The definition of what it means to be a top business in the U.S. is largely subjective, however, almost all experts agree that to be considered a sought-after company or great employer, businesses must have a robust commitment to diversity and inclusion. The racial disparities that exist in health care, and lack of diversity in some health systems and hospital workforces are prime examples of why efforts to make actionable choices for diversity, dismantle barriers to equity for both patients and providers, and implement inclusion initiatives are so important in the health care industry.
What does diversity and inclusion mean in health care?
The ability for health care systems to deliver culturally competent services to the diverse communities they serve is a crucial and non-negotiable need. This includes offering solutions that meet the linguistic, cultural and social needs of their patients, which will greatly reduce care disparities, and acknowledge and address the cost and burden of care inequities experienced by some racial and ethnic groups.
Monica Simmonds, Director of Advisory Services, Social Determinants of Health at LexisNexis Risk Solutions in Alpharetta, Georgia, says, “When health care organizations have diverse and innovative leaders who reflect and look like the populations they serve, it creates a space of inclusivity and enables care teams to truly understand the complex needs and preferences of their communities. As organizations tackle health inequities, clinically validated social determinants of health data can help identify barriers. Having a diverse workforce can help bring more context to those barriers and help make sure different perspectives aren’t overlooked.”
The Forbes top businesses list
Each year, Forbes Magazine releases a list of the best large and midsize U.S. companies. Partnering with market research experts at Statista, Forbes surveyed 60,000 people in the U.S. working at businesses across 25 industry sectors for the 2022 rankings. Participants were asked how likely they’d be to recommend their employer and to rate their companies on several factors, including working conditions and compensation. This year, 48 hospitals and health systems are among the best employers in the U.S.
Of the thousands of companies considered for the ranking, most are proactively sharing their diversity and inclusion efforts, and almost half of the winning companies have a senior leader whose sole responsibility is in diversity, inclusion, equity, or all three.
Best large (more than 5,000 employees) hospitals and health systems:
(1) The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
(4) Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City, NY)
(7) Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)
(9) University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, TX)
(10) MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX)
(13) Maine Health (Portland, ME)
(19) Northwestern Medicine (Chicago, IL)
(37) Houston Methodist
(39) Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Columbus, OH)
(42) UCLA Health (Los Angeles, CA)
(43) Penn Medicine (Philadelphia, PA)
(47) Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, TN.)
(50) Legacy Health (Portland, OR)
(55) Emory Healthcare (Atlanta, GA)
(60) University Hospitals (Cleveland, OH)
(67) Deaconess Health System (Evansville, IN)
(74) Duke University Health System (Durham, NC)
(77) UCHealth (Aurora, CO)
(86) Orlando Health (Orlando, FL)
(89) Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus, OH)
(91) University of Maryland Medical System (Baltimore, MD)
(94) Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH)
(101) Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore, MD)
(122) Medical University of South Carolina Health (Charleston, SC)
(126) BayCare (Clearwater, FL)
(128) Norton Healthcare (Louisville, KY)
(130) Baptist Health (Louisville, KY)
(138) The University of Kansas Health System (Kansas City, KS)
(154) ChristianaCare (Newark, DE)
(157) Yale New Haven Health (New Haven, CT)
(166) Piedmont Healthcare (Atlanta, GA)
(172) University of Rochester Medical Center (Rochester, NY)
(197) Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA)
(199) Akron Children’s Hospital (Akron, OH)
Best midsize (1,000 to 5,000 employees) hospitals and health systems:
(54) Children’s Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI)
(112) University of Tennessee Medical Center (Knoxville, TN)
(139) Mosaic Life Care (St. Joseph, MO)
(168) Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
(182) North Kansas City Hospital (Kansas City, MO)
(244) Bellin Health (Green Bay, WI)
(279) Evangelical Community Hospital (Lewisburg, PA)
(292) Reid Health (Richmond, IN)
(312) University Health (Kansas City, MO)
(315) Berkshire Health Systems (Pittsfield, MA)
(353) Concord Hospital (Concord, NH)
(431) Covenant HealthCare (Saginaw, MI)
(441) Arnot Health (Elmira, NY)
(455) Mercy Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
Sources:
- https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/rankings-and-ratings/48-hospitals-on-forbes-list-of-best-employers.html?utm_campaign=bhr&utm_source=website&utm_content=featured-articles
- https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/the-power-of-diversity-in-healthcare-6-black-thought-leaders-weigh-in.html
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinstoller/2021/04/20/meet-americas-best-employers-for-diversity-2021/?sh=c7ed91e74984
