Our Commitment to Social Causes | UHS, King of Prussia, PA

Corporate Recognition

UHS is respected in the healthcare industry, building an impressive record of achievement such as being named year after year to the Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies list, the Fortune 500 ranking and the Forbes Global 2000.

Learn more about UHS awards and rankings →

High-Quality Healthcare Services

In 2021, our hospitals, facilities and teams have attained numerous accolades for the care we deliver and the leadership we demonstrate, including:

Twelve Acute Care hospitals earned an “A” safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, recognizing our efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards.
UHS was named the #1 “Healthcare System” for reputation score by Reputation.com. Our Acute Care hospitals were rated 4.2 out of 5 stars, surpassing most in-market competitors.
Patients at our Behavioral Health facilities rated their care 4.4 out of 5 in our patient satisfaction surveys. Of patients surveyed, 91% report upon discharge that they felt better following treatment at our facility.
Our Cygnet Health Care facilities in the U.K. consistently maintain our high standards across their portfolio, with 82% of Cygnet facilities rated Good or Outstanding by U.K. regulators.

Learn more about Acute Care Quality awards/rankings →
Learn more about Behavioral Health Quality awards/rankings →

Community Outreach/Charitable Care

UHS’ commitment to the communities it serves begins with quality healthcare services and specialized programs. UHS also shows support of the local areas through uncompensated care, charitable donations and hosting of community events and programs.

In 2021, UHS Acute Care facilities in the U.S. contributed $2 billion in charity care and uninsured discounts to qualified patients.
Our community stewardship also includes donations, employees volunteering time and hosting fundraising events (i.e., toy drives, food collections, organized walks, etc.) to benefit a wide range of healthcare, civic and community-based organizations throughout the year. Individual facilities offer a variety of free programs and events to help educate and support the local communities, such as health and wellness classes and screenings, seminars, support groups and health-related services and events.
UHS’ Behavioral Health Division offers a wide variety of programs and services to TRICARE® members and their beneficiaries. In addition, specialized Patriot Support Programs are available at a number of our U.S. facilities providing high-quality, behavioral health care to active-duty military personnel, veterans, first responders and their families. In 2021, UHS Behavioral Health Facilities and Patriot Support Programs provided care for more than 18,000 service members, veterans and family members.

Learn more about our military program →

Reaction to COVID-19

At UHS, we have continually risen as a team to meet the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we continued to be safe, trusted providers of high-quality healthcare and valued resources for evidence-based information and guidance to our served communities.

Our frontline providers stepped up to meet demands for quality care and compassion throughout the pandemic. Internal procurement teams took on the challenge of securing critical medical supplies, equipment and staff, despite supply chain disruptions and shortages in competitive markets. Incident Command and Communication teams worked together to provide continual, up-to-date guidance to facility leadership throughout the organization regarding treatment and safety protocols. Further, Environmental teams worked to improve efficiencies and, when needed, implemented additional protocols to ensure safe, clean and trusted environments for our patients, visitors and staff.

Our Workforce

Our team of 89,000 individuals enables UHS to make a meaningful impact on our patients, their families and the communities we serve.

Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. We are fully compliant with all federal, state and local laws and regulations related to equal opportunity employment and nondiscrimination matters for all protected classes of employees (i.e., religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and military status, among others).
UHS is a founding member company supporting the Veterans Jobs Mission, the leading private sector solution addressing U.S. military veteran unemployment. In 2021, UHS employed more than 1,500 veterans, an increase of 24% since 2020.

Learn more about Cygnet Health Care’s Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group →

Development and Training

Whether it be through formal training programs or informal mentoring and networking opportunities, individuals can develop their skills and benefit from support and inspiration from helpful, experienced professionals.

UHS’ Learning and Development team offers a variety of professional and leadership development programs to strengthen our company, support our employees’ career goals and assist with succession planning.
The Corporate New Employee Orientation program introduces new employees to UHS’ Mission, Vision, Principles, and Values; our policies and procedures; and employee benefits and resources.
As part of their onboarding process, new Corporate employees participate in a two-hour Service Excellence training session to learn about:
- Service Excellence Attributes that serve as the foundation of UHS’ corporate culture — continuous improvement, employee development, ethical and fair treatment of all, teamwork, compassion, and innovation in service delivery.
- Service Excellence Standards that define how we interact daily — treating everyone as a guest, demonstrating professionalism and excellence, and practicing teamwork.
Service Excellence Facilitator Workshops are offered to expand awareness and adoption of these core Attributes and Standards throughout all subsidiary entities. After successfully completing the workshop, participants are certified to conduct Service Excellence training at their respective facilities.

