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What are the safest hospitals in the Lehigh Valley? Recent survey has the answers

By Leif Greiss, The Morning Call The Tribune Content Agency

May 8, 2026 6:06 AM

Continuing a two-year trend, St. Luke's University Health Network received A safety grades for all its hospitals in a recent national survey.

The nonprofit Leapfrog Group releases its Hospital Safety Grade reports in the fall and spring each year. Hospitals are graded from A to F based on multiple factors, such as how well they prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. The newest batch of grades was released Wednesday for thousands of hospitals nationwide.

For the fourth time in a row, all 12 St. Luke's campuses - St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill, St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown, St. Luke's Hospital-Anderson Campus, St. Luke’s Hospital Grand View, St. Luke's-Carbon, St. Luke's-Easton, St. Luke's-Monroe, St. Luke's-Miners, St. Luke's-Sacred Heart, St. Luke's-Upper Bucks, St. Luke's-Warren and Geisinger St. Luke's Hospital - earned A's.

"St. Luke's record is so impressive because our doctors, nurses and other caregivers are so committed to our Network's mission to deliver the very best care to patients,” said Donna Sabol, St. Luke's senior vice president and chief quality officer.

Lehigh Valley Health Network, operated by Jefferson Health, saw some of its grades slip from previous fall and spring surveys. Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill and LVH-Pocono continued their multi-season A-grade streak. LVH-Cedar Crest, LVH-Muhlenberg and LVH-Hecktown Oaks all maintained B grades, while LVH-Dickson City fell to a B grade.

LVH-Hazleton, which rose to an A grade last autumn, fell to a C, where it accompanied four other Jefferson-operated hospitals - LVH–Carbon, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital-Methodist Hospital and Jefferson Bucks Hospital.

“Jefferson Health continues to deliver high-quality care across our system. We always prioritize transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement as we work to uphold the highest standards of care for our communities,” said a Jefferson spokesperson.

In Pennsylvania, 131 hospitals were graded, with 48 receiving A grades, 34 receiving Bs, 33 receiving Cs and one receiving a D grade. Fifteen did not participate in the 2024 or 2025 Leapfrog Hospital Survey from which the spring 2026 grades are derived. Of these hospitals, five are operated by Penn Medicine and four are operated by Penn Highlands Healthcare.

This spring's Leapfrog survey lacked much of the data usually included with each release; however, it did show that five LVHN hospitals - Hecktown Oaks, Cedar Crest, Hazleton, Muhlenberg and Carbon - were rated as below average at preventing harmful events after a surgery, procedure or childbirth.