CMS certification 390049
St Lukes Hospital
801 Ostrum Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
St Lukes Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. 76% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 8 and worse on 3. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 12 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min).
Every figure on this page is published by CMS; we arrange and explain it, and score nothing ourselves.
What patients said
Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 2,011 completed surveys, 25% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
Emergency department
How long emergency patients spent here and how some time-critical care went, from CMS's timely and effective care measures, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025. CMS classes this emergency department's patient volume as very high; busier departments tend to have longer times, so the national median for departments of the same volume is shown too. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
| Measure | This hospital | PA | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 1,157 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 2 h 12 min | 3 h 6 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 68 visits sampled | 4 h 36 min | 4 h 57 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 132,312 patients | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 12 patients | 75% | 69% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 387 patients | 85% | 60% | 65% |
How St Lukes Hospital compares with nearby hospitals
The closest hospitals of the same kind that CMS rates or surveys - the same city first, then the same county and ZIP area. Every figure is CMS's: the overall star rating, the share of patients who would definitely recommend the hospital, the median time emergency patients spent before leaving, and how many death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS found better or worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | CMS stars | Would recommend | ER median time | Vs the nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Lukes HospitalThis hospital | 5/5 | 76% | 2 h 12 min | 8 better 3 worse |
| St Luke's Hospital - Easton CampusSame county · Easton | 4/5 | 76% | 1 h 41 min | 1 better |
| Lehigh Valley Hospital - MacungieSame ZIP area · Macungie | Not rated | 87% | 1 h 52 min | — |
Hospitals differ in size and in how sick their patients are. CMS adjusts its outcome measures for that, but a star or a percentage is a starting point for questions, not a verdict.
Deaths
How many patients died within 30 days of admission, adjusted by CMS for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| All patients, hospital-wide 6,474 cases | Too few cases | 2.8% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 201 cases | Too few cases | 10.8% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 818 cases | Too few cases | 8.4% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 604 cases | Too few cases | 12.3% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 531 cases | Too few cases | 9.3% | 11.9% |
| COPD 217 cases | Too few cases | 7.8% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 195 cases | Too few cases | 1.6% | 2.4% |
Complications
How often patients had serious complications, most of them after surgery, adjusted for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2024.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications, combined measure | Better | 0.61 likely 0.31 – 0.91 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 216 cases | Too few cases | 3.2% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 194 cases | Better | 95.36 per 1,000 likely 56.14 per 1,000 – 134.58 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 12,350 cases | Better | 0.13 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.54 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 14,123 cases | No different | 0.08 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 0.23 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 14,906 cases | No different | 0.24 per 1,000 likely 0.07 per 1,000 – 0.41 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 3,916 cases | No different | 1.37 per 1,000 likely 0.26 per 1,000 – 2.48 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 330 cases | No different | 1.54 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 3.2 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 336 cases | No different | 6.01 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 14.17 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 4,413 cases | Better | 1.97 per 1,000 likely 0.53 per 1,000 – 3.41 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 310 cases | No different | 4.47 per 1,000 likely 0.46 per 1,000 – 8.48 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 789 cases | No different | 1.26 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.56 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 2,827 cases | No different | 0.65 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.4 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
Infections caught in the hospital
Standardized infection ratio: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one. Lower is better. Data from Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | Better | 0.23 likely 0.08 – 0.5 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | Better | 0.24 likely 0.1 – 0.51 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 0.85 likely 0.43 – 1.52 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 2.14 likely 0.68 – 5.15 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.7 likely 0.34 – 1.28 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.2 likely 0.12 – 0.32 | 1 |
Readmissions and return visits
How often patients had to come back to a hospital after going home. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2023 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmitted after a heart attack 364 cases | Too few cases | 15.5% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 1,364 cases | Too few cases | 24.4% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 1,010 cases | Too few cases | 18.4% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 417 cases | Too few cases | 19.3% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 172 cases | Too few cases | 11.1% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 227 cases | Too few cases | 6.4% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 267 cases | Too few cases | -11.5 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 1,008 cases | Too few cases | 42.8 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 655 cases | Too few cases | 29 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 2,486 cases | No different | 13.3 per 1,000 likely 10.6 per 1,000 – 16.6 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 357 cases | No different | 12.2 per 100 likely 9.9 per 100 – 15.1 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 357 cases | No different | 4.6 per 100 likely 3.3 per 100 – 6.4 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 1,809 cases | No different | 1.1 likely 0.9 – 1.3 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
1,193 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 95 residents and trainees. The same address can take in offices and clinics in the building, and a listing does not prove admitting privileges or current employment.
