive the distinction, Healthgrade said. In fact, it said the study shows that if all hospitals performed similarly to America’s 250 Best, over 178,000 lives could have been saved through higher quality care. 

WellSpan achieved three state rankings for specialty care. WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital received the rankings of No. 1 Critical Care Hospital and No. 3 Coronary Intervention Hospital. WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital is recognized as the No. 2 Critical Care Hospital for 2024. 

Lancaster General Hospital received the top grade for cardiac surgery, the No. 2 grade for pulmonary care and stroke care, and Excellence Awards for bariatric surgery and neurosciences, according to Healthgrades. 

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center earned the top grade for cardiac surgery; the No. 2 grade for cardiac care, gastrointestinal care and surgery, and stroke care. The hospital earned Healthgrades’s Excellence Award for bariatric surgery, cranial neurosurgery, neurosciences, and pulmonary care.  

UPMC Harrisburg earned the second highest grade for gastrointestinal care and surgery, spine surgery and stroke care. It received the Excellence Award for critical care, neurosciences, pulmonary care and critical care.