Saint Michael’s Medical Center, a member of Prime Healthcare, has been recognized by the Lown Institute for outstanding social responsibility, receiving an “A” grade on the 2023-24 Lown Institute Hospitals Index.
Saint Michael’s achieved the honor through strong performance across metrics of health equity, patient outcomes, community benefits and value of care, out of more than 3,600 hospitals nationwide. Saint Michael’s is ranked in the top 10 in New Jersey and is the only hospital in Newark and Essex County to earn an A from Lown.
“We are immensely proud and humbled to receive the prestigious ‘A’ grade for social responsibility from the Lown Institute,” said Saint Michael’s CEO Alan Sickles, MD, “This recognition reaffirms our unwavering commitment to our community’s well-being.”
The Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility is the only ranking to include metrics of health equity and value of care alongside patient outcomes, creating a holistic view of hospitals as total community partners.
“When communities have access to socially responsible healthcare, our nation grows stronger,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “That’s why it’s so important to hold up these high-performing hospitals as examples for others to follow.”
Saint Michael’s has won numerous awards for the quality of care that it provides to the local community. The hospital received an “A” grade from the Leapfrog Group for patient safety, third period in a row that it has received the top grade from Leapfrog and seventh time since 2018.
Saint Michael’s also recently received a Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades, placing the hospital among the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals in the nation.
Saint Michael’s consistently provides care in the community, participating in numerous health fairs and other outreach activities in Newark and the surrounding communities.
In the fourth annual and largest set of rankings to date, the 2023-24 Lown Index evaluates hospitals on 50+ measures — including novel metrics such as community benefit, racial inclusivity, and avoidance of overuse —for more than 3,600 hospitals nationwide.
Data sources include Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage claims, CMS patient safety data and hospital cost reports, and IRS 990 forms, among others. Full methodology can be found on the Lown Index website.
The Lown Institute is a nonpartisan think tank that generates bold ideas for a radically better system of health. Learn more at www.LownHospitalsIndex.org.