About the Lown Institute Hospitals Index

The Lown Institute Hospitals Index is the first ranking to evaluate hospitals on their social responsibility, including metrics of health equity and value of care alongside traditional patient outcomes.

While most rankings focus on clinical outcomes, the Lown Index takes into account the full breadth of what hospitals do as care providers, employers, and community partners. By setting these benchmarks, we seek to shine a light on those hospitals that provide exceptional, high-value patient care to all who need it in their community — and encourage all hospitals to follow their example.

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 Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This project is predominantly self-funded. Support from Arnold Ventures helped fund research and reports related to financial assistance/debt collection and hospital fair share spending.

Learn more about our founder Dr. Bernard Lown, our staff and our board.

The following experts have advised the Lown Institute on development of the Lown Index metrics:

• William B. Adams — Co-Chair, Patient Council, Right Care Alliance
• Kevin Barnett, DrPH, MCP - Senior Investigator, Public Health Institute
• Andrew Bazemore, MD, MPH - SVP of Research and Policy, American Board of Family Medicine
• David Bor - Chief Academic Officer, Cambridge Health Alliance
• Candice Chen, MD, MPH - Associate Professor of Health Policy & Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University
• Joanne M. Conroy, MD - CEO and President Dartmouth - Hitchcock
• Adam Elshaug - Professor of Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
• Michael Fine, MD - Chief Health Strategist to Mayor James Diossa and the City of Central Falls, Rhode Island
• Elmer Freeman - Executive Director, Center for Community Health Education Research and Service
• Patricia Gabow, MD - Former CEO, Denver Health and Hospital Authority
• Merrill Goozner - Editor Emeritus, Modern Healthcare
• Paul A. Hattis, MD, JD, MPH - Associate Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
• Emma Hoo - Director, Pacific Business Group on Health
• Jeffrey Levi - Professor of Health Policy and Management, George Washington University
• Sara Rosenbaum, JD - Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy, George Washington University
• Aaron Schwartz - Resident, Department of Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Pritpal S. Tamber - Consultant in community power and health
• Gary J. Young, JD, Ph.D - Director, Northeastern University Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Research