Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center was named one of the top hospitals in the nation in 2022-2023 for orthopedic care for the sixth year in a row. It was also recognized as high performing in five additional specialties: gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, pulmonology and lung surgery, and urology. Overall, U.S. News ranked the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as #1 in the Harrisburg metro region and #5 in Pennsylvania. 

Holy Spirit Medical Center is rated as a high performing hospital for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure and stroke. 

St. Joseph Medical Center earned a high performing rating for treating COPD, heart failure and stroke.

Accreditation and certification by The Joint Commission is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. Penn State Health facilities have earned the following recognitions from The Joint Commission:

Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center:

• Advanced Primary Stroke Center  
• Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Care  

Hershey Medical Center:

• Gold Seal of Approval™ for stroke care  
• Comprehensive Stroke Center designation by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center:

• Primary Stroke Center  
• Advanced Certification in Heart Failure  

Hershey Medical Center received achievement awards from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association:

• Get With The Guidelines ─ Stroke Gold Plus 
• Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll 
• Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll 
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll 

These awards recognize the hospital’s commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke.

Penn State Health’s Disability Equality Index score has earned recognition as one of the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion in the nation.

The Disability Equality Index is a joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities. It’s a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, clear actions toward disability inclusion and equality. Participation in the index helps organizations maximize their business performance and enhance the value for employees, customers, suppliers, investors and other stakeholders.

Hershey Medical Center is a designated Blue Distinction Center+ for cardiac care and knee and hip replacement. It is also a Blue Distinction Center for: 

• Bariatric surgery
• Complex and rare cancers
• Spine surgery

The designations show that Hershey Medical Center successfully met quality measures for patient safety and health outcomes. 

Military Times named Penn State Health to its 2022 Best for Vets: Employers list, which recognizes organizations for programs and policies that support veterans’ post-military careers. The Military Times rankings are based on the results of a voluntary survey completed by the health system’s Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The survey covers the policies and practices that make companies an attractive place to work for current employees and future job seekers within the military community.

Military Times previously named the health system to its list in 2021.

This year, Penn State Health ranked second in Pennsylvania among all organizations submitting a survey. Nationally, the health system ranked fifth among nonprofit organizations and eighth in the Healthcare – Health Services – Medical Equipment category.

NRC Health awards programs recognize the nation’s leading health care organizations based on consumer loyalty, access to services, offering services that meet consumer needs and the overall patient experience. 

Penn State Health received NRC Health recognition, including the highest marks for patient satisfaction of any health system in the U.S. from 2019-2020. 

Hershey Medical Center also received:

• 2018-2020 NRC Health Best-In-Class Top 10
• 2017-2020 Consumer Loyalty Award
• 1999-2017 Consumer Choice Award

VETS Indexes has named Penn State Health a 2023 VETS Indexes Recognized Employer. The award recognizes the health system’s commitment to recruiting, hiring, retaining, developing and supporting veterans and the military-connected community.

VETS Indexes is an advisory firm that provides custom indexes and benchmarking services for government and private sectors. A leading voice on veteran employment issues, it measures the performance of public companies and identifies those that are most supportive of military veterans, service members and their families.