Denver Health among best in the nation at serving its patients and community, according to health care think tank
June 25, 2024
DENVER — Denver Health has been recognized by the Lown Institute for outstanding social responsibility, receiving an “A” grade on the 2024-25 Lown Institute Hospitals Index. Denver Health achieved this honor through strong performance across metrics of health equity, patient outcomes and value of care, out of more than 3,500 hospitals nationwide.In addition to receiving an overall “A” grade for social responsibility, Denver Health was also recognized as the No. 1 health system in Colorado in the health equity subcategories of community benefit and inclusivity. These are independent rankings and hospitals do not apply or pay to be listed.
“Denver Health has long been a pillar of the Denver community, providing high quality, equitable health care throughout the city by way of our hospital, community health clinics, school-based health centers, mobile health units and more,” Lorena Zimmer, chief impact officer at Denver Health, said. “We’re proud that the Lown Institute’s rankings reflect our diligent work to meet the health care needs of our diverse community and improve the overall health of our city.”
According to the Index, the community benefit metric measures hospital spending on financial assistance and other community health initiatives, as well as their service of Medicaid patients. The inclusivity component evaluates the extent to which a hospital’s patient population reflects the demographics of the community in which it is located, based on race, income and education levels.
“Great care is only great if everyone can access it,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “We need hospitals that are not only leaders in clinical care, but also strong community partners—and these socially responsible hospitals are showing the way.”
The Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility is the only ranking to combine metrics of health equity and value of care alongside patient outcomes, for more than 2,700 acute care and 800 critical access hospitals nationwide—offering a holistic view of hospitals as total community partners. In the fifth annual rankings, the 2024-25 Lown Index evaluates hospitals on over 50 measures including novel metrics such as community benefit, racial inclusivity and avoidance of overuse. 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.
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About Denver Health
Denver Health is a comprehensive health system that provides high-quality care and proudly serves the city and county of Denver with its hospital, community health centers, school-based health centers, mobile health centers and additional care programs. For more than 160 years, Denver Health has been guided by its mission to serve the people of Denver, to educate the next generation of health care professionals and to engage in research and community partnerships to better deliver the health care needs of our patients while strengthening our community.About Lown Institute
The Lown Institute is an independent think tank advocating bold ideas for a just and caring system for health. Learn more at www.LownHospitalsIndex.org.