HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, today announced the release of its annual Impact Report that reflects on the past year and highlights HCA Healthcare’s positive impact across the communities it serves.

“I am proud to share the remarkable work of our physicians, nurses and colleagues in our annual Impact Report,” said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. “From discovering new and innovative ways that improve patient care to supporting communities through giving and volunteering, our colleagues’ commitment to showing up each and every day for others never wavered.”

The HCA Healthcare Impact Report highlights significant efforts of the organization in advancing patient care, supporting its colleagues and investing in its communities. For additional details on these areas, please visit HCAhealthcareImpact.com to learn more.

Delivering high-quality patient care

HCA Healthcare was responsible for more than 37 million patient encounters in 2022. The organization uses these interactions to develop and share best practices across its enterprise to help continuously improve patient care. HCA Healthcare has been recognized nationally by leading benchmarking institutions for its dedication to patient safety and quality. In the fall 2022, more than 80% of HCA Healthcare hospitals rated by The Leapfrog Group received an “A” or “B” Leapfrog Safety Grade. This is higher than the national average of 57%.

In December 2022, HCA Healthcare announced its enterprise-wide adopted Enhanced Surgical Recovery (ESR) program, a patient-centered, researched-based, multidisciplinary approach to surgical recovery that allows patients to play an active role in managing their own care and recovery plan. The protocol has proven to be a roadmap to help improve surgical results, including a two-day average reduction in length of hospital stay and an up to 44% decrease in opioid usage for some surgeries.

Clinical research and partnerships are fundamental to how HCA Healthcare helps address the communities’ most pressing healthcare needs. The HCA Healthcare Research Institute (HRI) is the multispecialty clinical research arm of the organization, focused on unlocking insights into real-world data and conducting clinical studies that lead to breakthroughs in science, medicine and care for all. In 2022, HRI had 27 sites nationwide and conducted more than 250 trials.

HCA Healthcare is committed to fostering a foundation of inclusion, compassion and respect for its patients and colleagues and to ensuring equitable access to high-quality care. Last year, the company established a Patient Advisory Group (PAG) to identify patient needs and drive progress toward HCA Healthcare’s patient care goals, including identifying and addressing opportunities to reduce health disparities and improve care. The organization also announced a number of initiatives to address key healthcare issues, including strategic collaborations with Johnson & Johnson and the American Heart Association, and continued its work with March of Dimes.

In 2022, HCA Healthcare provided the delivery of charity care, uninsured discounts and other uncompensated care at an estimated cost of approximately $3.5 billion.

Supporting clinicians and colleagues

HCA Healthcare recognizes that actively seeking feedback from physicians and implementing change based on input is vital to maintaining high quality care. In the 2022 Physician Engagement Survey, which encompassed feedback from more than 14,000 physicians, 91% of physicians responded positively when rating HCA Healthcare facilities as preferred locations to practice medicine, 94% responded positively when rating HCA Healthcare’s quality of care and 92% would recommend HCA Healthcare hospitals to friends and family members.

To help support nurses and address global nursing shortages, HCA Healthcare has invested significantly in the recruitment and education of quality nurses while also expanding care teams to include positions such as licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/LVNs), paramedics and nurse externs. Overall, in 2022, HCA Healthcare increased its investment in recruitment to help hire more than 123,000 new colleagues, a 6% increase from 2021. In addition, Galen College of Nursing has opened nine new campuses since joining HCA Healthcare in 2020 in an effort to help expand access to nursing education and enhance the nursing pipeline.

HCA Healthcare remains focused on strengthening the diversity of its colleagues. In 2022, HCA Healthcare hired 38.9% people of color in management and supervision roles, surpassing its goal of 35%.

HCA Healthcare offers a variety of programs and benefits to support the physical, mental, professional and financial health of its approximately 294,000 colleagues. In 2022, HCA Healthcare supported colleagues with $8.8 million in student loan assistance and $30.4 million in tuition assistance benefits. Additionally, the organization added two new groups to its Colleague Networks: the Diversability Colleague Network and the Mental Health and Wellness Colleague Network.

In 2022, the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, a colleague-run, colleague-supported 501(c)(3) charity that helps HCA Healthcare families when faced with financial hardship, distributed $12 million through 4,427 grants.

Strengthening communities

HCA Healthcare is proud to be a major contributor to the local economies of the communities where its colleagues live and serve. 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 2022, HCA Healthcare announced $5.25 million in gifts to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) as part of its pledge to invest $10 million over three years to help strengthen the diversity of the company and invest in the next generation of healthcare leaders. HCA Healthcare has now announced approximately $6.8 million towards this commitment.

HCA Healthcare remains prepared to care for its communities and colleagues, even during the most difficult times. When Hurricane Ian made landfall as a powerful category 4 hurricane in September 2022, HCA Healthcare worked to help ensure the safety of all its patients in the impacted area. To support relief efforts in Florida after Hurricane Ian, HCA Healthcare announced a contribution of up to $1.5 million to support organizations aiding in disaster relief. The organization’s Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC) also sent 30 generators, 14 gas tanker trucks and 11 water tanker trucks to aid its facilities impacted by the hurricane.

HCA Healthcare has continued to respond to the growing need for mental health resources and awareness through collaborations in communities across the country, including Girl Scouts of the USA, Volunteers of America, The Jason Foundation, EVERFI, Psych Hub and Musicians On Call.

For more information about the annual HCA Healthcare Impact Report, visit HCAhealthcareImpact.com.

About HCA Healthcare

Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services comprising 180 hospitals and approximately 2,300 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44%. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its more than 37 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.

All references to “Company,” “HCA” and “HCA Healthcare” as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.

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