How NY hospitals are addressing inequality and diversity in leadership
New index assesses quality, value and civic leadership of New Jersey hospitals
“At a time when communities are relying on them like never before, hospitals must rethink what it means to be great,” said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute. “COVID-19 highlights how hospitals are essential community partners for anyone in need. To be great, however, a hospital cannot only provide care that’s high in quality. It must also deliver value and advance equality. Our index is designed to help them do just that.” More
In a new hospital ranking, doing good counts nearly as much as doing well
No previous hospital rankings use “civic leadership,” which includes community-minded policies such as charity care, financial aid, and paying all staffers a living wage, or “value of care,” meaning whether a hospital avoids 13 procedures of questionable or clearly absent clinical benefit. The Lown Institute, a nonprofit think tank in Brookline, Mass., incorporated both measures into its rankings of 3,282 hospitals because “it is time for hospitals to rethink what it means to be great,” said Lown’s president, physician Vikas Saini. More
PRESS RELEASE: Can 2020 Push Hospitals From Good To Great?
The new Lown Institute Hospitals Index assesses civic leadership, value, and outcomes at US Hospitals. More
Introducing the Best Hospitals for America
If we want to start holding hospitals more accountable for improving their performance, however, we first need a reliable set of metrics to hold them accountable to. Unfortunately, those metrics don’t exist—not in government or the private sector. More
Data show panic and disorganization dominate the study of Covid-19 drugs
A new STAT analysis shows the effort to study treatments has been marked by disorder and chaos, with huge financial resources wasted. More
What are Tennessee’s best hospitals?
"At a time when communities are relying on them like never before, hospitals must rethink what it means to be great," said Vikas Saini, M.D., president of the Lown Institute. "COVID-19 highlights how hospitals are essential community partners for anyone in need. To be great, however, a hospital cannot only provide care that's high in quality. It must also deliver value and advance equality." More
US hospitals function like businesses. That’s why they are struggling amid COVID pandemic.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, hospitals are closing. Hospitals should serve the public, not owners' pocketbooks. More
I Got Tested for COVID-19. Then I Got Billed.
Online registration, a drive through nasal swab and a short phone call. Then my insurance company was billed $1,844. More
Why Surviving the Virus Might Come Down to Which Hospital Admits You
In New York City’s poor neighborhoods, some patients have languished in understaffed hospitals, with substandard equipment. It was a different story in Manhattan’s private medical centers. More
She Went To The ER To Try To Get A Coronavirus Test And Ended Up $1,840 In Debt
Carmen Quintero couldn't get a coronavirus test but ended up with a huge bill for trying to. She also was told to self-isolate and had no choice but to use vacation time to stay home from work. More
Lown Institute Hospitals Index
The Lown Hospitals Index is a new kind of hospital ranking, one that takes into account the full breadth of what hospitals do. More
The FDA Needs to Get Back to Basics
The agency should take every measure to ensure the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs under emergency use authorization. More
Gilead’s $2,340 price for coronavirus drug draws criticism
The maker of a drug shown to shorten recovery time for severely ill COVID-19 patients says it will charge $2,340 for a typical treatment course for people covered by government health programs in the United States and other developed countries. More
Podcast: Pandemic Fat Cats
There’s another coronavirus. This one, causing horrific swelling in cats, even killing them. Gilead Pharmacueticals might have a drug that can cure this feline coronavirus. Yet, they’re not sharing that drug, possibly because they’re scared it might harm their chances with another drug: Remdesivir. You may have heard of it; it’s the supposed ‘gold standard’ of care for COVID-19. The story of Remdesivir (and of the black market cat drug sibling) reveals how pharmaceutical companies do their research, and the lengths they go to protect their profits. More
Regeneron Funneled Kickbacks Through a Patient Charity, Federal Lawsuit Claims
The case is the latest inquiry into pharmaceutical companies’ donations to patient assistance charities, which have been blamed for inflating the cost of drugs. More
Inside the U.S.’s Largest Maximum-Security Prison, COVID-19 Raged. Outside, Officials Called Their Fight a Success.
Inmates at Angola prison in Louisiana told ProPublica of widespread illness, dysfunctional care and deadly neglect as the coronavirus outbreak hit. More
Remdesivir report sparks more debate on drug price value
How much should remdesivir cost? This question puts two drug-value organizations at odds. More
Mass. General Brigham cuts executive salaries, freezes pay for others
The state's largest health care network says cost-saving measures will affect 50,000 workers across the company. More