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Few Places Have More Medical Debt Than Dallas-Fort Worth, but Hospitals There Are Thriving
Regardless of tax status, medical centers in markets with high medical debt do provide more charity care, according to an analysis by KHN and the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank. That’s important, said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, a nonprofit that grades hospitals on their quality and community benefits. But he asked: “Is a hospital truly serving its community if it’s pushing so many into debt?” More
Montana health officials call for more oversight of nonprofit hospitals
In recent years, more people, like Keenan and Saini, have questioned whether nonprofit hospitals are contributing enough to their communities to deserve the major tax breaks they get while becoming some of the largest businesses in town. "The hospitals are sort of the pillars of communities, but people are starting to ask these questions," Saini says. More
Shkreli Award Nominations
The Shkreli Awards, named for the infamous “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, are awarded by the Lown Institute each year to perpetrators of the ten most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction in health care. “Winners” are judged by a panel of clinicians, health policy experts, journalists, and patient advocates. More
Water crisis turned mental health crisis: new research on mental health in Flint, MI
New research is out on the long-term mental health toll of the Flint water crisis on its residents. What can we learn, and how can we do better? More
They Were Entitled to Free Care. Hospitals Hounded Them to Pay.
Providence also owes some of its wealth to its nonprofit status. In 2019, the latest year available, Providence received roughly $1.2 billion in federal, state and local tax breaks, according to the Lown Institute, a think tank that studies health care.
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How a Hospital Chain Used a Poor Neighborhood to Turn Huge Profits
Although Bon Secours has taken a financial hit this year like many other hospital systems, the chain made nearly $1 billion in profit last year at its 50 hospitals in the United States and Ireland and was sitting on more than $9 billion in cash reserves. It avoids at least $440 million in federal, state and local taxes every year that it would otherwise have to pay, according to an analysis by the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. More
The 2025-26 Lown Hospitals Index: Resources for Top Performing Hospitals
Socially responsible hospitals are vital for the health of our communities and deserve to be recognized as models for others to follow. The Lown Hospitals Index is the only national ranking to provide a holistic evaluation of hospital performance across health equity, value, and outcomes. Top grades on the Index represent independent, data-backed recognition of […] More
Mass General Brigham agrees to slash millions of dollars in spending
Mass General Brigham has said it will reduce its total medical spending by $127.8 million annually, nearly doubling its commitment to reduce its spending after months of discussions with a state watchdog agency. The filing is part of the hospital’s “performance improvement plan,” which was required by the state’s Health Policy Commission after what it said were years of spending above acceptable levels.
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The downward spiral of medical debt
Medical debt has become a crisis in the United States, with half of US adults reporting medical debt over the past five years. A new study shows the risk factors for medical debt in America and the impact of debt on families. More
Private Equity and Healthcare, Part 1: Rural Hospitals
It's no secret that rural hospitals are struggling financially. Would private equity help turn the tides, or would it jeopardize quality patient care? More
Special Report: Questionable Care: Who Is Responsible?
Even in 2020, when many hospitals were refusing non-urgent surgeries, more than 100,000 unnecessary, and potentially harmful procedures were performed on older patients in the USA, according to anaylsis from health think-tank the Lown Institute.
"You couldn't go into your local coffee shop, but hospitals brought people in for all kinds of unnecessary procedures,"
Does Medicare Advantage have the advantage when it comes to low-value care?
Do alternative payment plans like Medicare Advantage actually lead to less low-value care? A recent study in JAMA Health Forum has some encouraging results. More
How hospitals are taking action (or not) to address the climate crisis
The American healthcare industry accounts for an estimated 8% of all carbon emissions in the nation. How can we encourage hospitals to take action on the climate crisis? More
Pharmaceutical Adverse Reactions Are Skyrocketing
This percentage dropped to 24 percent for those who used three or more prescription drugs and 12.8 percent for those who used five or more prescription drugs. However, a report from the Lown Institute released in April 2019 shows that polypharmacy has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. More
Why are hospitals opposing Medicaid expansion in North Carolina?
Why would the local hospital association oppose expanding health insurance access for more North Carolinians? More
Indigenous American and Alaska Natives lost 6 years life expectancy during pandemic
Indigenous American and Alaska Native life expectancy dropped by six and a half years during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Other Americans faced around a two year decrease in life expectancy. Why was this section of the population hit so hard, and how can we take steps to fortify their health moving forward? More
Why is one of Georgia’s most inclusive hospitals closing?
Atlanta has one of the most racially segregated hospital markets in the US. What happens when one of the only hospitals serving communities of color closes? More
4 Medical Treatments That Are Sometimes Unnecessary
“It’s very easy for doctors and patients to go down the path of doing a medical procedure because it seems like, in theory, it would be safer and better, but that’s not always the case,” says Vikas Saini, MD, a cardiologist and president of the institute. “More medical care isn’t necessarily always better, especially for older adults.” More
Climate Equity is Health Equity
Water contamination, emissions, and plastic pollution all pose immense public health risk. What can hospitals do right now to help? More