HCA Healthcare named as one of the 2023 World’s Most Ethical Companies®

Today, we are proud to announce that HCA Healthcare has been recognized for the 13^th time by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2023 World’s Most Ethical Companies. HCA Healthcare is one of only four honorees in the Healthcare Providers category this year.

In 2022, HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation donated more than $44 million to community organizations across the country, and HCA Healthcare colleagues logged more than 143,800 hours spent volunteering. In 2022, the HCA Healthcare Foundation continued to support the Healthier Tomorrow Fund, a community impact fund focused on addressing high-priority community needs and advancing health equity. Since its launch in 2021, the Fund has committed more than $18.3 million in communities where HCA Healthcare has a presence, and granted awards to 51 nonprofit partners including the American Heart Association, Girl Scouts of the USA and Educate Texas. In addition, HCA Healthcare provided uncompensated care in 2022 at an estimated cost of approximately $3.5 billion.

HCA Healthcare is committed to providing equitable access to high-quality care for patients and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace for its colleagues.

• As part of that commitment, HCA Healthcare formed the Health Equity Council in January 2021 and the Patient Advisory Group in 2022 to help identify and address health disparities within and outside of HCA Healthcare hospitals, as well as to develop strategies that advance health equity.
• In 2022, the company was recognized with the Best for Vets award for the third consecutive year from Military Times and as a military-friendly employer by VIQTORY for the 12th consecutive year.
• HCA Healthcare was also recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion,” receiving a top score of 100 on the 2022 Disability Equality Index®, a comprehensive tool for measuring disability workplace inclusion.
• HCA Healthcare and its facilities are members of Practice Greenhealth, which seeks to provide sustainable healthcare solutions. Since 2002, HCA Healthcare has received 171 Practice Greenhealth awards.
• The company has also announced approximately $6.8 million towards its $10 million commitment over three years to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to strengthen the diversity of the company and invest in the next generation of healthcare leaders.

HCA Healthcare continued its work to combat the nation’s opioid crisis last year. In October 2022, the company hosted it’s fourth annual “Crush the Crisis” national opioid take back day, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, during which 19,423 pounds of unused or expired medications were collected at more than 100 collection sites across 17 states. Furthermore, HCA Healthcare has worked with the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic. HCA Healthcare has given $750,000 to the Collaborative to support the development of safer pain management protocols and the reversal of the opioid crisis.

Last year, the company also announced its enterprise-wide adopted Enhanced Surgical Recovery (ESR) program, which uses an individualized, multimodal pain management approach, only using opioids on an as-needed basis and instead using non-opioid pain relievers and other pain management techniques. The ESR protocol has resulted in an up to 44% decrease in opioid usage for some surgeries.

HCA Healthcare supports its colleagues through essential access to financial and wellness resources. In 2022, The HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, a colleague-run, colleague-supported 501(c)(3) charity, provided $12 million in assistance through 4,427 grants to HCA Healthcare colleagues and families faced with financial hardships.

Related article: Stories of hope: HCA Healthcare Hope Fund assists more than 47,000 colleagues

The company also provides access to programs such as NurseCare, a free and confidential mental health program for the needs of HCA Healthcare hospital-based nurses and Optum Wellbeing, which provides colleagues and their families with up to eight free counseling sessions per topic, per year.

“Ethics matters. Organizations that commit to business integrity through robust programs and practices not only elevate standards and expectations for all, but also have better long-term performance,” said Erica Salmon Byrne, chief executive officer of Ethisphere.

Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity, and initiatives that support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe.

In 2023, 135 honorees were recognized spanning 19 countries and 46 industries. The full list of the 2023 World’s Most Ethical Companies can be found on Ethisphere’s website.

“World’s Most Ethical Companies” and “Ethisphere” names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC.