The Lown Institute released its 2026 Hospitals Index on June 23, ranking the nation’s most socially responsible hospitals and health systems based on measures of health equity, value of care and patient outcomes.
The nonprofit healthcare think tank evaluated 2,718 acute care hospitals, 900 critical access hospitals and 331 health systems using publicly available data, including Medicare claims, CMS quality and cost datasets, IRS Form 990 filings and other sources. Honor Roll status required “A” grades in equity, value and 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,” Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute, said in a news release shared with Becker’s. “These hospitals are staying true to their mission when it matters most, and in healthcare, that’s everything.”
Of the 2,718 acute care hospitals evaluated, 123 made the Honor Roll. Thirty-seven critical access hospitals and 11 health systems also made the Honor Roll. Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn., ranked No. 1 among acute care hospitals and is one of four hospitals to have earned Honor Roll status five times. The others are Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer, Mass., Covenant Health Fort Loudoun in Lenoir City, Tenn., and Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
Pennsylvania had the most Honor Roll hospitals with 12, followed by Texas with 11, California with nine and New Jersey with nine.
Top 10 acute care hospitals
1. Methodist Medical Center (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
2. Stillwater Medical Center (Stillwater, Okla.)
3. University Health (San Antonio)
4. Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee (Muskogee, Okla.)
5. Adventist Health Portland (Portland, Ore.)
6. Christian Hospital (St. Louis)
7. LewisGale Hospital Alleghany (Low Moor, Va.)
8. St. Luke’s Hospital – Easton Campus (Easton, Pa.)
9. Frick Hospital (Mount Pleasant, Pa.)
10. Sentara RMH Medical Center (Harrisonburg, Va.)
Top 10 critical access hospitals
1. Platte County Memorial Hospital (Wheatland, Wyo.)
2. Baylor Scott & White Hospital Brenham (Brenham, Texas)
3. Western Wisconsin Health (Baldwin, Wis.)
4. Socorro General Hospital (Socorro, N.M.)
5. Van Buren County Hospital (Keosauqua, Iowa)
6. Providence St. Joseph Medical Center (Polson, Mont.)
7. Community Hospital of Anaconda (Anaconda, Mont.)
8. ThedaCare Medical Center – New London (New London, Wis.)
9. St. Charles Madras (Madras, Ore.)
10. Chatham Hospital (Siler City, N.C.)
Honor Roll health systems
1. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus, Ohio)
2. Temple Health (Philadelphia)
3. Lee Health (Fort Myers, Fla.)
4. Nebraska Medicine (Omaha, Neb.)
5. St. Luke’s University Health Network (Bethlehem, Pa.; operates in New Jersey and Pennsylvania)
6. Emory Healthcare (Atlanta)
7. Covenant Health (Knoxville, Tenn.)
8. Johns Hopkins Health System (Baltimore)
9. Saint Francis Health System (Tulsa, Okla.)
10. Mount Sinai Health System (New York City)
11. Riverside Health System (Newport News, Va.)
See the full lists here. Read more about the methodology here.
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