UHC among best in the nation for quality of care, according to healthcare think tank
WVU Medicine United Hospital Center (UHC) has been recognized by the Lown Institute for excellence in patient outcomes, receiving an “A” grade on the 2025-26 Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility. UHC achieved this honor through strong performance across metrics of patient safety, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction, out of more than 3,600 hospitals nationwide.
UHC ranked #1 in West Virginia on Lown’s patient outcomes metric. The hospital also performed well on Lown’s category metrics. These are independent rankings and hospitals do not apply or pay to be listed.
“United Hospital Center is certainly honored to be recognized with the #1 rankings and Grade A designations we have received from the Lown Institute,” said David F. Hess, MD, president and CEO of UHC. “This further validates that our hospital is helping to improve the health and economic stability of the communities we serve.”
“Achieving excellent patient outcomes requires leadership, communication, and a commitment to keep improving,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of Lown Institute. “It’s a difficult task, but the hospitals at the top of our list show that it can be done.”
Lown’s patient outcomes score reflects hospitals’ performance on all-cause mortality and readmissions, avoidance of adverse events such as falls and hospital-acquired infections, and patient experience metrics such as cleanliness and provider communication. Data sources are Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage claims, CMS patient safety data, and CMS patient experience survey data.
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 sixth annual rankings, the 2025-26 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.
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.
David F. Hess, MD
President and CEO
WVU Medicine United Hospital Center
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