R E S E A R C H . I N N O VA T I O N . K N O W L E D G E . The power of enhancing clinical care.
President & CEO Richard A. Anderson Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations Ken Szydlow Editor-in-Chief Dorrit Trate
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
•
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
4
•
ABOUT US
6
•
RESEARCH
12
•
INNOVATION
16
•
KNOWLEDGE
18
•
QUALITY
2 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
Art Director Jen Rimonneau Research Contributors Tracy Butryn Stanislaw Stawicki Jill Stoltzfus Contributing Designers Lori Diehl Erin Joseph Heather Kade Contributing Photographers Anne Kemp Anita Sergent Betsy Toole Contributing Writers Stephen Andrews Karen Boksan Andrea Hahn Mariella Miller Denise Rader Kate Raymond Susan Ross
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO St. Luke’s was originally founded in 1872 as a place where injured workers from the steel foundries in Bethlehem could get excellent care. Today, 143 years later, St. Luke’s University Health Network has become one of eastern Pennsylvania’s largest health care networks. It is also a major teaching facility. St. Luke’s provides service at six hospitals — soon to be seven — in addition to more than 215 outpatient locations that span 60 miles north to south and serve more than 1.2 million people living in two states. In addition to the excellent care provided by our 1,300 physicians and 9,600 employees, more than 1,300 volunteers donated 126,401 hours last year. Without a doubt, tens of thousands of inpatients and hundreds of thousands of outpatients receive excellent care every year. Nursing students are educated in our St. Luke’s School of Nursing — one of the oldest nursing schools in the country. There are also numerous other universityaffiliated nursing programs associated with St. Luke’s University Health Network. Additional training opportunities include more than 184 intern/resident/fellowship positions in 22 accredited programs. Recently, St. Luke’s took the lead to address the predicted shortage of future physicians. In partnership with Temple University School of Medicine, St. Luke’s launched the area’s first regional Medical School campus in 2011. Collectively, our faculty leads the region in clinical research, which is backed by millions of dollars in research funding. Within our organization are textbook editors and authors who, in addition to publishing in top specialty journals, also have been featured in such elite publications as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Science. Moreover, attesting to their worldclass expertise, our faculty members’ publications have been cited thousands of times. As such, we set the pace and the progress of the Lehigh Valley’s medical sciences and clinical education.
St. Luke’s has some of the most experienced and innovative physicians and nurses in our industry. Their professional skills, in part, have allowed St. Luke’s to earn recognition as a Truven 100 Top Hospital in 2015. It is the third time St. Luke’s has been named a 100 Top Hospital, and the first time St. Luke’s has won that honor in the Major Teaching Hospital category. St. Luke’s has also been named as a Truven Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. St. Luke’s has consistently performed better than other hospitals in the Lehigh Valley in public performance reports. In perusing this publication, it is obvious why St. Luke’s is regarded as a premiere health system and a pillar of the community. Our Network also partners well with other organizations to improve the quality of health care and life in the Greater Lehigh Valley area. St. Luke’s continues to have the organizational resources, talent, and culture to enter into “win-win,” mutually respectful partnerships that control health care costs and ensure access to care now and in the future. As the ever-present health care debate continues, and this industry continues to evolve, we will continue our tradition of focusing on four core values — quality, access, safety and continuing to be the most costeffective health network — in the Lehigh Valley and in the nation. Richard A. Anderson President & CEO St. Luke’s University Health Network Bethlehem, PA
THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 3
ABOUT US St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a nonprofit, regional, fully integrated, nationally recognized network providing services at six hospitals and more than 215 sites, primarily in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania and in Warren County, New Jersey.
First trauma network in the region The Network includes more than 160 employed-physician primary and specialist care practice sites; various outpatient testing and service facilities; a regional medical school campus; the largest hospital-based EMS unit in PA; and various other health care services, including hospice and home care.
Learn more about St. Luke’s Research & Innovation at research.sluhn.org.
4 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem
St. Luke’s University Health Network was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® by Truven Health Analytics™, a leading provider of data-driven analytics and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care.
