Meet Imari, the Lown Institute’s new Health Communications Specialist
Meet our new Health Communications Specialist, Imari Daniels! More
Blog
Report: Texas Hospitals Use Too Many Stents
Texas is home to three of the ten U.S. hospitals that overuse stents the most, according to new research from The Lown Institute. The costly procedure is unnecessarily performed every seven minutes, and UT Southwestern’s Clements University Hospital is among the facilities that overuse stents the most. More
LISTEN: The “biggest moonshot” is fixing American healthcare
On the The Commonwealth Fund's podcast, "The Dose," Dr. Vikas Saini talked with host Joel Bervell about all things healthcare, from price transparency at hospitals to the epidemic of unnecessary coronary stents. More
What makes hospitals comply with price transparency rules (or not)?
Since 2021, CMS has required hospitals to publish pricing information online. What are the latest updates on these rules, and what drives hospitals to comply? More
10 hospitals with the lowest rate of stent overuse: Lown Institute
A new report from the Lown Institute finds that hospitals' unnecessary coronary stent use costs Medicare $800 million a year. More
US Taxpayers Spend Over $800million A YEAR On Unnecessary Heart Stents, Report Finds
Stents are small mesh tubes inserted into weak or narrow arteries and other passageways to keep them open in patients with coronary artery disease, widen arteries clogged with plaque, and keep blood flowing. The new report estimated that one in five stents implanted between 2019 and 2021 were unnecessary because the patient was not at high risk for a heart attack, the Lown Institute, an independent research firm, found.
Taxpayers Spent Over $800 Million For Unnecessary Coronary Stents A Year, Report Finds
Unnecessary coronary stents cost taxpayers $800 million yearly: study
By the numbers: Hospitals placed about 1 million stents in Medicare beneficiaries between 2019 and 2021, and more than 1 in 5 met the criteria for overuse, according to the Lown Institute, a health care think tank. More
Recent developments of interest in cardiovascular medicine
One Texas hospital has over half of stents placed meeting criteria for overuseopens in a new tab or window, according to the nationwide ranking in a report from the Lown Institute. More
Hospitals’ unnecessary stent use costs Medicare $800M a year
"The frequency at which stents are overused shows that many physicians are struggling to keep up with the evidence," Vikas Sani, MD, cardiologist and president of the Lown Institute, said in an Oct. 31 news release. "To be socially responsible, hospitals need to take a more active role in reducing these unnecessary procedures." More
Stents are costly, overused: study
The researchers said the unnecessary procedures aren’t only costly for Medicare but can also run a patient around $1,600, with Medicare paying the remaining roughly $9,000. Stent procedures also run the risk of tears in the artery, blood clots and kidney damage, according to the report. More
‘More dangerous than useful’: 1 in 5 coronary stents implanted by cardiologists are unnecessary, wasting $800M per year
“When physicians continue a practice despite the evidence against it, it becomes more dangerous than useful.” cardiologist Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute, said in statement. “The overuse of stents is incredibly wasteful and puts hundreds of thousands of patients in harm’s way.” More
Unnecessary stents can cost Medicare $800 million a year, new analysis estimates
A report out today from the Lown Institute says unnecessary use of coronary stents could cost Medicare an estimated $800 million a year. Looking at more than 1,700 hospitals and outpatient centers, the think tank determined more than 1 in 5 procedures from 2019 through 2021 met criteria for overuse. More
Once every seven minutes, a Medicare patient gets a coronary stent they don’t need, report says.
More than one in five coronary stents doctors placed in Medicare patients from 2019 through 2022 weren't needed; and they cost the federal health program and beneficiaries about $2.4 billion, according to the analysis by Lown Institute, a nonprofit think tank. More
The prevalence and harm of unnecessary stents
A new report from the Lown Institute finds that U.S. hospitals performed more than 229,000 unnecessary stents on Medicare patients from 2019-2021. Here's what overuse experts had to say about the issue... More
PRESS RELEASE: Unnecessary coronary stents cost Medicare as much as $800 million per year
How professional inertia harms patients and wastes billions of dollars. More
Ways to Give
Your support is crucial in helping us achieve our mission and there are many impactful ways to give. Make a cash donation A direct donation of cash is one of the easiest ways to support our work. Donate stock Donating stock is a great way to support the Lown Institute while potentially enjoying significant tax […] More
Healthcare’s “pink tax” is more complicated than it seems
The “pink tax” is the concept that women’s products and services tend to be priced higher than men’s. Is there a “pink tax” in healthcare as well? More
WATCH: The data we need for more equitable care
Last week, the American Medical Association (AMA) brought together experts to discuss issues of data and measurement in the latest edition of their National Health Equity Grand Rounds series. More
The rising debate about hospital community benefits: Sanders vs AHA
Two new reports — one from Bernie Sanders' Senate committee and one from the American Hospitals Association — provide very different views on hospital community benefit spending. Here’s what you need to know. More