Duke Regional Hospital Ranked #1 in Social Responsibility by Lown Institute
This is the third year in a row the hospital was ranked most socially responsible in America
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DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke Regional Hospital is ranked #1 in social responsibility by the Lown Institute in a 2025-26 national ranking of acute care hospitals. This is the third consecutive year Duke Regional Hospital has received the top honor.
Duke University Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital and Duke University Health System also made the ranking’s honor roll and received an “A” grade for social responsibility.
The institute examines publicly available data from a variety of sources to assess for factors across three categories identified by their team - equity, value, and patient outcomes. The scores are then combined into a final grade and social responsibility ranking.
Nearly 2,700 hospitals are ranked across the country. Fewer than 5% of hospitals nationwide made the honor roll. Out of 77 acute care hospitals ranked in North Carolina, Duke hospitals are among the 27 hospitals which achieved an “A” grade for social responsibility.
“We're in the business of meeting people where they are, of creating access for all,” said Jason Carter, president and chief operating officer of Duke Regional Hospital. “The people and the makeup of our history fuels the very purposeful work that we do to understand our role in the community and how we affect it.”
“Our investment in the community includes $10 million in direct and in-kind resources to the Lincoln Community Health Center, which provides care to underserved patients at its main facility and satellite clinics. We are very diligent around our community plan and the way we focus on our community impact, and that's benefited by being part of a health system with a similar heart and investment.”
“My mom lived until she was 100-plus-years-old,” said Patricia Harrison, who is now proudly in her 80s. “She and my dad would get their care at Lincoln Community Health Center, and it was great care,” said Harrison, who has been receiving care at Lincoln Community Health Center, alongside her husband, James, for decades.
“I’m trying to make it to the age my mom reached,” Patricia said. “We still have 20 or more years to go, and we’re doing as well as can be. The team at Lincoln is fantastic!”
The Lown Institute is a nonpartisan think tank advocating for affordable health care for all. It releases a separate social responsibility ranking for acute care hospitals, critical access hospitals and hospital systems annually.
Some of the data sources for the ranking include claims to Medicare and Medicare Advantage; datasets on patient safety, patient experience, and hospital costs provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and information from the Internal Revenue Service.
Comparisons of hospital scores locally and nationally are available at lownhospitalsindex.org.