Utilizing 42 performance indicators under three categories—civic leadership, value of care, and patient outcomes—the Lown Institute has ranked Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center as the No. 1 hospital in Houston and No. 9 in the country. Also placing in the top 10 Houston hospitals include Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital, Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital and Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center. Harris Health System, meanwhile, ranked second in Houston, while Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital ranked eighth.
Methodology for the rankings focused on more than just good clinical outcomes, according to a July 7 news release from the Lown Institute think tank, but also how much these hospitals give back to the communities they serve. Included in that metric is pay equity between hospital executives and health care workers without advanced degrees.
The amount of community investment is another metric weighed in the rankings, which includes charity care and other community benefit spending, as well as Medicaid revenue as a share of patient revenue.
“At a time when communities are relying on them like never before, hospitals must rethink what it means to be great,” Lown Institute President Dr. Vikas Saini said in the news 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.”
The index pulled from a variety of data sources, including the 100% Medicare claims datasets. Data was also aggregated from the Internal Revenue Service, as well as the Healthcare Cost Report Information System administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The ranking also includes data from Securities and Exchange Commission filings, public records, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other databases.
