Independence Health System Nationally Recognized Again By Healthgrades For Specialty Care

Health System Hospitals Lauded For Clinical Achievements, Including
Top National and State Honors in Coronary Intervention

GREENSBURG, PA, October 22, 2024 … Independence Health System has again achieved numerous accolades for clinical excellence, according to new research released by Healthgrades, the leading resource consumers use to find a hospital or doctor. Among the health system’s latest designations are four Specialty Excellence Awards, placing Independence Health System’s Westmoreland Hospital among the nation’s top 10% for Coronary Intervention Procedures, Joint Replacement and Gastrointestinal Surgery and Butler Memorial among the nation’s top 10% for Outpatient Joint Replacement. Independence Health System also received Five-Star distinctions for 11 services, many related to cardiac care.

In addition to these national recognitions, Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital was ranked #1 in Pennsylvania for Coronary Intervention Procedures. These achievements place Independence Health System in the upper echelon of hospitals for specialty care nationwide and reflect the organization’s commitment to delivering exceptional care year after year.

Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital is the only hospital in Pennsylvania to receive the America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention Award™ for two years in a row (2024-2025). Westmoreland Hospital is also one of two hospitals in Western Pennsylvania to be among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation for Joint Replacement. Westmoreland Hospital is one of three hospitals in Western Pennsylvania to receive the Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award™ in 2025. Westmoreland Hospital was also rated five stars for six services, including Colorectal Surgeries, Bowel Obstruction, Treatment of COPD, Total Knee Replacement, Coronary Intervention Procedures, and Treatment of Heart Attack.

Western Pennsylvania is defined as: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties.

Independence Health System Latrobe Hospital received Five-Star Distinctions in Treatment of Heart Attack, Treatment of GI Bleed, Treatment of Respiratory Failure and Treatment of Sepsis.

Independence Health System Butler Memorial Hospital also received the Outpatient Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ for a second consecutive year — one of only two hospitals in Western Pennsylvania to receive it for two years in a row (2024-2025). Butler Memorial Hospital also received a Five-Star distinction for Outpatient Total Knee Replacement.
“We are gratified to earn ongoing recognition for the quality of care we provide,” said Carol J. Fox, MD, FAAFP, Chief Medical Officer for Independence Health System. “These honors continue to reflect our unwavering commitment to providing patients with exceptional care right here in our community. Our dedicated team consistently excels in meeting national standards that set us apart from other providers in our region across multiple specialties.”

Independence Health System’s achievements are based solely on what matters most: patient outcomes. As part of its 2025 hospital assessment, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for more than 30 of the most common conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide to determine the top performers in specialty care. By offering easy access to objective performance measures, Healthgrades helps consumers find and select a hospital that excels in providing the care they need.

The statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2021 through 2023 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. Click here to view the complete 2025 Specialty Awards and Ratings Methodology.

As variation in performance among hospitals continues to grow, it is increasingly important for consumers to seek care at top-rated programs. Healthgrades’ 2025 analysis revealed that if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to five-star hospitals during the 2021-2023 study period, on average, 224,958 lives could potentially have been saved and 141,692 complications might have been avoided.

“Healthgrades commends Independence Health System for their clear commitment to delivering consistently superior patient outcomes in critical service areas,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades. “Independence Health’s leadership, expertise and unwavering dedication to clinical excellence set a high mark for specialty care in Pennsylvania and nationwide.”

Consumers can visit healthgrades.com to learn more about how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access a patient-friendly overview of how rating are determined and why hospital quality matters here.

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Nationally recognized for quality care, Independence Health System comprises Butler Memorial, Clarion, Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland Hospitals with a combined bed count of 925. With more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and 7,300 employees, the System is now the third largest in western Pennsylvania serving a population base of 750,000 in a footprint spanning more than 10 counties.

The System includes tertiary programs that are rated among America’s best for cardiac care and surgery by Healthgrades in its Top 100 designations. In similar fashion, the prestigious Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) bestowed its top three-star rating. Historically, less than 10 percent of programs within the STS data base achieve this elite standing. The hospitals of Independence Health System also have earned a host of accolades from such prestigious outlets and sources as US News and World Report, Newsweek Magazine, the American College of Radiology, the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Surgeons, the Joint Commission, Leapfrog and the American Heart/Stroke Association.

Locally owned and locally controlled, Independence Health System offers its patients low-cost, high-quality care across the care spectrum in such specialties as cardiology, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, orthopedics and sports medicine, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, women’s health and obstetrics, emergency medicine, behavioral health and primary care. Its network of outpatient centers sees more than 1.2 million visits annually. The homecare division further supports patients at all stages of life with home health and hospice services.

Independence Health System continues to change the healthcare landscape in western Pennsylvania by meeting patient needs through superb physician expertise, outstanding nursing, the latest in technology and programmatic depth.