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Awards & Accolades

U.S. News and World Report Awards

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Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital is among 484 Best Regional Hospitals recognized for delivering high-quality treatment across multiple specialties and rated number 25 in the state of Pennsylvania. Westmoreland is specifically recognized as high performing in eight areas: lung cancer surgery, heart bypass, heart failure, stroke, hip replacement, knee replacement, maternity care and COPD treatment. Also recognized is Independence Health System Latrobe Hospital, ranked as high performing in stroke care. Click here to learn more about these prestigious honors.


Excela Health has earned a distinguished three-star rating from STS for patient care and outcomes in three separate categories: aortic valve replacement combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (AVR+CABG), isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR), and isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Historically, less that 10 percent of all programs within the STS database achieve this elite standing. The three-star rating denotes the highest category of clinical quality within the STS rating system, and is considered one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada.


All Excela Health hospitals received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Awards

Gold Plus

Excela Westmoreland and Frick Hospitals earned the Get with the Guidelines – Stroke GOLD PLUS awards and Excela Latrobe earned the Get with the Guidelines – Stroke GOLD PLUS; Target Stroke Honor Roll award. To earn this distinction, Excela Frick Hospital, Excela Latrobe Hospital and Excela Westmoreland Hospitals each met aggressive clinical goals for treating patients in seven core standard levels of care as outlined by American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for two consecutive calendar years, as well as compliance with stroke quality measures during the specific 12-month evaluation period. Gold Plus Quality Awards are advanced levels of recognition acknowledging hospitals for consistent adherence to quality measures.


Excela Health hospitals – Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland – designated Primary Stroke Centers by the Joint Commission.

Joint Commission

Excela Health hospitals - Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland - have been designated Primary Stroke Centersby the Joint Commission and recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for exceeding national standards for quality patient care and demonstrating proficiency in the presentation and early management of stroke and TIA based on guidelines established by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for health care professionals.


The Heart Center at Excela Health has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Primary Heart Attack Center Certification.

Excela Westmoreland Hospital is one of 40 hospitals in the United States and four in Pennsylvania to earn Primary Heart Attack Center (PHAC) certification. PHAC certification is one of The Joint Commission’s four Advanced Cardiac certifications offered in collaboration with the American Heart Association. The certification standardizes and improves coordinated systems of care across settings regarding identification, assessment, monitoring, management, data sharing and performance improvement for multidisciplinary ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) heart attack care.


Excela Health Named Among Nation's Best Maternity Hospitals by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report

BESTFor the third year in a row, the Family Additions Maternity Center at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital remains ranked among the nation’s best, and the only one in southwestern Pennsylvania featured in the Best Maternity Hospitals 2022 edition of Newsweek, which publishes the honor roll annually. For the third year in a row, Excela Health is one of 217 hospitals across 36 states on this list which is compiled by the news magazine in partnership with The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization that reports on the safety and quality performance of U.S. healthcare facilities. To be considered for the list, hospitals had to demonstrate adherence to a variety of standards for excellence in maternity care including low rates of C-section, episiotomy and early elective deliveries and follow important protocols to protect mothers and babies.


The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®

Crib for KidsCribs for Kids the only national infant safe sleep organization. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Cribs for kids is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Excela Health is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and providing training programs for healthcare team members, and family caregivers.


Blue Distinction Center PlusExcela Health's knee and hip replacement program (called Joint Works) has been named as Blue Distinction Centers Plus. The designation is given to hospitals who are shown to deliver quality specialty care based on objective, transparent measures for patient safety and health outcomes that were developed with input from the medical community.


Excela Health's Cardiac Care named as a Blue Distinction Center Plus.

Blue Distinction CenterHighmark Blue Cross Blue Shield continues to recognize Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital as one of the first in the nation to receive a Blue Distinction Center Plus designation in the area of cardiac care as part of the Blue Distinction Center for Specialty Care®program.


Excela Health's maternity care named as a Blue Distinction Center Plus.

Blue DistinctionExcela Health's maternity care has been named as Blue Distinction Centers Plus. The designation is given to hospitals who are shown to deliver quality specialty care based on objective, transparent measures for patient safety and health outcomes that were developed with input from the medical community.


Excela Health's bariatric surgery program named as a Blue Distinction Center Plus.

Blue DistinctionExcela Health's bariatric surgery program has been named as Blue Distinction Centers Plus. The designation is given to hospitals who are shown to deliver quality specialty care based on objective, transparent measures for patient safety and health outcomes that were developed with input from the medical community.


Excela Health named a Screening Center of Excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance.

Screening Center of ExcellenceExcela Health has been named a Screening Center of Excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance for its ongoing commitment to responsible lung cancer screening. Designated screening centers of excellence are committed to providing clear information based on current evidence about who is a candidate for lung cancer screening and complies with comprehensive standards based on best practices developed by professional bodies such as the American College of Radiology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program.


Excela Health Designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

ACRExcela Health has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The designation was awarded to Excela Latrobe and Westmoreland hospitals. Experts conducted peer review evaluations and determined that Excela Health has achieved high practice standards. The Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation is awarded to breast imaging centers that achieve excellence by seeking and earning accreditation in all of the ACR’s voluntary breast-imaging accreditation programs and modules, in addition to the mandatory mammography accredidation program.