BY THE NUMBERS St. Luke’s Allentown Campus
St. Luke’s Anderson Campus
• 55,000+ annual admissions • 1 99,000+ annual emergency room visits •9 ,400+ employees (region’s second largest employer)
St. Luke’s Miners Campus
St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus ng
ni 16 pe 0 O ll 2 Fa
St. Luke’s Warren Campus
• 1 ,300 physicians*
*Representing more than 90 specialties (93 percent board-certified)
• 1,300+ volunteers
St. Luke’s Monroe Campus
THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 5
RESEARCH DEFINITION
[ri-surch, ree-surch] noun The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
St. Luke’s University Health Network values research and clinical trials and is able to effectively provide therapies to its patients through experienced physicians as well as the centralized Department of Research & Innovation. RESEARCH INSTITUTE In September 1992, the Research Institute was founded in order to nourish the academic environment required by the accrediting body that certifies graduate medical education programs. Currently, the Research Institute serves as an internal resource to assist St. Luke’s University Health Network medical students; residents; fellows; attending physicians; nurses; and other administrative, clinical and managerial staff with their research-related needs, including: • Planning, designing and implementing research projects • Statistically analyzing data and summarizing results • Helping write and edit abstracts, manuscripts and other documents • Providing lectures and workshops on various research topics • Assisting with grant writing CLINICAL TRIALS OFFICE The St. Luke’s University Health Network Clinical Trials Office is the clinical and administrative shared resource for the conduct and management of sponsored clinical research across SLUHN. This infrastructure ensures that both the clinical and administrative operations involved in clinical research are compliant and that the workflow between sponsors, physicians, clinical support staff and other ancillary departments is streamlined and efficient, thus leading to several notable achievements.
6 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
Trial Categories include: • Critical Care • Emergency Medicine • Endocrinology • Heart and Vascular • Nephrology • Neuroscience • Oncology • Orthopaedics • Radiology • Trauma • Wound Care
“ We’re using science to better understand melanoma and then using that knowledge to create targeted treatments. It truly is an exciting time to be involved in melanoma research and treatment.” — Sanjiv Agarwala, MD DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS Cancer Center St. Luke’s Cancer Center is a leader in offering clinical trials for patients with melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer, and for all other cancers. Physicians like Sanjiv Agarwala, MD, Chief of Medical Oncology and Hematology for St. Luke’s University Health Network and an internationally recognized melanoma specialist, are committed to bringing the most promising studies to the Lehigh Valley. St. Luke’s Cancer Center recently became the first center in the world to offer a new Phase II oncolytic viral therapy for advanced melanoma from the Japanese innovative biotechnology company, Takara Bio, Inc. Dr. Agarwala has also been involved in research with antibodies that target receptors like CTLA-4 and PD-1 that take the brakes off the immune system to make it more powerful. These antibodies such as ipilimumab, pembrolizumab and nivolumab have revolutionized the treatment of melanoma and are now being researched in other cancers as well. St. Luke’s has been at the forefront of this research and has been the first to offer clinical trials and approved treatments with these agents in the region. Under Dr. Agarwala’s leadership, St. Luke’s has a robust clinical trials program in other cancers as well and offers innovative national and international studies in most major cancers. Many of these trials involve the new and exciting immunotherapy agents that are looking very promising in multiple cancers. For more information, please call St. Luke’s Clinical Trials office at 484-503-4151.
Bariatrics St. Luke’s Weight Management Center — Best Practices Lead to the Best Care Research and clinical trials are at the heart of this robust center, led by medical director Leonardo Claros, MD, and co-medical director Maher El Chaar, MD. Dr. El Chaar is currently serving his second term on the clinical issues committee for ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) and has served as the principal investigator on many research projects and clinical trials. In 2013, the Center’s publication on best practices in bariatric surgery was presented at Obesity Week and received national attention for its research on improved patient care. The study demonstrated that St. Luke’s was able to improve patient outcomes by standardizing clinical protocols, which resulted in lowering complication, reoperation and readmission rates. Additionally, further research involving gastric sleeve patients who underwent repair of concomitant paraesophageal hernias has led to improved counseling of patients for better overall decision-making and care. In the clinical trial realm, St. Luke’s Weight Management Center is the first site in the U.S. to clinically trial VisiGi, a calibration system for sleeve visual delineation and is currently using this device. Another clinical trial recently completed at St. Luke’s involved postoperative pain control in patients. St. Luke’s Weight Management Center continues to be a regional leader in bariatric surgery and care of the bariatric patient. THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 7
RESEARCH cont. An accredited center of excellence, St. Luke’s Weight Management Center offers both medical and surgical weight loss solutions with superior quality outcomes.
