A recent investigation found that Allina Health System has been rejecting patients with unpaid medical bills. Why is this allowed, and are other hospitals doing it? More
1.63 million excess deaths over two decades - that’s the estimated toll of the racial inequities embedded in modern America, according to a new study in JAMA. How does this play out on the city level, and what can we do about it? More
What can we learn about hospital carbon emissions from the EPA's "Energy Star" program? More
Our latest spotlight features Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago, which was one of the top hospitals for Fair Share Spending in the nation in 2022. We spoke with Dr. Ngozi Ezike, President and CEO of Sinai Chicago, about Mount Sinai Hospital’s role in the community and their vision for the future. More
A recent study suggests that artificial intelligence chatbots are able to respond effectively to patient questions and may even perform better in certain ways than human physicians. What does this say about the flaws of the current healthcare system, and should doctors be concerned? More
A recent analysis by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit health care think tank, highlighted some key USPSTF figures that show the limits of mammograms in a helpful way. The analysis imagines a world without screening mammograms, in which women seek evaluation for breast cancer only when they notice a breast lump or other concerning symptoms. According to the USPSTF’s models, about 28 out of every 1,000 women in this world would die from breast cancer at some point in their lives.
However, a health-care think tank, Lown Institute, found that more than three quarters of the 1,773 nonprofit hospitals in the US it examined shortchanged communities by providing less charity care and investments than the value of their tax breaks. Its most recent Fair Share Spending report shows a total “fair share” deficit of $14.2 billion for those hospitals in 2020. More
Should Medicare pay more for the same service delivered in an outpatient facility when it's owned by a hospital? That's the key question behind the push for site-neutral payments, a policy change that federal and state policymakers are considering. More
The Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility was created in honor of Dr. Lown after his death in 2021, recognizes young clinicians who stand out for their bold leadership in social justice, environmentalism, global peace, or other humanitarian efforts. More
The USPSTF just lowered the recommended screening age for breast cancer from 50 to 40. What were the reasons for this change and what are the potential harms and benefits? More
See what policymakers across the country doing to improve transparency and accountability around hospital community benefit spending. More
Last week, Lown president Dr. Vikas Saini was presented with the Donabedian International Award. In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Saini shared his vision for a future of medicine that uses new technologies for socially responsible goals, while still keeping empathy and the human connection in medicine at the forefront. More
Safety net hospitals across the US are closing at a disturbing rate. What's driving this trend, and what's the impact on communities? More
Hospitals still have a long way to go. A recent analysis by the Lown Institute, a health care think tank, found that more than three-quarters of nonprofit hospitals spent less on charity care and community investment than they reaped in tax breaks. More
A recent editorial published in JAMA Dermatology discussed the balance between prevention and overdiagnosis of skin cancer. This comes in response to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluding for the fourth time in a row that visual skin cancer screening has insufficient evidence to support its population-wide benefit. How do we know when we’ve crossed from prevention to overuse, and is there anything we can do to keep the balance? More
What is the hospital community benefit standard and why is it getting so much attention? If you want to get up to date fast on this key health policy issue, we've got you covered... More
An April report from the Lown Institute, a think tank on health-care equity, said nonprofit hospitals are spending less on charity care than they receive in benefits from their tax-exempt status. More
“Polypharmacy”, as doctors call it, imposes a big drag on health. A recent study at a hospital in Liverpool found that nearly one in five hospital admissions was caused by adverse reactions to drugs. The Lown Institute, an American think-tank, reckons that, between 2020 and 2030, medication overload in America could cause more than 150,000 premature deaths and 4.5m hospital admissions. More
Two recent analyses of expensive medications indicate that many drugs are being priced above their actual clinical benefit. More
The Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, argues in its 2019 report, Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem, that Americans are experiencing an epidemic of medication that is particularly harmful to older adults. According to the report, more than 40% of older adults take five or more prescription medicines daily, and 20% take ten drugs or more. More