St. Luke’s Health System's hospitals in Boise and Meridian are again among “America’s 100 Best Hospitals,” according to Healthgrades.

The distinction means the two St. Luke’s hospitals are in the top 2 percent of the more than 4,500 ranked across the nation. Healthgrades looks for consistent, year-over-year superior clinical performance. St. Luke's Boise is the only hospital in Idaho to receive the America's 100 Best Hospitals Award™ for 3 years in a row (2015-2017).

“The significance of this recognition is that it represents nearly a decade of effort to continually improve the quality of care and the outcomes for patients in our community,” said Dr. Bart Hill, St. Luke’s chief quality officer. “It is also representative of improvement in many conditions by literally hundreds of staff and physicians. Being recognized as one of America’s 100 Best hospitals is a testament to this organization’s commitment to high quality and safety, and the engagement of our staff and providers.”

From 2013 through 2015, patients treated in hospitals with the America’s Best Hospitals Award™ have, on average, a 27.1 percent lower risk of dying than had they been treated in hospitals without it. Healthgrades came to that percentage by evaluating measures across 19 conditions and procedures where mortality is the outcome. During that same period, if all other hospitals had performed at the same level as the “America’s 100 Best Hospitals,” close to 180,000 lives could potentially have been saved.

“Our analysis shows that there is tremendous variation in care, so it’s important for consumers to carefully research and choose a hospital,” said Brad Bowman, chief medical officer at Healthgrades. “We commend the recipients of Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals Award™ for delivering exceptional clinical outcomes that help them stand out from their peers.”

Visit Healthgrades' website to learn more about how Healthgrades determines America’s 100 Best Hospitals Award™ recipients.