The Lehigh Valley’s flagship hospitals received high marks in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, placing among the top hospitals in all of Pennsylvania.
Jefferson Health’s Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest was ranked as the best hospital in the region for 2026-27, with St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill coming in second. In the statewide rankings, LVH-Cedar Crest was fifth, and St. Luke’s University Hospital was sixth.
Jefferson Health’s flagship hospital, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, ranked fourth in the state. The top three spots statewide were Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, UMPMC Presbyterian Shadyside in Pittsburgh and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital.
The only other area hospital that garnered statewide honors was St. Luke’s Monroe Campus, which rounded out the list at No. 28.
U.S. News & World Report annually ranks the best hospitals across the country. It bases those rankings on patient outcomes as well as other factors, such as the quality of patients’ overall experience and interactions with nursing staff. U.S. News also provides individual rankings and ratings across more than three dozen different health care services, including cancer care, orthopedics and heart bypass surgery.
The methodology U.S. News & World Report uses to determine those rankings have been the subject of criticism, including from St. Luke’s, which no longer submits information to the organization or officially participates in the rankings. Penn Medicine, which has consistently seen its hospitals ranked highly by U.S. News — including two in the top five in Pennsylvania this year — also announced several years ago it would no longer participate.
Here’s more on area hospitals that gained regional recognition from U.S. News :
LVH Cedar Crest
Statewide ranking: No. 5
Nationally ranked in one specialty: Orthopedics (No. 28 nationally, No. 3 in Pennsylvania)
High performing in two specialties: Pulmonology & Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation
Patient Experience Score: 3/5
St. Luke’s-Fountain Hill
Statewide ranking: No. 6
High performing in two specialties and 18 procedures or conditions: Colon cancer surgery, gynecological cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, heart attack, heart arrhythmia, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, pacemaker implantation, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, diabetes, kidney failure, stroke, hip fracture, hip replacement, knee replacement, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, rehabilitation
Patient Experience Score: 4/5
St. Luke’s Hospital-Monroe
Statewide ranking: No. 28
High performing in eight specialties: Heart attack, heart arrhythmia, heart failure, pacemaker implantation, diabetes, kidney failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia
Patient Experience Score: 3/5
In addition, several area hospitals, while not ranked, were recognized for performances in certain areas.
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital
High performing in one specialty: Rehabilitation
St. Luke’s Hospital-Anderson
High performing in seven specialties: Heart failure, diabetes, stroke, hip fracture, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia
St. Luke’s Hospital-Carbon
High performing in two specialties: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia.
St. Luke’s Hospital-Easton
High performing in one specialty: Heart failure
St. Luke’s Hospital-Warren
High performing in two specialties: Heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease