For the second consecutive year, Ochsner Health has earned a distinguished place on the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in Health Care list, a testament to its unwavering commitment to fostering an exceptional organizational culture and delivering exemplary patient care. This prestigious accolade, awarded by Fortune Media in partnership with the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place to Work, is derived from an extensive analysis of feedback from nearly 228,000 healthcare employees affiliated with certified organizations nationwide. Such recognition underscores Ochsner Health’s extraordinary capacity to provide a supportive, inclusive, and empowering environment for its workforce, which is crucial in shaping the future of healthcare delivery.
Central to this accolade is the rigorous Trust Index Survey, the proprietary evaluative tool utilized by Great Place to Work. This comprehensive instrument captures nuanced employee experiences, measuring elements such as trust in leadership, collaboration, respect, fairness, and innovation within the workplace. The data stems from responses collected across more than 1.3 million participants representing over 8.4 million employees, making it one of the most expansive and detailed workplace culture assessments globally. Ochsner’s prominent ranking within the large company category signals its strategic success in nurturing a workplace where staff feel highly valued and motivated to deliver clinical excellence.
The foundation of Ochsner Health’s organizational ethos is its people-first philosophy. As expressed by Tracey Schiro, Executive Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer, the organization prioritizes the holistic development and well-being of its employees. This philosophy is embedded in Ochsner’s mechanisms to support professional growth, mental health, and work-life integration, recognizing that such support directly enhances patient outcomes. By fostering an environment where healthcare providers operate with passion and purpose, Ochsner ensures that each interaction with patients is driven by empathy, expertise, and a shared mission to improve community health standards.
From a clinical operations perspective, the correlation between workplace culture and healthcare quality is increasingly profound. Studies in organizational behavior within medical institutions reveal that environments characterized by high trust and inclusivity enable better teamwork and communication among multidisciplinary teams. Ochsner’s achievement reflects an operational model where systemic improvement initiatives, continuous education, and collaborative problem-solving are prioritized, leading to safer patient environments and reduced medical errors. The organization’s vision of ‘patients-first’ is actualized not just in policy but through the attitudes and behaviors cultivated throughout its workforce.
The competitive nature of the Best Workplaces in Health Care list further amplifies the significance of Ochsner’s recognition. The healthcare sector, particularly large health systems, face unprecedented challenges including workforce shortages, technological transformation, and escalating patient complexity. Ochsner’s ability to maintain a thriving culture amidst these pressures demonstrates resilience and strategic agility. This recognition by Fortune and Great Place to Work validates Ochsner’s comprehensive approach to workforce engagement, which integrates data-driven insights, employee feedback loops, and adaptive leadership models designed to foster ongoing improvement.
Leadership at Ochsner underscores that organizational values drive this success. As articulated by CEO Pete November, the core principles of integrity, compassion, inclusivity, excellence, and teamwork are not mere slogans but guiding compasses influencing daily operations. This value-based leadership approach promotes psychological safety, encouraging innovation and diversity of thought critical to advancing healthcare quality. The resulting culture engenders high employee morale, retention, and a collective sense of purpose, all essential for navigating the complexities of modern healthcare delivery.
Ochsner Health’s repeated inclusion on this list aligns with its broader strategy of quality and innovation recognition. Previous honors, such as being named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek and receiving Forbes’ Top Workplace designation, complement this latest achievement and attest to a sustained organizational commitment to excellence. These accolades collectively signal to stakeholders—including patients, employees, and the wider medical community—that Ochsner prioritizes human-centered care environments backed by robust cultural frameworks.
The methodology behind the Best Workplaces in Health Care ranking takes into account an array of employee experience dimensions specific to healthcare settings. The survey probes perceptions across trust, fairness in policies, professional development opportunities, and workplace inclusivity, tailored for entities ranging from small clinics to expansive hospital networks. The emphasis on benchmarking against verified Great Place to Work Certified companies enhances credibility, ensuring that organizations like Ochsner are evaluated in a rigorous, peer-comparative context rather than through anecdotal impressions.
At a time when healthcare systems worldwide grapple with burnout, workforce attrition, and evolving care paradigms, Ochsner’s model offers instructive insights. By embedding a culture of recognition and holistic support, Ochsner creates a milieu where frontline caregivers can thrive professionally and personally. Psychological resilience, sustained motivation, and continuous learning are fostered through transparent communication channels, leadership accessibility, and initiatives targeting diversity and inclusion. These elements collectively empower healthcare providers to excel even in high-stress environments, ultimately enhancing patient safety and satisfaction.
Furthermore, the intersection of workplace culture and patient outcomes is gaining empirical support through longitudinal studies linking employee engagement with clinical performance metrics. Institutions like Ochsner are pioneering the integration of culture analytics into operational excellence frameworks, deploying survey data to inform targeted interventions that address key workforce pain points. This strategic use of data fortifies organizational agility, enabling real-time responses to changing staff needs and reinforcing a cycle of continuous improvement grounded in qualitative and quantitative feedback.
Ochsner Health’s scale—with over 40,000 dedicated team members and more than 4,900 employed and affiliated physicians—demands sophisticated human capital management systems. Leveraging advanced data analytics, wellbeing programs, and leadership development initiatives, the organization maintains alignment between individual aspirations and institutional goals. This alignment is crucial for maintaining service excellence across its expansive footprint, comprising 47 hospitals and over 370 health and urgent care centers spanning the Gulf South region. Through this, Ochsner sustains a dynamic yet cohesive culture capable of adapting rapidly to healthcare innovations and demographic changes.
Importantly, the recognition from Fortune and Great Place to Work carries implications beyond accolades; it functions as a strategic asset in recruiting top-tier healthcare talent amid fierce competition. The acknowledgment acts as a beacon for professionals seeking workplaces that prioritize ethical leadership, career growth, and meaningful patient care contributions. For patients, the assurance of receiving care within an organization renowned for its positive workforce culture translates to confidence in the quality, safety, and compassion embedded in every clinical encounter. This cyclical reinforcement of culture and care excellence positions Ochsner as a leader in both health outcomes and workforce sustainability.
In sum, Ochsner Health’s consecutive listing on the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in Health Care is a compelling narrative of how deeply embedded cultural values, strategic leadership, and employee-centric practices converge to elevate healthcare delivery. It exemplifies the modern healthcare imperative to balance operational rigor with human-centered engagement. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve amidst technological advancements and shifting patient needs, Ochsner’s model offers a replicable blueprint illustrating the power of culture as a primary catalyst for enduring organizational success and superior patient care.
Subject of Research: Workplace culture and employee engagement in healthcare settings
Article Title: Ochsner Health Recognized Again on Fortune’s 2025 Best Workplaces in Health Care: A Case Study in Culture-Driven Healthcare Excellence
News Publication Date: 2024
Web References:
- https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/health-care/2025
- https://www.ochsner.org/
- https://fortune.com/
Image Credits: Ochsner Health
Keywords: Health care, Workplace culture, Employee engagement, Healthcare excellence, Patient safety, Organizational behavior
