Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center has been recognized by the Lown Institute for outstanding social responsibility, receiving an “A” grade on the 2025-26 Lown Institute Hospitals Index. Piedmont Athens achieved this honor through strong performance across metrics of health equity, patient outcomes, and value of care, out of more than 3,500 hospitals nationwide.  

Piedmont Athens Regional ranked five out of 89 acute care hospitals in Georgia and 357 out of 2,717 acute care hospitals nationally on the social responsibility metric. According to the Index, the hospital also performed well on Lown’s clinical outcomes and patient safety metrics. These are independent rankings, and hospitals do not apply or pay to be listed.  

“Earning an “A” grade and ranking among the top hospital in Georgia and the nation reflects the dedication of our entire team to delivering high-quality, equitable, and value-driven care,” said Piedmont Athens Regional CEO Michael Burnett. “We are honored to be recognized by the Lown Institute for our commitment to social responsibility.”  

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. 

"Hospitals are facing unprecedented political and financial challenges," said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. "In this uncertain environment, it's more important than ever to support the socially responsible hospitals who are delivering high-quality care to all in their community." 

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. 

To learn more about Piedmont Athens Regional, visit www.piedmont.org.