Developing an Internal Talent Pipeline

UHS is vested in identifying and nurturing the leadership qualities of team members, from our first-time managers to top-level executives.

Our L3 Executive Development Program was developed for aspiring CEOs of Acute Care and Behavioral Health facilities. Called L3 because it focuses on the three leadership qualities of innovation, execution and results, this rigorous program exposes high-potential employees to a variety of relevant learning experiences.

Implementation of the L3 program has led to a meaningful increase in the percentage of executives who were promoted within the company, especially among Acute Care Chief Operating Officers (COOs). Since the launch of the L3 program, the percentage of COOs who were promoted to this position from within the company nearly doubled to 81%.

To support our managers, we provide various resources, such as coaching guides, webinars, on-line classes and more.
Training programs include specialty tracks — such as for Nursing, COOs, CFOs, Emerging Leaders — and are constantly evolving.
In 2021, HR Essentials was launched for all supervisors with direct reports to create awareness of HR basics, their role and responsibilities, and the importance of partnering with local HR departments and leadership to foster and ensure a compliant, risk-avoidant, positive and safe work environment for all employees.
In early 2022, Business Basics was implemented for Corporate employees looking to enhance their professional skills, such as business writing, email etiquette and time management.
In addition to formal training programs, UHS employees have access to a Corporate Divisional team. Due to UHS’ size and scope, these teams can share best practices and expertise across most key areas of the business (i.e., Clinical, Business Development, Managed Care, Finance, Risk, etc.).

UHS Graduate Medical Education Programs

Between June 2018 and July 2022, the number of UHS sponsored Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs more than tripled, from 5 programs to 18. Active programs include residency specialties in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pharmacy and Transitional Year.
As the number of UHS sponsored programs increased and activated, and new programs matured, the number of residents within these programs increased. Between June 2018 and January 2022, the total residents in UHS sponsored programs nearly tripled from 89 to 262. By July 1, 2022, the number of residents in UHS sponsored programs is expected to jump further to 315, and then to nearly 500 within two years.
The UHS GME Program currently has 59 total Academic Partnership Programs within our UHS Acute facilities. Collectively, these facilities are currently training approximately 637 total residents and fellows.

Learn more about our GME programs →

Nursing Apprenticeships/Internships

A variety of programs and opportunities are offered to help nurses learn, grow and advance in their careers.
Across the company, UHS provides internships to students at local education institutions, and its employees frequently serve as guest lecturers at the schools. In 2021, the UHS Corporate Office hired 30 interns for its Information Services and Supply Chain departments.

Learn more about recent examples of nursing development opportunities:

Employee Benefits

UHS nurtures the personal, professional and financial health and well-being of our team members and their families through a diverse range of benefits. Healthcare benefits include medical insurance, dental and vision care coverage, and resources to help enrollees maintain a healthy quality of life. UHS also offers accident, critical illness and pet insurance.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and other resources are available to address the emotional needs of employees and their loved ones, including access to telemedicine and a new mobile app that offers access to self-help mental health programs.
Our Financial Program allows employees to effectively manage their investments by offering competitive savings, retirement and employee stock purchase plans; health savings accounts; tuition assistance and student loan refinancing for qualified employees. Other offerings include mortgage, home and auto insurance programs; legal assistance and identity theft programs.
UHS offers an extensive program of voluntary benefits, discounts, promotions and resources aimed to help employees balance personal, family and work life. This includes access to Rethink, a free research-based program that provides support to parents raising children with learning or behavioral challenges or developmental disabilities; Veteran Connection and COVID-19-specific information and resources.

UHS Foundation for Employees

In 2005, we established the UHS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity that provides assistance to UHS employees who have been affected by hardship due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, fires and tornadoes, and more recently, by a national public health pandemic. To date, the UHS Foundation has disbursed nearly $3 million to employees needing assistance for living expenses, including housing, utilities, clothing and other necessities.
In 2021, more than 50 employees affected by severe winter storms in Texas, Hurricane Ida and its remnants, or tornadoes in Kentucky were given assistance.

Learn more about Employee Assistance programs at UHS →

Employment Engagement

In partnership with an independent outside vendor, UHS’ Corporate Human Resources department deploys an Employment Engagement Survey biannually, giving employees the opportunity to express their opinions about the corporation and provide ideas on how to enhance their work experience. A shorter 20-question Pulse Survey is sent out the years when the full survey is not. Responses are confidential and reported as an aggregate total by department, for each facility and Corporate.

