These hospitals earned recognition as America’s most socially responsible

The Lown Institute has unveiled its list of America’s most socially responsible hospitals, and these are hospitals that are getting good outcomes, but they are also succeeding in other ways.

Denver Health's main campus was named among the most socially responsible hospitals in the nation by the Lown Institute. The institute released its honor roll recognizing the top hospitals Tuesday.

These hospitals are also showing they are committed to equity and serving disadvantaged communities and providing good value, said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute.

“We believe that socially responsible hospitals are those that take extraordinarily good care of their patients and their communities,” Saini said during a news conference on the awards Tuesday.

Saini said the list shows equitable and excellent care can be the standard for hospitals.

The institute has recognized 125 acute care hospitals, and 70 hospitals also earned spots on Lown’s honor roll last year. Lown selected its honor roll after examining 2,700 acute care hospitals.

“For many of these hospitals, it's their second or third time on the honor roll, and that shows sustained success,” Saini said Tuesday.

Duke Regional Hospital earned the top spot on the list again, making it the third consecutive year that the hospital ranked first in the nation on social responsibility.

Jason Carter, president and chief operating officer of Duke Regional Hospital, said during Tuesday’s news conference that the organization is focused on investing in its communities and making it easier for patients to get services. Duke Regional is focused on access, a trait shared by other hospitals gaining recognition on the list, he added.

“I think the common theme for all of us is seeing the need to get out of our four walls and again, go into the community with programs,” Carter said.

Denver Health's main campus placed fourth on the Lown's list, and it's the fourth time the campus has earned a spot on the honor roll. Read Pierce, MD, chief medical officer of Denver Health, said the recognition is “a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence in patient care.”

"This recognition reflects the intentional and dedicated efforts of our entire team to train our staff rigorously and implement efficient processes that ensure the highest quality of service for our community,” Pierce said in a statement.

The Lown Institute also examined 800 critical access hospitals and placed 45 providers on its honor roll.

The hospitals earning recognition reflect different sizes and types of institutions. Academic medical centers such as Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. earned spots on the list, along with Stillwater Medical Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a rural community hospital.

Lown also noted the inclusion of safety-net hospitals such as Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania has 12 hospitals on the Lown Institute's list, more than any other state.

The Lown Institute uses data from Medicare and Medicare Advantage claims and patient safety data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Saini said the institute spent months examining Medicare data to compile its rankings.

The analysis weighs outcomes, including patient satisfaction and patient safety. The institute also examines value, including cost efficiency and avoiding overuse.

“We think it's really important not to waste resources unnecessarily,” Saini said.

And the institute also evaluates equity, including community benefit, pay equity and inclusivity. Saini said racial and working class inclusivity is particularly important.

“How socially responsible is it if you have the best outcomes but you're not serving everyone? That's what we mean by equity, which is basically just fairness,” Saini said.

Here are the top 10 hospitals on the Lown Institute’s honor roll for social responsibility, followed by the top 10 health systems

Honor roll: Hospitals

1. Duke Regional Hospital (Durham, N.C.)
2. Fort Loudoun Medical Center (Lenoir City, Tenn.)
3. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Pflugerville (Pflugerville, Texas)
4. Denver Health Main Campus (Denver)
5. Methodist Medical Center (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
6. Prisma Health Baptist Hospital (Columbia, S.C.)
7. TriStar Horizon Medical Center (Dickson, Tenn.)
8. Sharon Hospital (Sharon, Conn.)
9. Inspira Medical Center Vineland (Vineland, N.J.)
10. Southern California Hospital at Hollywood (Los Angeles)

Honor roll: Health systems

1. Nebraska Medicine (Neb.)
2. Duke University Health System (N.C.)
3. UCHealth Colorado (Colo.)
4. MaineHealth (Maine)
5. St. Luke’s University Health Network (Pa.)
6. Emory Healthcare (Ga.)
7. Covenant Health (Tenn.)
8. MedStar Health (Washington D.C., Md.)
9. Saint Francis Health System (Okla.)
10. Mount Sinai Health System