Report: Worst Hospitals for Unnecessary Procedures

Abstract: In what was called a first-of-its-kind list, the Lown Institute on Tuesday released the names of the worst 50 and best 50 hospitals ranked by how frequently their patients had any of 12 procedures largely regarded as unnecessary. Lown president Vikas Saini, MD, said for the hospitals with the most overuse, "it appears there is a culture. The evidence that these procedures are not useful hasn't penetrated or is being ignored." Saini warned that overuse isn't just a matter of the hospitals performing more revenue-generating procedures; patients could be harmed. "When you're getting stuff done that's not necessary, you are subjecting yourself to a risk of harm, and even if the harm is very small, even if the risk is small, it's still real," he said, especially if you're the unfortunate person that develops that complication.