Managers are encouraged to share the results with their team and work together to address any lower-scoring areas through action planning.
Feedback from the surveys have led, for example, to creation of TEAM C.A.R.E., an employee-run program that focuses on Connecting, Attracting, Retaining and Engaging employees. Its three committees — Career Enrichment, Health & Wellness and Social & Community — deliver programming, content and events that enrich the overall UHS Corporate Office employee experience.
In the U.K., as part of its Diversity and Inclusion strategy, Cygnet established the Cygnet Multicultural Network and the LGBTQ+ Network. The Cygnet Multicultural Network was established to identify and raise the profile of the unique needs of staff from ethnic minorities, share experiences and provide a voice for staff from ethnic minorities, strategically influence policy and procedures to reflect issues faced by staff from ethnic minority backgrounds, and act on concerns and effect positive change.
The LGBTQ+ Network is committed to promoting change; reducing stigma, discrimination and prejudice; and creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ colleagues to connect and support each other.

Learn more about employee benefits and perks →

Employee Recognition/Awards

UHS recognizes the meaningful contributions our Corporate and healthcare facility team members make to the lives of patients, their families and our communities through tributes, awards and messaging from Corporate leadership.

Each year UHS bestows Service Excellence Awards to recognize those employees and facilities who provide world-class service — service that is professional, timely, effective and efficient to all our customers, at all times.
- Corporate home office employees are also nominated for this award. Up to three winners are selected by the Corporate Senior Leadership team annually. At the facility level, three Service Excellence Awards are presented at the annual leadership conference to a deserving Acute Care Division facility, Behavioral Health Residential Treatment Center and Behavioral Health acute psychiatric facility.

In 2021, Corporate senior leadership awarded all UHS facilities a Service Excellence Award as a gesture of gratitude for their quality service in the year 2020 during the height of the pandemic.

Other Awards include:
- Chairman’s Council Award — Presented to facility CEOs who met or exceeded financial goals; satisfaction scores for physicians, patients and employees; community involvement goals and consistent overall leadership.
- Quality Awards — Presented to one facility in each category (Acute Care, Behavioral Health Residential Treatment Center and Behavioral Health Acute) based on their performance, including quality and safety ratings from the industry (i.e., HCAHPS, Leapfrog, CMS, The Joint Commission) and/or patients.
- Corporate and Facility Service Anniversaries — Each year, UHS recognizes Corporate employees’ milestone work anniversaries with a Service Anniversary certificate and gift. Some UHS facilities also offer Service Anniversary awards to eligible facility employees.
Facilities also regularly issue employee recognition awards nominated by leadership or peers such as “Non-Clinical or Clinical Employee of the Month,” “Employee of the Year,” “Going the Extra Mile,” and “Growth and Development Winner” to recognize deserving colleagues.
At Acute Care facilities, DAISY Awards are celebrated for those singled out by patients, visitors or staff for their excellence in compassionate care and dedication to our patients and their families.
Since late 2021, our Behavioral Health facilities in the U.K. have been distributing Cygnet Nightingale Awards to those nominated by their colleagues for going above and beyond in their role and displaying excellence in the six Cs of nursing: Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment.

To show appreciation for their hard-working staff, Behavioral Health facilities began creating comfortable “Recharge” spaces where staff can enjoy quiet time to relax and rejuvenate. Employees are encouraged to be creative in designing the space.

Learn more about a recent example of this Employee Appreciation Program →

Privacy and Data Security

At UHS, Privacy and Data Security is one of our top priorities. The team’s mission is to preserve the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information assets in accordance with Information Security Policies for employees and patients. A main focus is to appropriately identify, select, deploy, maintain and improve information security controls.
Currently there are 48 privacy and security related policies at the Corporate level and maintained locally by U.S. hospital business units.
We adhere to privacy and security policies and the several federal and state laws and other regulatory requirements related to data privacy and security, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule and the Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements governing compliant technology and processes of consumer credit card information.
UHS’ Privacy and Data Security team is led by a Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer and a Chief Information Security Officer, as well as designated hospital-based facility Privacy Officers. Meanwhile, third-party cybersecurity firms provide continual monitoring and investigation services, including regular security penetration tests and audits.
All staff complete required annual training on data privacy and cybersecurity, accounting for an investment of over 45,000 hours each year on this important education.