Highest Possible Quality Scores from Medicare and Medicaid

The St. Luke’s Bethlehem, Allentown, Sacred Heart, Anderson and Warren campuses have received the highest possible quality rating – five stars – from the annual quality and safety hospital review conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS).

In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, only 25 hospitals received such an honor. Furthermore, the St. Luke’s Bethlehem campuses were the only hospitals in the Lehigh Valley to receive the highest rating.

The ratings are based on an examination of the quality of care at more than 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals across the country. The quality measures include safety and value of care, readmission, infection, complication rates, mortality, patient experience, effectiveness and timeliness of care and efficient use of medical imaging.

The CMS tool — called Hospital Compare — is a consumer-oriented website that provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to their patients. The information provided by the tool can help consumers make informed decisions about where to go for health care.