Trauma The Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery is among the research leaders of the St. Luke’s University Health Network, with clinical research being at the forefront of its mission. Trauma physicians and staff are actively involved in research and scholarly activities, participating in high-profile national clinical trials, presenting original contributions at regional and national meetings and publishing in major scientific journals. More recently, the Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery has seen tremendous growth in the volume and acuity of general surgery cases performed by its surgeons. This clinical mission greatly fosters a synergistic relationship between clinical practice, medical education and research. St. Luke’s University Health Network has been providing emergency care since the hospital was first established in 1872 to care for the workers of the steel foundries in Bethlehem. Today, the Network operates Emergency Departments in six hospitals, including St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem — one of only 14 Level 1 Trauma Centers in Pennsylvania, and St. Luke’s Miners Campus — the first hospital in the region to achieve designation as a Level IV Trauma Center.
8 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
Neuroscience As a pioneer in neuroscience research, St. Luke’s was one of just 20 hospitals in the nation selected by St. Jude Medical to participate in a clinical study of the Prodigy™ neurostimulator used to treat chronic pain. Steven Falowski, MD, served as one of the investigators for the study, working closely with Scott Loev, DO.
review these data and compare local and national outcomes. This information is used to guide and track initiatives that aim to improve the quality of inpatient and outpatient care for neurosurgical spine patients at St. Luke’s University Health Network.
St. Luke’s Brain & Spine Tumor Center provides the region’s only patient-centered multidisciplinary clinic for primary and metastatic diseases of the brain and spine. Under the direction of Hugh D. Moulding, MD, PhD, the Center gives the patient an opportunity to consult with a multidisciplinary team of doctors from neurosurgery, radiation therapy and medical oncology at one time and one location. This multidisciplinary group is involved in several national multi-center clinical trials, and recently the Center upgraded its Stereotactic RadioSurgery system to a “frameless” format, eliminating the need for a rigid headframe to be affixed to the patient during focused, non-invasive radiation treatments — the only Center in the region to offer this innovation. St. Luke’s Neurosurgical Associates is the first regional neurosurgical practice enrolled in the National Neurosurgery Quality Outcomes Database (N2QOD). National surgical outcomes data are collected for patients undergoing cervical and lumbar surgeries to better understand their impact on quality of life and daily function. Doron Rabin, MD, FRCSC and Don Zhang, MD, FRCSC, neurosurgeons with special interest in complex spine surgery, routinely
To view the full “Research. Innovation. Knowledge.” 2015 Annual Report please visit research.sluhn.org.
THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 9
RESEARCH cont. INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS Sanjiv Agarwala, MD Sanjiv Agarwala, MD, serves as the Chief of Medical Oncology and Hematology for St. Luke’s University Health Network. An internationally recognized investigator in the field of melanoma and immunotherapy, Dr. Agarwala is committed to bringing the most promising studies and innovative therapies to the Lehigh Valley. Dr. Agarwala presents nationally and internationally on melanoma and is a member of the Melanoma Core Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). In addition, he is a Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Agarwala has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles on melanoma and other cancers and co-authored the book, “Melanoma: Translational Research and Emerging Therapies,” to help bridge the gap between research and clinical approaches to melanoma therapy. He also serves on the editorial board of several national and international journals.
