Unnecessary
Back Surgeries

200,000 procedures at a cost of $2 billion to Medicare

About

The Lown Institute is a think tank generating bold ideas for a just and caring system for health. more

The system must incentivize healing over profiteering.

Patients should get all the care they need, and none that they do not.

Good health should transcend neighborhood, income, and background.

Compassion and humility are central to the practice of healing.

Dr. Bernard Lown
(1921-2021)

Learn about the pioneering cardiologist, humanitarian, and Lown Institute founder.

Lown
Institute Hospitals Index

We assess the social responsibility of hospitals using more than 50 metrics.

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Shkreli
Awards

Spotlighting the worst in health care profiteering and dysfunction.

Leadership

Vikas Saini

President

Blog

Five ways to reduce back surgery overuse

The Lown Institute released new data on unnecessary back surgeries in Medicare, identifying 200,000 low-value procedures and $2 billion in Medicare dollars wasted over three years. Back surgery overuse varies widely among states, hospitals, and even doctors in the same hospital. We brought together Dr. Sohail Mirza, orthopedic surgeon and professor at Dartmouth College, and […] More