ONTARIO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prime Healthcare, which operates 45 hospitals in 14 states, earned "A" grades in the Lown Institute Index for Social Responsibility, placing Prime among the top five healthcare systems in the nation in equity, value and outcomes. Additionally, several Prime hospitals ranked in the top two and a half percent of all hospitals included in this year's rankings.
"It's not enough for hospitals to say they're committed to social responsibility. They need to put their commitment into action," said Dr. Vikas Saini, President of the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank advocating for changes in the healthcare system. "Doing well on the Lown Index is one way they can demonstrate progress."
The Lown Institute rankings, now in their second year, used 54 metrics tied to equity, including racial inclusivity, pay equity, avoiding overuse, clinical outcomes and cost efficiency, which evaluate how well hospitals achieve low mortality rates at a low cost with excellent outcomes. Fewer than three percent of the hospitals studied nationwide received top honors.
"Prime Healthcare's mission, vision, and patient-centered model were created to drive value, clinical outcomes and health equity for all patients," said Sunny Bhatia, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Prime Healthcare. "Value-based, community healthcare is fundamental to our mission. We are honored that our hospitals are recognized for their social responsibility and clinical excellence, and thank you to our staff and physicians for being stewards of our mission to ensure communities have hospitals that provide the highest quality, affordable care to all."
Two Prime Healthcare hospitals – Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey and East Liverpool City Hospital in East Liverpool, Ohio – ranked among the Top 10 hospitals nationally in the Lown Social Responsibility Index.
Saint Michael's, which ranked second nationally on the list for Social Responsibility, was in bankruptcy and in danger of closing in 2016 when Prime Healthcare purchased the hospital and invested millions to upgrade medical equipment, including state-of-the-art tools for treating cancer and cardiac diseases. Under Prime's ownership, the hospital also quickly moved to an “A” in The Leapfrog Group patient safety grade and received a five-star patient safety rating from Healthgrades.
"Access to healthcare should not be determined by where a person lives," said Alan Sickles, MD, CEO of Saint Michael's. "As an urban hospital serving a disadvantaged population, we are committed to eliminating health disparities by delivering safe, compassionate, value-based care from skilled, experienced physicians, nurses and techs with access to state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment."
Other Prime Healthcare hospitals falling in the top two and a half percent nationally according to the Lown Index include not-for-profit hospitals in the Prime Healthcare Foundation:
- Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
- Montclair Hospital Medical Center in Montclair, California
- Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown, Pennsylvania
- Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia
- Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol, Pennsylvania
"It's vitally important that community hospitals promote health equity and embrace our role as socially responsible organizations," said Dr. Bhatia. "The COVID-19 pandemic has struck minority and underserved communities disproportionately hard, making it even more essential that our nation's hospitals address health inequities. Prime Healthcare, our staff, and physicians are honored to be recognized as leaders in that effort."
In addition to the top social responsibility rankings, five Prime hospitals were ranked among the 20 most efficient in the nation by the Lown Institute. These include Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada; Encino Hospital Medical Center in Encino, California; and Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, California. Saint Michael's and East Liverpool also made the list of most cost-efficient.
Three Prime hospitals were ranked the most socially responsible in their respective states – Las Vegas-based North Vista Hospital in Nevada, Suburban Community Hospital in Pennsylvania, and Landmark Medical Center in Rhode Island.
About Prime Healthcare:
Prime Healthcare is an award-winning health system operating 45 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations in 14 states, providing over 2.6 million patient visits annually. It is one of the nation's leading health systems with nearly 50,000 employees and physicians dedicated to providing the highest quality healthcare. Fourteen of the Prime Healthcare hospitals are members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity. Based in Ontario, California, Prime Healthcare is nationally recognized for award-winning quality care and has been named a Top 10 and Top 15 Health System by IBM Watson Health. Its hospitals have been named among the nation's "100 Top Hospitals" 58 times and have received more Patient Safety Excellence Awards from Healthgrades than any other health system in the past six years. To learn more, please visit www.primehealthcare.com.