Sanjiv Agarwala, MD
Steven Falowski, MD
Dr. Agarwala serves as chairman of the Annual Melanoma Symposium in New York City, a prestigious clinical conference attended by health care professionals and researchers worldwide. He has chaired this program for the past 12 years. Steven Falowski, MD Steven Falowski, MD, is a Functional Neurosurgeon at St. Luke’s University Health Network. Dr. Falowski is dedicated to the surgical treatment of neurologic conditions. Through collaboration with St. Luke’s Spine & Pain Associates, he coordinates the diagnosis and treatment of patients experiencing chronic pain. As a member of St. Luke’s Neurosurgical Associates, he works closely with the St. Luke’s Movement Disorder Center to diagnose and treat Parkinson’s Disease, tremors, Huntington’s Disease, restless leg syndrome, dystonia and other movement disorders. In addition, Dr. Falowski provides surgical solutions for epilepsy through St. Luke’s Epilepsy Center. Dr. Falowski is actively involved in research and partners closely with medical device companies to evaluate new technology, often gaining early access to clinical trials and equipment. As an appointed member of the Neuromodulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee of the International Neuromodulation Society, Dr. Falowski has worked to develop expert guidelines on the appropriate use of neurostimulation for pain. He implanted the first Restore Sensor Spinal Cord Stimulator system in the region and the second ever in the country and performed the first-ever Deep Brain Stimulation surgery in the Lehigh Valley. 10 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
William G. De Long Jr., MD
Jamshid Shirani, MD
William R. Burfeind Jr., MD
William G. De Long Jr., MD William G. De Long Jr., MD, is the Charles and Anna Kasych Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief of Orthopaedics at St. Luke’s University Health Network, as well as Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Anatomy and Cell Biology at Temple University School of Medicine. A graduate of Temple University School of Medicine, Dr. De Long completed his orthopaedic surgery and research residencies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. De Long joined St. Luke’s University Health Network in 2006 as Chief of Orthopaedics following a distinguished orthopaedic surgery career in Philadelphia that included serving as team physician for the Philadelphia Flyers. Under Dr. De Long’s leadership, St. Luke’s has grown its orthopaedic surgery practice from four employed physicians and one location to 22 employed physicians and nine locations. Dr. De Long also led the effort to establish St. Luke’s orthopaedic surgery residency program and serves as its Program Director. Dr. De Long specializes in orthopaedic trauma and sports medicine and serves as team physician for the Endurance Multisport Triathlon Club. A prolific author whose articles have been published in more than 50 peer-reviewed journals, he is a respected expert in the field of orthopaedic biogenics and the use of stem cells to accelerate bone growth and healing. Outside of work, Dr. De Long is a competitive triathlete. Jamshid Shirani, MD Jamshid Shirani, MD, serves as the Director of the Cardiology Fellowship Program, Network Echocardiography laboratories and the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic for St. Luke’s University Health Network. He is a well-recognized authority in the field of cardiovascular non-invasive imaging and pathology. He serves on the editorial board of multiple cardiology and imaging journals, including the American Journal of Cardiology, Recent Patents in Medical Imaging and Current Cardiology Imaging Report. He also serves as a member of the Scientific Executive
Committee of the International Academy of Cardiology for annual World Congress on Heart Disease. Dr. Shirani is committed to improving delivery of high quality health care through advanced clinical and research training in cardiovascular diseases. He has provided a forum for young physicians to present their research findings nationally and internationally. He is appointed as a Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Shirani has published extensively in the field of cardiovascular diagnosis and management and has participated in several important clinical trials in the field. William R. Burfeind Jr., MD William Burfeind Jr., MD, is Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Vice-Chair of the Department of Surgery at St. Luke’s University Health Network and a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at Temple University Medical School. He leads the Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Team and along with Dr. Matthew Puc, provides the full breadth of thoracic oncologic surgical care. Dr. Burfeind presents/teaches nationally and internationally on the topic of minimally invasive thoracic surgery and has published widely on this subject. His research interests include minimally invasive thoracic surgery, lung cancer screening, sputum tests for lung cancer and thoracic surgery databases. Dr. Burfeind is a member of several taskforces within the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, including the General Thoracic Database Committee, the Taskforce for Quality Improvement, the Access and Publications Committee and the Public Reporting Committee. In addition to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, he is a member of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Society, the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society and the General Thoracic Surgery Club. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons as well as the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Burfeind completed his general surgery and thoracic surgery training at Duke University Medical Center where he also served as Assistant Professor of Surgery. He is board-certified in both surgery and thoracic surgery. THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 11
INNOVATION [in-uh-vey-shuh n] noun Making changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.
