U.S. News Announces Inaugural "Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access" Recognition

More than 50 hospitals lauded for providing high-quality care to underserved populations.

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, today recognized 53 hospitals' success in caring for patients in historically underserved communities.

The new accolade and corresponding hospitals were revealed today at an exclusive event in Washington, "The State of Equity in America." U.S. News convened thought leaders from business, government, health, education and other sectors for a day of solutions-oriented dialogue on erasing disparities in America.

"U.S. News' recognition of the Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access highlights the important and necessary work hospitals are doing to improve care for underserved communities," said Tavia Binger, senior health data analyst at U.S. News. "This positive representation of community hospitals' dedication to equitable access across 26 states is promising. However, this recognition also underscores the need for continued focus on prioritizing health care among vulnerable populations who may face numerous social and economic challenges in receiving care."

U.S. News' analysis of all current Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. identified 53 hospitals in 26 states achieving excellent outcomes among disadvantaged communities. While the institutions named below are not the only U.S. hospitals providing access to socioeconomically vulnerable populations, the following hospitals do provide certain vulnerable populations with substantial access to high quality care.

The Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access, below in alphabetical order, include:

• Adventist Health-White Memorial (Los Angeles, CA)
• Advocate Trinity Hospital (Chicago, IL)
• Altru Health System-Grand Forks (Grand Forks, ND)
• Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center (Medford, OR)
• Ascension St. Agnes Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
• Ascension St. John Hospital (Detroit, MI)
• Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix (Phoenix, AZ)
• Banner-University Medical Center Tucson (Tucson, AZ)
• Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, MO)
• Cape Fear Valley Medical Center (Fayetteville, NC)
• Carle Foundation Hospital (Urbana, IL)
• Christian Hospital (St. Louis, MO)
• Cooper University Health Care-Camden (Camden, NJ)
• Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital (Dearborn, MI)
• ECU Health Medical Center (Greenville, NC)
• Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (Wilkes-Barre, PA)
• Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta, GA)
• Grand Strand Regional Medical Center (Myrtle Beach, SC)
• Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit, MI)
• Hillcrest Medical Center (Tulsa, OK)
• Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church, VA)
• Jefferson Health-Stratford, Cherry Hill and Washington Township (Stratford, NJ)
• Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
• JPS Health Network-Fort Worth (Fort Worth, TX)
• Kaiser Permanente Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers (Fontana, CA)
• Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento, CA)
• Lexington Medical Center (West Columbia, SC)
• Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda, CA)
• McLeod Regional Medical Center (Florence, SC)
• MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center (Clinton, MD)
• Mercy Hospital Springfield (Springfield, MO)
• Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael, CA)
• Methodist Hospitals of Memphis (Memphis, TN)
• Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital (Greensboro, NC)
• NYC Health and Hospitals-Elmhurst (Elmhurst, NY)
• Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center (Lafayette, LA)
• Parkland Health-Dallas (Dallas, TX)
• Providence Alaska Medical Center (Anchorage, AK)
• Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley, CA)
• St. Francis Hospital-Tulsa (Tulsa, OK)
• St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center (Hartford, CT)
• Salem Hospital (Salem, OR)
• Sanford Medical Center Bismarck (Bismarck, ND)
• Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista, CA)
• TMC Healthcare-Tucson (Tucson, AZ)
• UAMS Medical Center (Little Rock, AR)
• UCHealth Memorial Hospital (Colorado Springs, CO)
• UF Health Jacksonville (Jacksonville, FL)
• UMass Memorial Medical Center (Worcester, MA)
• University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital (Birmingham, AL)
• UNC Hospitals (Chapel Hill, NC)
• UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Yale-New Haven Hospital (New Haven, CT)

Regional highlights include:

• California has the greatest number of Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access, with seven recognized hospitals.
• The following seven states have three or more Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access: California (7), North Carolina (4), Arizona (3), Maryland (3), Michigan (3), Missouri (3) and South Carolina (3).
• The following five U.S. cities have more than one Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access: Baltimore (2), Detroit (2), St. Louis (2), Tucson (2) and Tulsa (2).
• In the Midwest, four states have recognized hospitals: Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and North Dakota.
• In the Northeast, five states have recognized hospitals: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
• In the South, 12 states have recognized hospitals: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
• In the West, five states have recognized hospitals: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado and Oregon.

"The Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access demonstrate by their example that a hospital can both excel in overall quality of care and also provide a substantial amount of that exceptional care to historically underserved communities," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. "Recognizing community hospitals that lead in this respect is a modest but necessary step toward ensuring everyone in the U.S. has access to high-quality medical care."

U.S. News identified 53 hospitals that received a Best Regional Hospital designation in 2023 and met at least two of the following criteria: 1) had 40% or more of its patients from a community of greater socioeconomic deprivation (according to the Area Deprivation Index), 2) served 20% or more racial/ethnic minority patients or was in the highest tier in at least 1 of 5 measures of racial and ethnic patient representation and 3) served 20% or more Medicaid patients or was in the highest tier in the measure of low-income patient representation.

A hospital that has earned a "Best" designation may be a good option for people, in consultation with their medical provider, to consider.

For more information on U.S. News' Best Regional Hospitals for Equitable Access, explore Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) using #EquitableHospitals.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate, Careers and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.