Prognosis for Rural Hospitals Worsens With Pandemic
As COVID-19 continues to spread, an increasing number of rural communities find themselves without their hospital or on the brink of losing already cash-strapped facilities. More
VIDEO: US News “Best Hospitals” ranking vs the Lown Hospitals Index
In this latest edition of “Lown Hospitals Q&A,” Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini discuss why certain hospitals on the top of the US News ranking don't come out on top in the Lown Index. More
Tackling health care consolidation to build a better health system
What has been the impact of hospital consolidation, and what can we do to reverse the harm from health care monopolies? At the second in an Open Markets Institute webinar series, health care experts outlined some of the key steps forward. More
Hospital-acquired infections may be rising as COVID-19 strains workforce
Infection control specialists are being deployed to battle COVID-19, but there are concerns the workforce is being stretched thin and hospital-acquired infections may be rising as a result. More
It’s not just Nabel: Why Boston’s hospital CEOs don’t belong on corporate boards
When nonprofit medicine and nitty-gritty capitalism mix, the potential for financial conflicts abound. More
As Georgia Reopened, Officials Knew of Severe Shortage of PPE for Health Workers
As the coronavirus crisis deepened in April, Georgia officials circulated documents showing that to get through the next month, the state would need millions more masks, gowns and other supplies than it had on hand. More
Trump administration limits FDA review of some coronavirus tests
The policy change has been a major point of tension for weeks between HHS and FDA. More
VIDEO: How much is too much for hospital CEO compensation?
In this latest edition of “Lown Hospitals Q&A,” Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini discuss trends in hospital executive pay and explain why the Lown Institute included pay equity as a metric on the Lown Institute Hospitals Index More
Health Experts Warn About Perils of New Virus Data Collection System
An administration shift is putting a burden on hospitals and undercutting the integrity of data on the pandemic, current and former members of a federal advisory panel said. More
Business Is Booming for Dialysis Giant Fresenius. It Took a $137M Bailout Anyway.
Half of the money the Trump administration gave dialysis companies was collected by Fresenius, an international juggernaut with a robust balance sheet, a KHN analysis has found. More
Conflicts running rampant in the Covid era
As our country faces difficult decisions about how to mitigate the pandemic, pharmaceutical companies are wielding their influence through contributions to policymakers, health care administrators, and journalists. More
8 August — Lown Institute on Community Matters
For this week in Community Matters we are sharing two great interviews with you. The first is with Dr. Saini of the Lown Institute, and he’ll be sharing some results from the Hospitals Index his organization has just completed. This index essentially compares Virginia hospitals with each other based on an equal set of criteria, and he also addresses how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the quality of care in our region. More
Brigham and Women’s president wrote opinion piece critical of efforts to control drug prices
Dr. Elizabeth Nabel did not disclose her role as a board member at Cambridge biotech Moderna. The hospital says the 'omission was not intentional' and she now regrets it More
Major U.S. Health Insurers Report Big Profits, Benefiting From the Pandemic
Consumers are probably entitled to millions of dollars in rebates under Obamacare rules that cap companies’ profits. More
Drug company influence on journalism
Many times through the years, HealthNewsReview.org has criticized the National Press Foundation in Washington, DC, for accepting drug company funding for journalism training. More
VIDEO: Racism and hospital access
Everyone has been talking about structural racism in criminal justice, but what about health care? In this latest edition of "Lown Hospitals Q&A," Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini discuss what the Lown Hospitals Index inclusivity metric shows about race and hospital access. More
As front-line workers suffer layoffs and furloughs, giving executives bonuses can stir resentment
Only 16% of providers are eliminating bonus payouts entirely this year as COVID-19 roils the healthcare industry and the broader economy. More
Don’t Count on Lower Premiums Despite Pandemic-Driven Boon for Insurers
Early in the pandemic, insurers expected the costs of treating COVID-19 would vastly increase medical spending. Instead, non-COVID care has plummeted and insurers have pocketed the result. More
Workers Filed More Than 4,100 Complaints About Protective Gear. Some Still Died.
As health workers were dying of COVID-19, federal work-safety officials filed just one citation against an employer and rapidly closed complaints about protective gear. More
Seeking to battle high drug prices and the opioid crisis, two states ponder banning gifts to doctors
Lawmakers in two states have introduced bills in the past month that would ban drug makers from giving most gifts to doctors. More