MetroHealth One of The Best Hospitals in The Country, According to The Lown Institute
The MetroHealth System is one of the best hospitals in the country when it comes to overall care, value of care and civic leadership, according to a recent study.
The Lown Institute Hospitals Index, a nonpartisan think tank, compared more than 3,200 hospitals across the country on how well they treat their patients and their commitment to equity, inclusion and community health.
“This recognition places MetroHealth in the top 98th percentile of the 3,282 hospitals and health systems for community health, equity and inclusion. It is a tribute to our mission, the Board of Trustees and employees of MetroHealth,” said MetroHealth President and CEO Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE. “Whether it is bringing COVID-19 vaccinations and testing in underserved communities, breaking ground on new affordable housing, prioritizing diversity, or building a new hospital, our health system is working every day to make our community healthier and more resilient.”
MetroHealth was ranked seventh in Ohio based on its standing in all factors – civic leadership, value of care and patient outcomes – that the institute measures.
MetroHealth was ranked fourth in Ohio for civic leadership, which reflects commitment to equity, inclusion and community health.
The MetroHealth System has long prioritized community health and equitable health care for all. It is one of the founders of First Year Cleveland, which focuses on reducing infant deaths in Cuyahoga County, particularly among African-American babies.
MetroHealth also established the Institute for H.O.P.E.™ to address social determinants of health – factors such as housing, access to nutritious food, transportation, education and job training that can have a far greater impact on someone’s health than the medical care they receive.
MetroHealth was ranked top in the state for value of care, which measures success at avoiding tests and procedures that offer little to no clinical benefit to patients. That ranking also landed MetroHealth among the top 10 major teaching hospitals in the country and the top 50 hospitals in the country.
According to the Lown Institute, a hospital in the U.S. delivers a low-value test or procedure to an older adult every 80 seconds. The institute’s analysis consists of a review of tests and procedures performed on Medicare patients. It found that a dozen services – including hysterectomy for benign disease, the placement of coronary stents for stable heart disease, and diagnostic tests like head imaging for fainting – contributed to this overuse and puts hundreds of thousands of people at risk of harm each day.
The Lown Institute is a nonpartisan think tank based in Brookline, Mass. Its index evaluates hospitals’ performance based on how well they treat their patients, their commitment to providing high-value care, and their investment in community health.
The index is designed to help hospitals excel at serving patients and communities, to address gaps in existing rankings, and to provide a means for greater public accountability. It compares the performance of hospitals across the country, measuring civic leadership and commitment to providing high-quality care.
MetroHealth’s report on the Lown Institute Hospitals Index is available at https://lownhospitalsindex.org/hospital/metrohealth-system/
Founded in 1837, MetroHealth is leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery, and teamwork. Cuyahoga County’s public, safety-net hospital system, MetroHealth meets people where they are, providing care through five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Each day, our nearly 9,000 employees focus on providing our community with equitable healthcare — through patient-focused research, access to care, and support services — that seeks to eradicate health disparities rooted in systematic barriers. For more information, visit metrohealth.org.
