Penn Highlands Hospitals Receive National Recognition for Performance

Penn Highlands Brookville and Penn Highlands Elk have been recognized for overall excellence in outcomes and are among top hospitals across the nation. The rankings come from Hospital Strength INDEX™. “Excellence in outcomes” means the hospital has demonstrated patient safety, a low number of readmissions and a low mortality rate.

In partnership with the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, metrics are collected from 4,000 acute care hospitals, including 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals. Penn Highlands Brookville and Penn Highlands Elk are the only two CAHs within the Penn Highlands Healthcare system. Using data from public sources, INDEX aggregates data from 66 metrics to derive an overall rating from each hospital.

“These top performers should take great pride in this recognition,” said Michael Topchick of iVantage Health Analytics, the company that compiles the data for INDEX. “It showcases their commitment to continuous performance analysis and improvement.”

“Our quality team works hard to find processes that can be improved. Then they examine them to find better methods. The end result it optimal patient safety and care. I am proud of our quality team and all our staff members whose good work has earned us this recognition from INDEX,” said Rose Campbell, president of Penn Highlands Elk.

“We are among only 25 hospitals across the state of Pennsylvania to receive this distinction,” said Julie Peer, president of Penn Highlands Brookville. “It is rewarding to be recognized for the good effort put forth by our staff every day.”