Lee Health Named as Top Hospital System Nationwide for Social Responsibility and Health Equity by the Lown Institute
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(Fort Myers, Fla. – July 18, 2023) --- Lee Health has been recognized for its commitment to social responsibility and health equity, named the number one health system in the U.S for social responsibility and health equity from the Lown Institute. Lee Health received an “A” Grade on the Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility and all Lee Health hospital locations ranked in the top-5 in Florida.
The Lown Institute is a nonpartisan organization that uses publicly available data to rank nearly 4,000 hospitals and 300 health systems nationwide. Launched in 2020, it was the first ranking to assess the social responsibility of U.S. hospitals by applying measures, such as racial inclusivity, avoidance of overuse and pay equity. This year’s rankings are the largest set of rankings to date.
Lee Health as a system also placed in the top-10 in the U.S. for pay equity and patient safety.
The Lown Institute also awarded Lee Memorial Hospital, HealthPark Medical Center, Cape Coral Hospital and Gulf Coast Medical Center “A” Grades in patient outcomes, clinical outcomes, patient safety and cost efficiency.
Lee Memorial Hospital, which includes the data of HealthPark Medical Center, is in the top-10 in the nation for patient safety and in the top-5 in Florida for social responsibility, value of care, patient outcomes, patient safety and avoiding overuse. Cape Coral Hospital and Gulf Coast Medical Center are in the top-5 in Florida for social responsibility.
“We are pleased to be named a top hospital system for social responsibility and health equity. We always strive to create an open and supportive environment for the Southwest Florida community and it’s vital to us that everyone has equitable access to care,” said chief equity and inclusion officer for Lee Health, Selynto Anderson. “We want our patients to be able to receive high-quality care in an environment that feels safe to them, both mentally and physically. This award recognizes that, and I am proud of our entire team for their commitment to compassionate care in an inclusive environment.”
The Lown Hospitals Index evaluates more than fifty metrics of health equity, value of care and patient outcomes.
The equity category consists of pay equity, community benefit and inclusivity. Value is concerned with avoiding overuse and cost efficiency and outcomes is focused on clinical outcomes, patient safety and patient experience.
The Lown Institute uses publicly available data from Medicare claims, CMS patient safety data, hospital cost reports and other sources.