HOUSTON (July 8, 2020) — Harris Health System has been named among the best hospitals in the nation for its excellence in serving individual patients and for its role in advancing equity in the community, according to the Lown Institute Hospitals Index.
The national recognitions are the first to include metrics like inclusivity, pay equity, avoiding overuse and civic leadership in evaluating hospital performance. The Index shows how nearly 3,300 U.S. hospitals compare on 42 performance indicators.
Harris Health has been named a top hospital among these Lown lists:
- No. 23 among Top Hospitals in the Nation
- No. 1 among Hospitals for Civic Leadership in the Nation
- No. 1 among Hospitals for Community Benefit in the Nation
“It’s truly a great honor to be recognized for the hard work, dedication and forward leaning posture that Harris Health System has exhibited in fulfilling its mission of improving the health of the Harris County community,” says Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, president and CEO, Harris Health System. “As we begin to work on our next strategic plan, this recognition serves only to challenge us to take even bolder steps in leading the health care community in matters outside the traditional health care but into a thoughtful, efficient and effective population health management approach as we tackle the issues of social inequalities that are at the root of health disparities that we currently witness.”
The Lown Institute is a healthcare think tank founded by world-renowned cardiologist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Bernard Lown. The institute conducts research, convenes experts and sparks public debate to bridge the gap between existing public policy solutions and the care that Americans want and need. The Lown Index measures hospital performance across three categories:
Civic Leadership -
- Pay Equity - The difference in compensation of hospital executives compared to healthcare workers.
- Community Benefit - The extent of hospital investment in community health.
- Inclusivity - Based on patient race, income, and education.
Value of Care -
- Avoiding Overuse - The avoidance of inappropriate tests and procedures that offer little or no clinical benefit.
Quality of Care -
- Clinical Outcomes - Patient mortality and readmission rates over various periods of time.
- Patient Safety - The avoidance of preventable patient safety errors.
- Patient Satisfaction - Aspects of the hospital experience as reported by patients.
“At a time when communities are relying on them like never before, hospitals must rethink what it means to be great,” says Dr. Vikas Saini, president, Lown Institute, through a press release. “COVID-19 highlights how hospitals are essential community partners for anyone in need. To be great, however, a hospital cannot only provide care that’s high in quality. It must also deliver value and advance equality. Our index is designed to help them do just that.”
For more information on the Lown Institute Hospitals Index or a listing of rankings, visit www.lownhospitalsindex.org.