While hospital systems focus on more lucrative adult care operations, often sacrificing pediatric care in the process, the consequences of such decisions are often ignored, Brenna Miller, a health communications specialist at think tank the Lown Institute, wrote on its site Dec. 5. More
The Lown Institute of Needham has long argued that hospitals perform way too many procedures it has identified as being low-value, meaning they offer little to no clinical benefit to patients and, in many cases, are more likely to harm them than help them. More
It's the time of year where most of us are getting into the "giving spirit." But recent investigations show that some hospitals are instead putting up obstacles to financial assistance. More
Pediatric units are closing across the country, leaving parents and their sick kids without easy access to healthcare. Why is this happening, and what are the long-term consequences? More
The Lown Institute calls for greater transparency and accountability. More
With $8 and 9 words, one internet troll is forcing insulin manufacturers to answer the question of why the drug is so unaffordable More
Which hospitals are walking the talk on social responsibility? A new feature in Frontiers of Health Services Management showcases the Lown Index and winning hospitals. More
Nine city hospitals have spent millions of dollars less on community investments than they receive in tax breaks, according to a report released this week by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit health care think tank. More
A new report from the Lown Institute—a healthcare think tank—suggests that New York City hospitals have not been holding up their end of the bargain when it comes to local tax breaks and community investment. The study looked at 21 hospitals and found that "nine have a Fair Share deficit—meaning that the value of their community investments fails to equal the value of their federal, state, and local tax breaks." The study found that—in total—the nine hospitals are $727 million short of equaling the $1.2 billion in tax breaks they received in 2019. More
Nine New York hospitals out of a study of 21 are failing to invest in their communities in an amount equal to the tax breaks they receive on a federal, state and local level, the Lown Institute reported Nov. 16. The study only examined data from nonprofit hospitals, including nine that are a total of $727 million short of community investments that equal their combined $1.2 billion in tax breaks in 2019. The report dubbed this a "fair share deficit." More
New York City nonprofit hospitals had a fair share deficit of $727 million in 2019, with nine major facilities spending less on community investments than they received in tax breaks, according to a report from the Lown Institute. In exchange for being exempt from most federal, state, and local taxes, nonprofit hospitals must provide free and discounted care to their communities and invest in community health improvements. More
A new report examining the finances of nonprofit hospitals in New York City finds that some hospitals fall significantly short on expected community investments. More
Nominations for the annual Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility are now open! More
What could be a fruitful conversation on racial equity is being co-opted by pharmaceutical companies to sell unproven drugs. More
Fair share spending results Fair Share in the News Subscribe to the Lown Weekly Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get free blogs, news, and updates on our projects. View/download slides More
Skipping doses, intentionally undermedicating, not eating - these are all measures 1.3 million Americans are forced to take to keep their insulin costs down. More
From approval to withdrawal, the story of Makena shows some of the major pitfalls of the FDA's drug approval process. More
The Lown Institute's annual Shkreli Awards highlight the most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction in our healthcare system. From systemic failures to negligence to fraud, the Shkreli Awards are here to spotlight the worst. On January 10 at 1 pm ET, we will be counting down the top ten most glaring examples of our broken system, and you're invited! More
These five events are the administrative equivalent of operating on the wrong limb... More
The reasoning behind this decision has to do with a complex bioethical question - if there is the potential to treat a previously untreatable disease with a new pharmaceutical, but the consequences are unknown, do you prescribe the drug? Is the unknown enough to deny patients hope? More