Pennsylvania hospital system recognized for safe and successful reduction of unnecessary ER visits and readmissions

BETHLEHEM, Pa., March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MCG Health, part of the Hearst Health network and the industry's source of truth for trusted clinical guidance, announces St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) as a recipient of its 2025 Richard L. Doyle Award for Innovation and Leadership in Healthcare. The Doyle Award recognizes exceptional use of evidence-based guidance and transformative care models that advance quality, improve outcomes, and reduce unnecessary costs.

St. Luke's University Health Network was honored for its High Utilizer Care Program (HUCP), an innovative, systemwide initiative developed to improve care coordination for patients who frequently use emergency and inpatient services without improved outcomes. The program integrates individualized care plans into the electronic health record and applies MCG Chronic Care guidelines (via the MCG Coordinate solution) to align multidisciplinary teams across emergency, inpatient, outpatient, behavioral health, and community settings—resulting in measurable improvements in care and cost.

Since implementation, patients enrolled in the HUCP for at least six months have experienced a 39% decrease in emergency department visits, a 50% reduction in inpatient admissions, a nearly 48% reduction in high-end inpatient radiology studies, and a 42% drop in hospital charges, while outpatient engagement increased—confirming success in redirecting care to appropriate settings. This has resulted in over $400 million in cost savings over the past three years.

"Our High Utilizer Care Program reflects our commitment to compassionate, coordinated, and value-driven care," said Rebecca Miller, BSN, MHA, CCM, Network Director of Outpatient Care Management at SLUHN. "Receiving the Doyle Award underscores the dedication of teams across our network who work every day to improve continuity, address social and clinical needs, and achieve outcomes that matter to patients and communities."

"We congratulate St. Luke's University Health Network for their unwavering commitment to improving the lives of patients through thoughtful, coordinated care," said Jon Shreve, President and CEO of MCG Health. "Their High Utilizer Care Program exemplifies how patient-centered innovation - grounded in evidence-based guidance - can meaningfully enhance outcomes and ensure patients receive the right care at the right time. This work is a powerful example of what's possible when compassion and clinical excellence come together."

Doyle Award recipients are selected annually by an independent panel of healthcare experts who are not affiliated with MCG. Members of the SLUHN team will be recognized at the MCG Client Forum, June 1–3, 2026, in Aventura, Florida, where they will share insights from the award-winning initiative.

About St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN)

St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a non-profit, regional, fully integrated, nationally recognized network providing services at 16 campuses and more than 350 sites in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, Monroe and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ranked St. Luke's #1 – ahead of Houston Methodist and Mayo Clinic – as the nation's top health system for quality, safety and patient experience. This objective recognition based on hospital data reported to the government reaffirms St. Luke's preeminent position as a leader among the largest and most respected health care providers in the country.

About the Richard L. Doyle Award for Innovation and Leadership in Healthcare

The Doyle Award was developed to recognize organizations that make innovative use of MCG solutions to help deliver effective healthcare. Dr. Doyle, founding editor of the MCG care guidelines, was a hospital chief-of-staff when he began creating clinical guidance in the 1980s to help improve healthcare efficiency and quality at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. He later joined Milliman & Robertson and published the first set of what was to become the MCG care guidelines in 1988.

Judges for this award are independent healthcare quality experts, not currently employed by MCG. Applicants were judged on how well their projects supported the MCG mission to "lead the healthcare community to deliver patient-focused care." Judges looked for evidence of improvements in healthcare quality and patient safety, patient/member satisfaction, staff efficiency, productivity and satisfaction, internal/external communication, and effective use of resources.

About MCG Health

MCG, part of the Hearst Health network, is the trusted source of truth for clinical guidance in the healthcare industry. MCG combines evidence-based guidelines and analytics with artificial intelligence to guide efficient and accurate clinical decisions. MCG solutions are licensed by a vast majority of health plans, thousands of hospitals, and many state and federal government agencies to drive quality health outcomes while controlling costs. For more information, visit www.mcg.com.

About Hearst Health

The mission of Hearst Health is to guide healthcare organizations by delivering essential intelligence and software that improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care. Hearst Health has been innovating with care for more than 40 years, with a commitment to making a lasting positive impact on health. The Hearst Health companies — FDB, Homecare Homebase, MCG,  MHK, QGenda and Zynx Health — elevate care by informing and empowering participants across the health journey. To learn more, visit www.hearst.com/hearst-health and follow @Hearst Health on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE MCG Health