Two Saint Luke's hospitals rank in U.S. News & World Report list of Best Hospitals

Saint Luke's Hospital moves up in state rankings; Saint Luke's South Hospital joins list this year

KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two hospitals in Saint Luke's Health System are recognized on U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Hospitals rankings for 2013-2014, released today. The rankings, now in their 24^th year, recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients.

Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City ranks #2 in Missouri (up from #6 in 2012), #2 in the Kansas City metro area, and is recognized among the Best Hospitals in Northwestern Missouri. The hospital also ranks as high-performing in eight specialty areas:

• Cardiology & Heart Surgery
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
• Geriatrics
• Gynecology
• Nephrology
• Neurology & Neurosurgery
• Pulmonology
• Urology

Saint Luke's South Hospital in Overland Park, Kan., is ranked #2 in Kansas, #3 in the Kansas City metro area, and is recognized among the Best Hospitals in Northeastern Kansas. Saint Luke's South Hospital also ranks as high-performing in two specialty areas:

• Geriatrics
• Orthopedics

"It's very gratifying to see Saint Luke's Hospital improve its standing in state rankings, and that so many high-performing specialty areas are recognized," said Melinda Estes, M.D., president and CEO of Saint Luke's Health System. "It's also impressive that Saint Luke's South Hospital joined the ranks this year, both locally and in Kansas. It's reflective of our continual efforts to achieve satisfaction in all facets of care across our health system."

Recently Saint Luke's Health System achieved a ninth place ranking nationally (out of 156 health systems) in patients' perspectives in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey of patients' hospital experiences in health systems with five or more hospitals.

U.S. News evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties. In most specialties, it ranks the nation's top 50 hospitals and recognizes other high-performing hospitals that provide care at nearly the level of their nationally ranked peers.

U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, the adequacy of nurse staffing levels, and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties.

The specialty rankings and data were produced for U.S. News by RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Using the same data, U.S. News produced the state and metro rankings.

The rankings have been published at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and will appear in print in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2014 guidebook, available in bookstores and on newsstands Aug. 27.

About Saint Luke's Hospital and Saint Luke's South Hospital
Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City and Saint Luke's South Hospital are members of Saint Luke's Health System.

Founded in 1882, Saint Luke's Hospital is the flagship facility in the 10-hospital system. In 2003, the hospital earned the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, an honor that recognizes national role models with the only Presidential Award for performance excellence. The full-service hospital consistently achieves top rankings in the Consumer Choice Award from the National Research Council and offers award-winning stroke care and heart surgery, nationally ranked transplant programs, a comprehensive women's health center, trauma services, and more.  In 2011, the hospital opened its new $330 million campus renovation and expansion featuring a state-of-the-art heart center.

Saint Luke's South Hospital opened in 1998 in Overland Park, Kan. The 125-bed acute care hospital features 24-hour emergency services, services, a specialized Hip & Knee Center, complete inpatient and outpatient diagnostic testing, a spacious maternity center with Level IIIa neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services, and physician offices integrated within the facility for optimal patient convenience. As a member of Saint Luke's Health System, Saint Luke's South Hospital continues the tradition of providing top-quality health care through experienced and dedicated doctors, nurses, therapists, and support staff. Visitors to Saint Luke's South Hospital's Emergency Department have access to lifesaving heart and stroke protocols developed by the world renowned Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute and Saint Luke's Neuroscience Institute.

SOURCE Saint Luke's Health System