PRESS RELEASE: The Lown Institute names top socially responsible U.S. hospitals
123 hospitals deliver high-quality, high-value, equitable care—despite facing the same financial pressures as peers
BOSTON—U.S. hospitals can excel at both clinical care and making critical investments in the people and communities they serve. That is the key takeaway of the 2026 Lown Hospitals Index ‘Honor Roll’, which recognizes 123 institutions that achieved top ratings on health equity, value of care, and patient outcomes.
“With financial pressures forcing painful choices on many hospitals, those on the Lown Honor Roll have found ways to put their patients and communities first,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “These hospitals are staying true to their mission when it matters most, and in healthcare, that’s everything.”
The top 10 hospitals on the 2026 Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility’s Honor Roll are:
- Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
- Stillwater Medical Center (Stillwater, Okla.)
- University Health (San Antonio, Texas)
- Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee (Muskogee, Okla.)
- Adventist Health Portland (Portland, Ore.)
- Christian Hospital Northeast (St. Louis, Mo.)
- LewisGale Hospital Alleghany (Low Moor, Va.)
- St Luke’s Hospital – Easton Campus (Easton, Pa.)
- Frick Hospital (Mount Pleasant, Pa.)
- Sentara RMH Medical Center (Harrisonburg, Va.)
A National Honor Roll, From Every Corner of American Healthcare
The list of Honor Roll hospitals spans 36 states and includes regional hospitals like Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo. and Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn.; safety net institutions like John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago and UF Health Jacksonville in Fla.; and major academic medical centers like The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, both fixtures on conventional prestige rankings.
Methodology
The Lown Index examined publicly available data for more than 2,700 acute care hospitals, including: traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage claims; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services datasets on patient safety, patient experience, and hospital costs; Internal Revenue Service Form 990; and other sources. See our full methodology for more information.
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About the Lown Institute
The Lown Institute is an independent think tank advocating bold ideas for a just and caring system for health. We envision a healthcare system focused on what’s best for people, like hospitals caring for those most in need, patients living without fear of financial distress, and health professionals finding joy in their roles. The Lown Hospitals Index is a signature project of the Institute and the first ranking to assess the social responsibility of U.S. hospitals, including measures like community investment, medical overuse, and CEO pay.
Contact
Aaron Toleos, Lown Institute, (978) 821-4620, atoleos@lowninstitute.org