| Specialty | Clinicians |
|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine | 213 |
| Physician Assistant | 180 |
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 145 |
| Anesthesiology | 84 |
| Internal Medicine | 76 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 65 |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | 48 |
| Surgery | 33 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | 30 |
| Family Medicine | 24 |
| Critical Care Medicine | 21 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 19 |
First 12 alphabetically
Money from drug and device companies
Drug and device makers have to report what they pay teaching hospitals to CMS's Open Payments program. At many teaching hospitals most of it is research funding, or royalties for inventions the hospital licensed to a company. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.
- 2019 $713,720
- 2020 $352,515
- 2021 $361,423
- 2022 $313,341
- 2023 $0
- 2024 $529,569
- 2025 $225,479
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Charitable contributions | $31,000 | 2 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $28,900 | 30 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $11,300 | 8 |
| Grants | $9,500 | 3 |
| Debt forgiveness | $7,639 | 3 |
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $6,462 | 15 |
| Royalties and licensing fees | $1,250 | 1 |
| Education | $900 | 1 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | $42,115 | 5 |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $40,248 | 3 |
| B. Braun Medical Inc. | $30,000 | 1 |
| Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. | $16,125 | 2 |
| Sanofi US Services INC. | $9,600 | 2 |
| Stryker Corporation | $9,457 | 17 |
| Genzyme Corporation | $9,400 | 9 |
| Olympus America Inc. | $8,527 | 2 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Phase 3, Randomized Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Pembrolizumab MK-3475 Lenvatinib E7080,MK-7902 Chemotherapy Compared with Standa… Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC | $40,248 |
| A Prospective Registry Study to Assess Real-world Patient Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Longitudinal Outcomes in Patients Receiving Mavaca… E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | $19,973 |
| A Long-term Safety Extension Study of Mavacamten (MYK-461) in Adults with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Who Have Completed the MAVERICK-HCM (MYK-461-00… E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. · NCT02329184 | $16,278 |
| St Lukes DUA AIDenoiser Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. | $13,625 |
| Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of SAR440340/ REGN3500/… SANOFI US SERVICES INC. · NCT04751487 | $9,600 |
| THE PEERLESS II STUDY Stryker Corporation · NCT06055920 | $8,778 |
| A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Study Assessing the Long-term Effect of Dupilumab on Prevention of Lung Function Decline in Patients W… GENZYME CORPORATION · NCT05097287 | $6,900 |
| Connect MM: The Multiple Myeloma Disease Registry. The purpose of the Connect MM Registry is to explore the natural history and real world management… E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | $4,864 |
Amounts are as the paying companies reported them to CMS; Open Payments data retrieved 13 Sep 2026. Full record on CMS Open Payments.
How to read this page
- Everything here is published by CMS on Care Compare. We arrange it and explain it; the star ratings and the better / worse verdicts are CMS's, not ours.
- “No different” is the most common result on most measures at most hospitals. CMS only calls a result better or worse when the difference from the national rate is statistically clear.
- Death, complication and readmission rates are adjusted by CMS for how sick patients were, so hospitals that treat sicker patients can be compared fairly.
- Infection results are ratios: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one, below 1.0 is fewer.
- These are hospital-wide results. They do not rate an individual doctor, nurse or department, and they are not medical advice.
CMS Care Compare data retrieved 4 Oct 2026, refreshed weekly. Where this data comes from and how we handle it · Report an error
Common questions about St Lukes Hospital
Is St Lukes Hospital a good hospital?
St Lukes Hospital has a CMS overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 8 and worse on 3. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend St Lukes Hospital?
76% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 2,011 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the St Lukes Hospital emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 12 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with very high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 21 min. 1% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does St Lukes Hospital receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $225,479 in payments to St Lukes Hospital for 2025, most of it research funding, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.