Breast Health Center Accredited by American College of Surgeons

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program administered by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has granted accredited status to the Excela Health Breast Health Center. To achieve voluntary NAPBC accreditation, a breast center demonstrates compliance with the NAPBC standards that address a center’s leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement for patients. Breast centers seeking NAPBC accreditation undergo a site visit every three years. Excela’s initial accreditation is effective through 2025.


Excela Health recognized as a Healthiest 100 Workplace in America by Springbuk®.

Excela Health has been recognized among the Inaugural Inductees for the Healthiest Employers Hall of Fame. The awards program was created to honor people-first organizations that prioritize the well-being of their employee population. These companies were recognized because of their commitment to workplace wellness and their exceptional health and benefits offerings. Excela Health is one of 20 honorees across various employment sectors nationally to be recognized with this latest designation, created to mark a longstanding commitment to employee health and wellness.


Excela Health has been recognized as a Healthiest 100 Workplace in America, an awards program presented by Springbuk®.

Healthiest 100More than 5,000 employers applied for the award nationally. This is the 11th consecutive year that Excela Health has been recognized among the Healthiest Employers in Western Pennsylvania, and a Healthiest 100 Workplace in America, in an awards program presented by Healthiest Employer®.


Excela Health Remains National Leader in Wellness, Ranked Among Best and Brightest Honorees

For the eighth consecutive year, Excela Health has once again recognized among the Nation's Best and Brightest in Wellness® sponsored by the National Association for Business Resources, having been included among 35 organizations of varying sizes lauded during its Summer 2021 recognition period. Excela first received this designation in 2016 and has remained a recipient each award period. This program honors companies that promote employee well-being, worksite health and wellness.


Recognized by The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), Excela Health is ranked among the most wired in the nation once again for using technology to partner with patients on health. Excela Health continues to be recognized as a respected leader for its use of information technology to help patients become more actively involved in their care and maintain their health.


Baldwin AwardExcela Health Latrobe Hospital and the Family Medicine Residency Program are the recipients of the 3rd annual DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr. Sponsoring Institution Award given by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Founded in 2016, this award is presented to accredited residency/fellowship programs that are exemplary in fostering a respectful, supportive environment for medical education and the delivery of patient care, which leads to the personal and professional development of learners. The award focuses on the importance of creating environments that completely elevate the concept of humanism in medicine so that all health care professionals are supported.


The Excela Health Bariatric Surgery Program is a MBSAQIP-Accredited Center – Comprehensive Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications

MBSQIPThe Excela Health Bariatric Surgery Program has achieved National Accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®) meeting the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care, making us an MBSAQIP-Accredited Center – Comprehensive Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications. The MBSAQIP® is a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. The standards ensure that metabolic and bariatric surgical patients receive a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure, that improves patient outcomes and long-term success.


Excela Health awarded 2016 Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management (Teddy) Award.

Teddy AwardExcela Health has been awarded a 2016 Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management (Teddy) Award. The Teddy Award program recognizes excellence in workers’ compensation risk management and is presented by Risk & Insurance magazine. Excela Health is one of four winning programs and five honorable mentions. Award winners were selected from nominees nationwide. Award criteria include achieving measurable performance results, as well creativity and resourcefulness in solving workers’ compensation challenges. A panel of judges consisting of industry professionals, including past Teddy Award winners, selects the winners.


Hospitals awarded Silver Level Award from the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety.

Westmoreland CountyOur hospitals have been awarded the Silver Level Award from the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety for emergency management planning and coordination.


Excela Health awarded the Energy to Care Award.

ASHEExcela Health ranks among the nation's leaders in energy efficiency and is one of only two health systems in Pennsylvania to receive the Energy to Care Award. The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association recognized Excela Health at its 53rd Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition. The program, sponsored by Johnson Controls, encourages hospitals across the country to reduce energy consumption. This is the second consecutive year that Excela Health has received this honor on behalf of one or more of its hospitals.


Excela Health recognized as a Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace.

PABCSince 2008, Excela Health has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace. Excela Health has an additional honor from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition newly identifying us as an "Exceptionally Supportive Employer."


Accreditations and Licensures

Accreditation is another indicator that can be used to judge quality. Accreditation is a "seal of approval" given by a private, independent group. Health care organizations – such as hospitals –must meet national standards, including clinical performance measures, in order to be accredited. Excela Health is accredited by The Joint Commission. Patients may contact the Joint Commission directly at the following address:

Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Telephone: 1-800-994-6610
Fax: 630-792-5636
Email: complaint@jointcommission.org

Frick, Latrobe, and Westmoreland Hospitals are accredited by:

  • The Joint Commission
  • The Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • The College of American Pathologist Laboratory Services

Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland Hospitals are licensed by:

  • The Pennsylvania Department of Health

Patients may contact the Department of Health directly at the following address:

Acute and Ambulatory Care Services
Health and Welfare Building, Room 532
625 Forster Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120
Telephone: 1-800-254-5164

Norwin Surgery Center at Excela Square, North Huntingdon, is accredited as an Ambulatory Care Center by the Joint Commission.

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