#United States #Patient Safety #Healthcare Excellence #Bethlehem #St. Luke's

St. Luke's University Health Network: A Leader in Patient Safety

St. Luke's University Health Network has recently been recognized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as one of the top performers in patient safety and healthcare excellence in the United States. This accolade places St. Luke's alongside other renowned institutions such as Houston Methodist and the Mayo Clinic, emphasizing its status as a leader in the competitive healthcare landscape.

Recognition Through Comprehensive Review

AHRQ's recognition is based on extensive evaluations of publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and feedback from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. The review assessed nearly 4,800 hospitals and 135 health systems, focusing on those that operate at least six hospitals. Impressively, St. Luke's emerged as one of only three systems that boasted multiple hospitals performing over 75% above the national standards in both safety and patient experience.

For a deeper insight into what makes these health systems excel, AHRQ and its partners conducted onsite evaluations at two hospitals within each recognized network. The reviews concentrated on clinically intricate patient populations in various settings, from urban to rural environments.

Insights into Best Practices

The findings and insights from these evaluations culminated in the public release of a report titled Best Practices to Strengthen Safety Culture, Leadership, and Governance. This document outlines essential best practices designed to enhance safety culture and leadership within health systems nationwide.

During the evaluations, St. Luke's campuses in Bethlehem and Miners were selected as key sites for review. The evaluators praised the organization's unwavering commitment to patient-centered care. With a culture that encourages staff to