From its founding in 1872, St. Luke’s has been at the forefront of innovation. From the first modern era surgeries to today’s most advanced hybrid operating room, St. Luke’s is committed to providing patients with unequaled technology, techniques and patient care. St. Luke’s University Health Network clinicians participated in the development of the first GE Healthcare Discovery IGS 730 Hybrid Operating Room and St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, became the first in the United States to install it.
GE International Show Site St. Luke’s, one of GE’s premier international showcases for imaging technologies, has helped GE design and bring to market innovative vascular imaging products.
12 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
St. Luke’s University Health Network is the region’s first health care provider to offer “Frameless” Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) using Varian’s TrueBeam™ STx linear accelerator. The technology is offered through St. Luke’s Brain & Spine Tumor Center for malignant and benign brain tumors, as well as some cerebrovascular malformations.
St. Luke’s is one of 50 sites nationwide to offer a revolutionary treatment for breast cancer known as intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). As the region’s largest hospital system, St. Luke’s University Health Network continues to grow by breaking ground for the new St. Luke’s Hospital – Monroe Campus in Bartonsville, Pennsylvania. The hospital is expected to open in the Fall of 2016. S t. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem was the first in the region to perform deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. St. Luke’s has partnered with Medtronic to improve neurosurgical medical devices. Functional neurosurgeon Steven Falowski provides a video feed to Medtronic engineers while performing neurosurgical procedures. Medtronic can witness how its products are being used in real time and make device modifications for the future.
Steven Falowski, MD, has performed more than 120 DBS implants and the St. Luke’s program ranks among the top 10 percent in the nation. * See page 10 for more information on Dr. Falowski.
THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 13
INNOVATION cont. S t. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center was among the first in the region to offer minimally invasive aortic valve replacement surgery and was named one of the nation’s 50 top cardiovascular hospitals by Thomson Reuters. St. Luke’s is the ONLY hospital in the region to earn this distinction. Today, St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center is the region’s fastest growing and most comprehensive center. St. Luke’s has been chosen over other institutions in the region by industry experts to offer the most advanced techniques and technologies including Mitra Clip and Edwards SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve.
Statistically, St. Luke’s outcomes in interventional heart procedures and surgical valve replacements are the best in the region.
OWN THE BONE Fragility fractures are nearly an epidemic in the United States where more than 2 million occur each year. Given the nation’s aging population, the number of Americans with osteoporosis or low bone density is expected to continue to increase significantly over the next few years. Beginning in 2011, St. Luke’s Orthopaedic Specialists at St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem joined with other leading hospitals in the nation to become an Own the Bone hospital. Established by the American Orthopaedic Association and the National Osteoporosis Foundation,
St. Luke’s was the first hospital in Pennsylvania to perform robotic surgery.
14 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
Own the Bone is a national quality improvement program designed to promote bone health and best practice in the care and treatment of patients with fragility fractures. Recognized in national media as an early proponent and star performer in this effort, St. Luke’s employs a collaborative, multi-specialty approach to managing and treating patients’ underlying bone health after a fracture with the goal of preventing recurrence. For example, St. Luke’s orthopaedic surgeons regularly consult St. Luke’s Endocrinology Associates to work with patients to identify what might have caused a fracture and to provide necessary outpatient follow-up
St. Luke’s named Most Wired Hospital. care designed to prevent future fractures. Through the use of recognized protocols and benchmarking, Own the Bone hospitals, such as St. Luke’s, are moving “fragility practice” forward.
Learn more about St. Luke’s Research & Innovation at research.sluhn.org.
St. Luke’s is the only Own the Bone-certified facility in the region.
THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 15
KNOWLEDGE DEFINITION
[näl j] noun Facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.
