Hospital financial
assistance & debt
collection policies
A national data set
2025 BLASR
Learn more about our most recent winner of the Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility, Dr. Reshma Ramachandran!
Making hospital
tax breaks work
for communities
An analysis of 20 states
2024 Shkreli Awards
A top ten list of the worst examples of healthcare profiteering and dysfunction each year
Back surgery overuse
200,000 unnecessary procedures at a cost of $2 billion to Medicare
Avoiding Overuse: Coronary Stents
How professional inertia harms patients and wastes billions of dollars
America’s Most Racially Inclusive Hospitals
Socially responsible hospitals serve everyone in their communities.
Pay Equity
How much should we pay nonprofit hospital CEOs? What are we rewarding them for — and what metrics could we base their salaries on instead?
About
The Lown Institute is a think tank generating bold ideas for a just and caring system for health. more
FEATURED
Leadership
Vikas Saini
President
Blog
When hospitals exclude elective care from financial assistance
Hospitals have a lot of leeway to decide who is eligible for financial assistance. In some cases, hospitals don't allow any elective care to be eligible. What impact could that have on health or medical debt? More
“Meeting people where they are”: A conversation with America’s most socially responsible hospitals
Hospital leaders explained how their institutional culture, policies, and workforce help them deliver high-quality and high-value care while still prioritizing equity. More
PRESS RELEASE: Top hospitals in American named by the Lown Institute
125 “socially responsible” hospitals earn Honor Roll status for outcomes, value, and equity BOSTON—More than 100 U.S. hospitals achieved top performance across measures of equity, value, and outcomes, according to the 2025 Lown Hospitals Index. Despite workforce shortages, rising costs, looming Medicaid cuts, and other challenges, Lown Institute analysts say this year’s Honor Roll demonstrates […] More