The Covid-19 pandemic made it clearer than ever that hospitals play a vital role in community health. Hospitals had to make significant changes in order to save lives, and many of them stepped up to the challenge. They turned to cooperation instead of competition, prioritized safety over elective procedures, and took in everyone who needed care regardless of income, race, or insurance status. 

Coming out of the pandemic, hospitals have the opportunity to make these changes permanent, and embrace their role as socially responsible institutions. Our communities still urgently need socially responsible hospitals: hospitals that provide high-quality care to all, pay their workers fairly, avoid harmful unnecessary procedures, and invest generously in community health. 

The Lown Institute Hospitals Index is the first ranking to define standards for hospital social responsibility by examining performance across health outcomes, value, and equity. It’s time to hold hospitals to a higher standard; the Lown Institute Hospitals Index can help them achieve it.