An exceptional commitment to the advancement of medical education has been a core St. Luke’s focus since its inception in 1872. St. Luke’s is one of only 400 members of the prestigious Council of Teaching Hospitals. MEDICAL EDUCATION Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine: St. Luke’s and Temple University School of Medicine partnered to develop the first and only medical school campus in the Lehigh Valley. The first class graduated on May 6, 2015, in Philadelphia and went on to match at St. Luke’s University Health Network as well as other prestigious institutions. These include Duke University Medical Center, Hershey Medical Center/Penn State, Kaiser Permanente, Ohio State University Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, Temple University Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
• 120 medical students • Average MCAT: 31.59
16 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
Graduate Medical Education: Health care education is a major focus of St. Luke’s University Health Network. Teaching staff hold faculty appointments at Temple University, The University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University and East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Among its residency programs, St. Luke’s established the region’s only Orthopaedic Surgery Residency — a rigorous, five-year training program that prepares residents to be leaders in the orthopaedic community.
Each year, more than 1,000 students receive clinical instruction at St. Luke’s, making it the largest community-based teaching hospital in the area.
BY THE NUMBERS •2 4 accredited graduate medical education programs • 1 69 residents • 1 7 fellows
School of Nursing: Additionally, St. Luke’s School of Nursing is the nation’s oldest operating nursing school. The fully accredited, 20-month program currently enrolls 150+ students.
Learn more about St. Luke’s Research & Innovation at research.sluhn.org. THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 17
QUALITY At St. Luke’s, our vision is to lead the region in clinical quality and safety performance. St. Luke’s has been honored with more than 120 health care quality awards including, but not limited to: Truven 100 Top Hospital Award This award identifies the nation’s best providers for inpatient hospital care selected from more than 3,000 hospitals. U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Study St. Luke’s has been named a High Performer in Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Pulmonary and Urology. The Joint Commission St. Luke’s has been named a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures Recognition. This recognition is given to hospitals for achieving excellence in providing evidence-based care for Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia and Surgery. Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score The Leapfrog group is a national coalition of large employers, which publishes a biannual Hospital Safety Score. St. Luke’s has been the recipient of “A” ratings from Leapfrog. The safety score rates hospitals in the use of electronic medical records, ICU physician staffing, medication safety, infections and error prevention. American Heart/Stroke Get With The Guidelines Target, Stroke Gold Plus Honor Roll Elite This award recognizes hospitals that demonstrate 85 percent or greater compliance in each of the seven Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Achievement Measures for 24 consecutive months.
The March of Dimes recently announced its inaugural Site of the Year Award Winner: the Pennsylvania Chapter’s NICU Family Support Program at St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem and St. Luke’s Allentown Campus.
18 • RESEARCH. INNOVATION. KNOWLEDGE. • RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG
American College of Surgery Commission on Cancer (ACoS CoC) CoC Accreditation CoC accreditation recognizes a cancer program that meets the following standards: • Comprehensive care, including a complete range of state-of-the-art services and equipment. • A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options. • Information about ongoing cancer clinical trials and new treatment options. Hospital and Health Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) Achievement Awards Program Each year HAP honors hospitals and health systems for their innovation, creativity and commitment to patient care through its Achievement Awards program. St. Luke’s has won 13 HAP Achievement Awards in a five year period (2010 – 2014), outpacing every other hospital and health system in Pennsylvania. Premier QUEST Award for High-Value Healthcare This national award recognizes hospitals that achieved top performance in seven categories: Cost and Efficiency, Inpatient and Outpatient Evidence-Based Care, Mortality, Safety, Patient Experience and Appropriate Hospital Use.
National Committee for Quality Assurance St. Luke’s University Health Network has more physician practices that are recognized Medical Homes by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) than any other area hospital in Pennsylvania. Accredited Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery An accredited center is a hospital facility/program that has undergone an independent and voluntary evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards and met the rigorous requirements to be designated as an accredited center. American College of Radiology St. Luke’s Regional Breast Center offers diagnostic imaging exclusively and has been designated a Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. Center of Excellence designation in Minimally Invasive Gynecology ™ (COEMIG) This designation distinguishes both the hospital and the individual surgeons as providers who have met the requirements for delivering high-quality surgical care. Hospitals and individual surgeons qualify for designation as an AAGL Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology.
THE POWER OF ENHANCING CLINICAL CARE. • 19
R E S E A R C H . I N N O VA T I O N . K N O W L E D G E .
801 OSTRUM STREET • BETHLEHEM, PA 18015
LEARN MORE ABOUT ST. LUKE’S RESEARCH & INNOVATION AT
RESEARCH.SLUHN.ORG