A hospital in North Carolina earned the top spot on the Lown Institute's 2023 list of socially responsible hospitals.
The Lown Institute, a nonpartisan healthcare think tank, released the ranking July 18. The list ranks more than 3,600 U.S. hospitals based on more than 50 metrics across categories of equity, value of care and patient outcomes. Metrics fall under the following components: inclusivity, pay equity, community benefit, avoiding overuse, cost efficiency, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and patient safety. Hospitals with "A" grades on equity, value of care and patient outcomes earn a spot on the Lown Index Honor Roll. Overall, 54 hospitals achieved honor roll designation, making them the "most socially responsible" hospitals nationwide.
This is the fourth year of the Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility. This year, Medicare Advantage claims were included for the first time, according to the think tank. Lown used publicly available data from traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage claims, CMS hospital cost reports, Internal Revenue Service Form 990, and other sources for the rankings. More information about the methodology is available here.
The 20 most socially responsible hospitals in the U.S., according to Lown:
1. Duke Regional Hospital (Durham, N.C.)
2. UCHealth Greeley Hospital (Colo.)
3. Ascension Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas (Austin)
4. UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies (Loveland, Colo.)
5. Tristar Horizon Medical Center (Dickson, Tenn.)
6. St. Luke's University Hospital-Bethlehem (Pa.) Campus
7. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Pflugerville (Texas)
8. Denver Health & Hospital Authority
9. Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Ontario (Ore.)
10. Mission Hospital McDowell (Marion, N.C.)
11. TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.)
12. Sharp Chula Vista (Calif.) Medical Center
13. Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Nampa (Idaho)
14. Sonoma (Calif.) Valley Hospital
15. Covenant Health Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)
16. Presbyterian Santa Fe (N.M.) Medical Center
17. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Brenham (Texas)
18. St. Luke's Hospital-Monroe Campus (Stroudsburg, Pa.)
19. Pioneers Medical Center (Meeker, Colo.)
20. Covenant Health Fort Loudoun Medical Center (Lenoir City, Tenn.)
To view the full Lown rankings, click here.