Uncovering health disparities by race, ethnicity, and education
Recent research on racial and socioeconomic health disparities shows how far we still have to go to have better health for all. More
Blog
Which hospitals got the most CARES Act Funding?
Which hospitals got the largest slice of the federal relief pie? Two recent studies examine the impact of this massive funding influx on hospital finances. More
How much does low-value care cost cancer patients?
Many cancer patients experience financial toxicity due to the high cost of care -- and low-value services play a role, new study shows. More
How a pharma-led campaign to lower a diabetes treatment target put seniors at risk
A recent Reuters investigation found that a campaign to lower the A1c target for diabetes was driven largely by pharmaceutical companies, to create a bigger market for their new blood sugar-lowering drugs. More
“One person’s waste is another person’s profit margin”: Challenges and opportunities in hospital cost efficiency
How can we improve hospital cost efficiency to get better outcomes for a lower cost? Watch the video recording of our launch event to see the discussion. More
America’s “best” hospitals charge high drug price markups
A recent study examines insurer-negotiated prices for ten expensive drugs at the 20 top US News & World Report hospitals. More
How are hospitals measuring and reducing low-value care?
How can hospitals and policymakers better measure overuse and reduce overuse in hospitals, and what role can rankings play? On November 3, US News & World Report hosted an event on the topic featuring overuse experts. Watch the video recording to see the full discussion! More
PRESS RELEASE: The best bang for the buck: Where are America’s most cost-efficient hospitals
First-ever ranking examines costs at 3,000 hospitals, identifying $8 billion in potential Medicare savings BOSTON, MA — A new analysis identifies the most cost-efficient hospitals in America and highlights how potentially billions of dollars could be saved in the nation’s Medicare program. The analysis from the Lown Institute, a health care think tank, uncovered big […] More
High-priced cancer drugs are driving pharma revenue
Has pharma cracked the secret code to profit through cancer drugs? A recent study takes a closer look at the impact of cancer drug prices on pharma revenues. More
How we achieve equal access to pharmaceutical treatment
Research shows that people of color are more likely to experience underuse of needed medications. How do we achieve equity in access to affordable, high-quality medications? More
Why are dentists still overprescribing opioids?
Despite the known risks, dentists still prescribe too many opioids to young adults and teens. How can we reverse this pattern? More
Overdiagnosis of schizophrenia in nursing homes is rampant, especially for Black residents.
Overuse of antipsychotic medications is a long-standing problem among nursing home residents with dementia. However, a 2012 policy to address the problem may have unintentionally created a new problem of overdiagnosis. More
Digital redlining: How telehealth can exacerbate inequalities
The rapid switch to telehealth has many potential advantages for expanding access of care. However, if not done with an intentional eye toward equity, telehealth can leave many behind. More
Stop taking aspirin for primary prevention, task force says
Does an aspirin a day keep the doctor away? It used to be the conventional wisdom that taking low-dose aspirin helped prevent a first heart attack or stroke. However, the evidence isn't there to back up this practice. More
Gresham Hospital Named One Of Nation’s Top 10 Most ‘Socially Responsible’
“The financial realities for hospitals are at odds with other things we might want hospitals to do,” study co-creator Shannon Brownlee said during the release of the Lown Institute Index for Social Responsibility. “The real goal is to start seeing hospitals in a different light.” Dr. Vikas Saini, the Lown Institute president, said the rankings are not designed for consumers to decide where to schedule their next elective procedure, but rather for informed citizens to think about the public good hospitals ought to provide in exchange for the tax benefits and privileged status they receive in the community. “We want them to think about these rankings more like: ‘What kind of health care system do we have, and is that the one I want for myself, my community and my country?’” Dr. Saini said. “I don’t think we want a system that has no soul, even if we live forever.” More
Overcoming Covid-19 disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native communities
For Indigenous People's Day, we're sharing how American Indian and Alaska Native communities' experiences with Covid-19 highlight both the struggles and the accomplishments toward reducing health disparities. More
Can clinical guidelines fix racial health disparities?
Racial disparities in the incidence and outcomes of chronic kidney disease create significant public health problems. A new study shows that we have to tackle both the medical and the social factors to close this health gap. More
Lown Institute rankings ask what hospitals owe their communities in return for tax exempt status and ranks Cleveland Clinic worst in U.S.
When examining 3,641 private nonprofit hospitals for its rankings, Lown looked beyond the usual metrics used to evaluate hospitals. It sought to encourage these organizations to be more responsible and accountable to the communities they serve, said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of Lown Institute. “The reason our rankings matter is because, as citizens, all of us have a huge stake in how high quality, how affordable and how just our health care system is,” Saini said. “We’re reporting measures that do all of that.” More
Measuring low-value care throughout the health system
The Lown Hospitals Index evaluates more than 3,000 hospitals on 12 low-value services. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School and Dartmouth Institute have released a new tool, expanding the measurement of 41 low-value services across hospital and non-hospital settings. More
Spines ’R’ Us: The evidence and business behind spinal fusions
In Modern Healthcare, Lisa Gillespie reviews the evidence and incentives that drive some hospitals to overuse spinal fusion procedures. She cites research from the Lown Institute in collaboration with Australian academics published this year, which shows that spinal fusions for stenosis and other conditions not backed by strong evidence of effectiveness are associated with poor outcomes. Out of seven low-value procedures, inpatient spinal fusions were affiliated the most with hospital-acquired conditions, adverse patient safety indicators and unplanned hospital admissions after outpatient procedures, their review of Medicare claims from 2016 to 2018 found. “If, on average, this thing doesn’t work, the burden is on you to tell me why for this particular patient, it’s going to work, beyond just a faith-based argument,” said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute. More