The Lown Institute just released the fourth version of the Lown Hospitals Index, the first hospital ranking of social responsibility. The Index measures patient outcomes, value of care, and health equity to create a holistic evaluation of social responsibility.
There are top-performing hospitals all across the country, but some states do better than others on each category. How do hospitals in your state perform? Let’s take a look…
Top ten states, outcomes
| State | # of hospitals | Average rank, patient outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 9 | 842 |
| Hawaii | 13 | 1070 |
| Utah | 39 | 1146 |
| Virginia | 76 | 1191 |
| Colorado | 70 | 1203 |
| Connecticut | 26 | 1219 |
| Ohio | 140 | 1239 |
| Florida | 168 | 1393 |
| Massachusetts | 55 | 1455 |
| Michigan | 112 | 1457 |
The hospitals in these states had the best average ranks on outcomes. The Lown Index includes metrics of clinical outcomes like mortality and readmissions, adjusting for patient risk, along with patient safety and patient satisfaction. There are states from most geographic regions on this list, although New England and Western states are more represented.
Top ten states, equity
| State | # of hospitals | Average rank, equity |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 34 | 1104 |
| Washington, DC | 6 | 1228 |
| Mississippi | 77 | 1280 |
| Alaska | 12 | 1321 |
| Louisiana | 85 | 1436 |
| Tennessee | 88 | 1447 |
| Delaware | 6 | 1479 |
| Texas | 287 | 1484 |
| Kentucky | 90 | 1493 |
| Montana | 35 | 1511 |
These states top the list on equity, having the best average rankings across all hospitals. Hospitals are evaluated on pay equity (how much they pay their CEOs relative to other workers), community benefit (spending on financial assistance and other community health needs), and inclusivity (how well hospitals serve all patients in their community).
Hospitals in the South and West are highly represented here, possibly because hospitals in these states serve a higher-need population and rural hospitals pay their executives less than those in urban areas. Hospitals in states with more dense urban areas tend to have segregated hospital markets, so the low inclusivity ranks of some hospitals may cancel out the high inclusivity of others.
Top ten states, value
| State | # of hospitals | Average rank, value |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 9 | 454 |
| Massachusetts | 55 | 588 |
| Washington, DC | 6 | 718 |
| Connecticut | 26 | 847 |
| Hawaii | 13 | 976 |
| Colorado | 70 | 998 |
| Delaware | 6 | 1123 |
| Utah | 39 | 1224 |
| Virginia | 76 | 1243 |
| New Hampshire | 25 | 1273 |
These are the states with the best average rankings in value of care. Hospitals are evaluated on how well they avoid unnecessary services and their cost efficiency for Medicare patients. New England and Western states are highly represented here, which may reflect geographic differences in hospital culture around low-value care.
Top ten states, social responsibility
| State | # of hospitals | Average rank, social responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 9 | 753 |
| Hawaii | 13 | 885 |
| Washington, DC | 6 | 897 |
| Utah | 39 | 1073 |
| Colorado | 70 | 1115 |
| Massachusetts | 55 | 1145 |
| Oregon | 57 | 1187 |
| Connecticut | 26 | 1253 |
| Virginia | 76 | 1298 |
| Delaware | 6 | 1321 |
These are the states with the best average hospital social responsibility ranks! Most of these states are in the New England or Western region, although DC and Virginia also rank in the top ten.
See how your hospital did on the Lown Index by visiting our website.