{"id":147977,"date":"2026-03-07T20:40:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T01:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147977"},"modified":"2026-03-07T20:40:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T01:40:36","slug":"st-lukes-university-health-network-designated-as-pulmonary-fibrosis-foundation-care-center-expanding-access-to-specialized-lung-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147977","title":{"rendered":"St. Luke’s University Health Network designated as Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Care Center, expanding access to specialized lung care"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network\u00a0has been\u00a0designated\u00a0as a Care Center within the\u00a0Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation\u2019s (PFF<\/a><\/u>) nationally recognized\u00a0Care Center Network<\/a><\/u>, expanding access to specialized care for people living with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) in\u00a0the\u00a0region.<\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s is one of six PFF Care Centers in Pennsylvania\u00a0and, the\u00a0only\u00a0one in the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n

The designation is part of a national expansion of the PFF Care Center Network, which now includes 96 centers across 40 states, strengthening access to expert care for patients and families nationwide.<\/p>\n

“Having been previously selected as a Clinical Associate, we are very pleased to now be accepted as a Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Care Center Network (CCN) Care Center,\u201d said\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s pulmonologist\u00a0Robert Marron, Associate Director of St. Luke\u2019s\u00a0Interstitial\u00a0Lung\u00a0Disease\u00a0Program.\u00a0\u201cThis\u00a0accomplishment reflects the work that has been done to provide patients with comprehensive care for ILD and pulmonary fibrosis here in the Lehigh Valley without needing to travel to Philadelphia or New York. \u00a0Patients can rest assured they are getting optimal care for this disease process here at St Luke’s.”<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a true honor to be selected by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation as a Center of Excellence,\u201d said Douglas S.\u00a0Corwin, MD, Medical Director of St.\u00a0Luke’s\u00a0Interstitial Lung Disease Program. \u201cThis recognition is possible because of the dedication and hard work of the entire St. Luke\u2019s family in providing the highest\u2011quality, cost\u2011efficient, and most up\u2011to\u2011date care for patients and their loved ones affected by this condition. We look forward to collaborating with other centers and continuing to improve quality of life for all those\u00a0impacted, both locally and nationally.<\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s is one of 10 medical\u00a0centers\u00a0to receive PFF Care Center Network\u00a0designation\u00a0in this\u00a0round and\u00a0is\u00a0the first-ever\u00a0to\u00a0transition\u00a0from the\u00a0Clinical\u00a0Associate\u00a0designation.\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s has been\u00a0ranked No. 1\u00a0in the United States for\u00a0quality,\u00a0safety and patient experience by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n

What this designation means for patients<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a PFF Care\u00a0Center,\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s\u00a0meets rigorous criteria developed with input from ILD experts and patient representatives. The center provides coordinated care from a team of specialists with\u00a0expertise\u00a0in diagnosing and treating complex fibrotic lung diseases.<\/p>\n

Patients cared for at PFF Care Center Network sites\u00a0benefit\u00a0from:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Access to clinicians experienced in pulmonary fibrosis and ILD<\/li>\n
  2. Coordinated care across specialties, including pulmonary medicine and related disciplines<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Connection to PFF education, support programs, and community resources<\/p>\n

    Part of a national effort to transform care<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The PFF Care Center Network is a key part of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation\u2019s efforts to expand access to expert care, accelerate research, and strengthen support for people living with pulmonary fibrosis nationwide. Through collaboration with the PFF, Care Center Network sites also connect patients and families to education, support groups, and community resources.<\/p>\n

    For more information about pulmonary fibrosis or the PFF Care Center Network, visit\u00a0pulmonaryfibrosis.org<\/a><\/u>.
    \nAbout St. Luke\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Founded in 1872, St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network with annual net revenue of more than $4.5 billion. With 23,000+ employees at 16 hospital campuses and 350+ outpatient sites, it is\u00a0the Lehigh\u00a0Valley\u2019s biggest employer.<\/p>\n

    The Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital is based at the Bethlehem Campus.<\/p>\n

    Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network\u00a0established\u00a0the Lehigh\u00a0Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school. It also\u00a0operates\u00a0the nation\u2019s oldest continuously operated School of Nursing,\u00a0established\u00a0in 1884, and 60+ fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 550+ residents and fellows.<\/p>\n

    In 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ranked St. Luke\u2019s #1 \u2013 ahead of Houston Methodist and Mayo Clinic, two of the nation\u2019s most prestigious institutions \u2013 as the nation\u2019s top health system for quality,\u00a0safety\u00a0and patient experience. This objective recognition, based on public data reported to the government, reaffirms St. Luke\u2019s preeminent position as THE BEST OF THE BEST among the most respected health care systems in the United States.<\/p>\n

    St. Luke\u2019s has been named a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World\u2019s Best Hospital. It is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality,\u00a0efficiency\u00a0and patient satisfaction. In 2025, the Network earned straight\u00a0A\u2019s\u00a0from Leapfrog across\u00a0all of\u00a0its acute care hospitals. It has earned 100 Top Hospital designations from Premier 11 years in a row, including in 2021 when its flagship University Hospital was identified as THE #1 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online\u00a0scheduling\u00a0and online pricing information.<\/p>\n

    Information provided to TVL by:
    \nGary\u00a0 Blockus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network\u00a0has been\u00a0designated\u00a0as a Care Center within the\u00a0Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation\u2019s (PFF) nationally recognized\u00a0Care Center Network, expanding access to specialized care for people living with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) … Continue reading St. Luke’s University Health Network designated as Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Care Center, expanding access to specialized lung care<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sluhn-medical-advice.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147977"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/126321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}