Burlington, Vt. – University of Vermont Health Network has been recognized by the independent Lown Institute for excellence in cost efficiency and avoiding unnecessary care, receiving an “A” grade in value of care on the 2025-26 Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility, an “A” grade in avoiding overuse, an “A” grade for patient satisfaction, and an “A” grade in inclusivity, along with dozens of rankings at individual partner hospitals.

“As we and our partners continue the urgent work of addressing the region’s affordability crisis, external ratings like this can help us measure whether we are on track,” said Sunny Eappen, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer at UVM Health Network. “While there is much more to be done, I’m proud of the clinical and administrative teams across our health system who are working hard every day to ensure we’re providing high-value, quality care to every single patient.”

"The high cost of healthcare is a top concern for patients and policymakers," said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. "These hospitals are leading the way to better healthcare value by avoiding unnecessary care and being cost-efficient."

“Delivering the highest level of quality possible for our patients requires dedicated focus by our clinical experts all the time,” said Carrie Howard-Canning, MSN, MBA, chief nursing executive at UVM Health Network. “It comes back to creating a culture of accountability and innovation – continuously looking at how we are doing on patient safety and quality today, and using that information to adjust and improve how we care for patients tomorrow.”

Highlights from Lown’s Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Social Responsibility Rankings include:

• UVM Medical Center, Burlington, Vt.:
  • Value of Care Grade: A
  • Avoiding Overuse Grade: A
  • Patient Satisfaction Grade: A
  • Inclusivity Grade: A
• Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, Vt.:
  • Top 10 in the nation for avoiding overuse
  • No. 1 hospital in state for cost efficiency
• Porter Medical Center, Middlebury, Vt.:
  • Top 10 Critical Access Hospitals in the nation for value of care
  • No. 1 Critical Access Hospital in state for Value of Care, Cost Efficiency, Avoiding Overuse, Patient Outcomes
• Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, Plattsburgh, N.Y.:
  • Avoiding Overuse Grade: A
• Elizabethtown Community Hospital, Elizabethtown, N.Y.:
  • No. 1 Critical Access Hospital in state for Inclusivity

Interpreting Rankings, Ratings and Grades

Independent organizations, such as the Lown Institute, or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), periodically release hospital rankings and ratings. UVM Health Network is committed to helping patients make sense of these ratings, and to demonstrating how the organization continually tracks and improves the quality and safety of the care it provides. Ratings can vary between and within organizations, and fluctuate between years due to when and how data was collected and reviewed.

Hospital ratings are just one way quality and safety are assessed. Internal tracking and accountability measures are reviewed daily, particularly on areas of focus such as hospital-acquired conditions, and can signal improvement or challenges that may register with ratings organizations months or years down the line.

In addition, UVM Health Network undergoes regular reviews by The Joint Commission, which conducts in-depth, on-site surveys to ensure hospitals meet CMS quality and safety standards. These reviews examine everything from clinical processes to technology and systems of care. The health system also participates in Vizient, the nation’s largest health care performance improvement organization, which allows hospitals to benchmark results, share strategies, and collaborate with other leading academic health systems nationwide.

Lown Rankings

These are independent rankings and hospitals do not apply or pay to be listed. The Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility rates more than 2,700 acute care and 800 critical access hospitals nationwide, with the goal of 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.