St. Luke’s named a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report

St. Luke's Hospital is among the nation's Best Regional Hospitals, according to U.S. News and World Report. St. Luke's is ranked second in Iowa and is recognized as one of America's high-performing hospitals in five specialties in the U.S. News & World Report 2012-13 edition.

U.S. News & World Report today released its annual Best Hospitals rankings. This year's Best Hospitals, the 23rd annual edition, showcases more than 720 of the nation's roughly 5,000 hospitals. Fewer than 150 are nationally ranked in at least one of 16 medical specialties. The rest of the recognized hospitals met a standard of performance nearly as demanding in one or more specialties.

Recognitions by Specialty:

St. Luke's Hospital is high-performing in:

-- Cardiology & Heart Surgery

-- Gastroenterology

-- Geriatrics

-- Orthopedics

-- Pulmonology

-- Urology

The hospital rankings, said U.S. News Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow, are like a GPS-type aid to help steer patients to hospitals with strong skills in the procedures and medical conditions that present the biggest challenges. “All of these hospitals are the kinds of medical centers that should be on your list when you need the best care,” said Comarow. “They are where other hospitals send the toughest cases.”

“As we proudly celebrate this “Best Hospital” distinction and other specialty rankings we thank the entire St. Luke's team - our physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers - for their ongoing dedication to the health of our patients and the community,” said Ted Townsend, St. Luke's President and CEO. “This recognition is a tribute to their talent, skills and commitment and affirms our dedication to providing outstanding care and an exceptional patient experience.”

The rankings were published by U.S. News in collaboration with RTI International, a research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Highlights of the 2012-13 rankings will appear in the U.S. News Best Hospitals 2013 guidebook, to go on sale in August.

The complete rankings and methodology are available at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Personal Finance, Education, Travel, Cars, and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its annual "Best" series of consumer web guides and publications that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans, and more.

About St. Luke's Hospital

St. Luke's is a fully accredited 532-bed hospital serving a five-county area surrounding Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1884 as Cedar Rapids' first hospital, today it offers a wide range of patient care services with strengths in cardiac care, obstetrics, neonatology, pediatrics, rehabilitation, behavioral health, general surgery, trauma care and senior services. St. Luke's Hospital is nationally recognized as a Top 100 and Magnet Hospital.