340B is more than a big pile of money. The program is a band-aid covering up huge problems with our health system that can no longer be ignored. The 340B drug discount program is a hugely important policy issue for hospitals and drug companies, but the most of the rest of us have never heard of it or barely understand it. Why is pharma and the hospital industry getting so worked up about 340B, and how does any of this matter? Here’s what you need to know about a growing policy battle…
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Fixing American healthcare will require more than mere tweaks around the edges. Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Boston-based Lown Institute, believes that it will require a return to medicine’s humanist roots. In this interview he describes some of the ways in which many healthcare organizations prioritize revenue and profit over patients and communities. He also explains why he remains optimistic that Hippocratic principles will ultimately prevail.
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Five years after the Lown Institute’s report on medication overload was published, this issue continues to be relevant in American health care. What are the harms of medication overload, how can you avoid it, and what policy changes do we need?
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Every day, 750 older Americans end up in the hospital because of serious side effects from one or more medications, according to the Lown Institute, a health care think tank. And the chance you will experience a serious side effect from a prescribed medication goes up around 10% with each additional medication you take.
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Here's how seven health care systems currently or recently owned by private equity firms performed on outcomes, value, and equity on the Lown Index...
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St. Luke’s University Health Network has been recognized by the Lown Institute as one of the most socially responsible hospitals in America, receiving ‘A’ grades in equity, value and outcomes on the 2024-25 Lown Institute Hospitals Index.
Out of more than 3,500 hospitals measured by Lown, only 5% achieved honor roll status, with St. Luke’s ranking among this select group of high performers.
“Great care is only great if everyone can access it,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “We need hospitals that are not only leaders in clinical care, but also strong community partners-and the hospitals at the top of our list are showing the way.”
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Are higher-income patients at higher risk for overuse? A recent study in Health Affairs considers the relationship between patient income and value of care.
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Peconic Bay Medical Center has received accolades statewide: PBMC has been recognized as the most socially responsible hospital in New York State by the
Lown Institute Hospital Index. According to the report, PBMC was ranked first out of 128 statewide for social responsibility, and 79 out of 2,758 nationally.
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) has been cited as Vermont’s most socially responsible acute care hospital by the Lown Institute, a Massachusetts-based non-partisan healthcare think tank.
The distinction is based on an evaluation of more than 3,500 U.S. hospitals using more than 50 metrics in categories such as health equity, value of care, and patient outcomes. Results are based on data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Internal Revenue Service, and other sources.
“We are thrilled that our efforts to promote social responsibility are making a difference in our community, and that they are being quantified and recognized on a national level. Being recognized as a leader in Vermont is especially rewarding, knowing how incredibly socially responsible all hospitals in Vermont are!” said Christopher Dougherty, BMH’s President and CEO, in a statement.
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Some hospitals in the same cities have very different policies for large bill assistance. Here are a few examples from the recently released Lown Institute data set.
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UCHealth is proud to be named one of the nation’s most socially responsible health care systems by the Lown Institute. The 2024-25 Lown Institute Hospitals Index released earlier this week ranks UCHealth No. 2 nationwide according to the institute’s analysis of health equity, value of care and patient outcomes.
“UCHealth is committed to improving the lives of our patients and building healthier communities across the state,” said Elizabeth Concordia, UCHealth president and CEO. “We are pleased to be recognized by the Lown Institute as one of the nation’s most socially responsible health care systems. This recognition is a compliment for our staff and providers who work hard every day to provide the very best care to our patients.”
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"One of our biggest takeaways of the past five years that we've been publishing this index has been, if you want to measure what matters, then you really have to include equity,” Saini said during a news conference.
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Roughly one-quarter of acute care hospitals in New York earned the top grade for social responsibility, down slightly from the proportion of hospitals that earned the mark last year, a new report shows.
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The Lown Index ranks more than 300 hospital systems on social responsibility. Find out which ones made the top ten!
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See which Critical Access Hospitals made our list of most socially responsible for 2024!
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Join us as we review the results of the 2024 Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility rankings!
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The Lown Institute published its 2024 list of America's most socially responsible hospitals June 25, highlighting the top hospitals for social responsibility in every state.
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Out of 2,784 acute care hospitals nationwide, 154 are recognized as “Honor Roll” hospitals for achieving the highest scores on measures of equity, value, and outcomes.
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"Great care is only great if everyone can access it," Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, said in a statement. "Socially responsible hospitals are trusted to provide high-quality care to all, and their success directly improves the health and economic stability of their communities."
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Others remain skeptical that PE has a positive effect on the industry. Vikas Saini, president of the nonpartisan think tank Lown Institute, told Healthcare Brew that the deterioration of quality care is his “biggest and first concern.”
“The kinds of returns that private equity expects and the kinds of methods they’re used to using outside of healthcare—which are the ones they’re importing into healthcare—are unlikely to give us that kind of an innovative, extraordinary startup that we all want to send our family to,” Saini said.
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