Ethisphere Institute recognizes HCA among 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies

Hospital Corporation of America (NYSE:HCA), which has 163 hospitals and 111 ambulatory surgery centers in 20 states and London, England, has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies.

This is the sixth year Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, has published the World's Most Ethical Companies rankings, which appear in Ethisphere Magazine's Q1 issue. It is the third year in a row HCA has received the honor.

"This recognition from the Ethisphere Institute is particularly meaningful to all of us at HCA because it is based on the totality of our organization's efforts and performance," said Alan Yuspeh, HCA's Senior Vice President and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. "It reflects not only an energetic ethics and compliance program, but also our dedication to patients, our support for communities we serve, our generosity of spirit in providing charity care, our focus on sustainability, and our culture of integrity."

In addition to HCA's long-standing, industry-leading ethics and compliance program, which has served as a model for others, several years ago the company established an improved charity care and uninsured discount policy, which has been emulated by hospitals across the country. Later, HCA became one of the first providers to make pricing estimates available to patients. In addition, HCA is active philanthropically, supporting agencies that promote health and well-being, support childhood and youth development and foster the arts in Middle Tennessee. Through the HCA Foundation, the company has awarded grants totaling approximately $30 million since 2007.

HCA is becoming a leader in environmental practices among healthcare companies. Increasingly, the company is purchasing eco-friendly products, using sustainable building materials, improving recycling efforts and efficiently using energy and water. In 2011, HCA installed both solar and geothermal energy sources at facilities and helped lead an industry effort to create standardized environmental questions for healthcare purchases. HCA is a member of Practice GreenHealth and a charter member of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, two organizations that champion eco-friendly practices in healthcare.

"Each year the competition for World's Most Ethical Companies intensifies as the number of nominations submitted for consideration grows," said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of Ethisphere. "This year's winners know that a strong ethics program is a key component to a successful business model, and they continue to scrutinize their ethical standards to keep up with an ever-changing regulatory environment."