Data disaggregation shows startling health disparities among Asian Americans
The lack of knowledge around Asian American health has serious public health implications. More
Blog
Nearly 46m Americans would be unable to afford quality healthcare in an emergency
“Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that millions of Americans can’t afford healthcare,” said Dr Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, a think tank whose advocacy work has examined how high prices on insulin have led to rationing and even death among diabetics. “It is, however, shocking and kind of outrageous, but not surprising.” “Our system has been structured for many years on the basis of private health plans and very deep dysfunction politically and within the medical industry,” said Saini.
‘It Felt Like Deception’: An Elite NYC Hospital Charges Huge Virus Test Fees
Insurers are stuck with the big bills from Lenox Hill, but the public ultimately pays through higher premiums. More
Evaluation of Aducanumab for Alzheimer Disease: Scientific Evidence and Regulatory Review Involving Efficacy, Safety, and Futility
This Viewpoint details the development and regulatory path of aducanumab, a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody to treat Alzheimer disease. More
Many hospitalized Covid-19 patients are given antibiotics. That’s a problem
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, using existing antibiotics appropriately and finding new ones has never been more urgent. More
PRESS RELEASE: Shannon Brownlee steps down from Lown Institute, helped guide health care think tank into new era
Shannon Brownlee will be stepping down from her leadership role as senior vice president effective April 1 in order to pursue writing and artistic endeavors. “Being a part of the Lown Institute leadership has truly been one of the most rewarding times of my professional career,” said Brownlee. More
To Achieve Mental Health Equity, Dismantle Social Injustice
Substance use disorders and other problems cannot be addressed from a position of willful ignorance about our society’s inequalities More
Black Patients are More Likely Than White Patients to be in Hospitals with Worse Patient Safety Conditions
An Urban Institute brief shows Black patients experienced significantly worse quality of care relative to White patients in 2017 across the 26 states in this analysis. More
Updating Our Thinking on Troponin Use and Interpretation
Drs Allen and deSouza present the case of a middle-aged man with palpitations and chest pain in the setting of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). The symptoms resolved when the tachycardia stopped, but a troponin test ordered as part of the initial workup returned elevated results. More
To stop overuse, we have to focus on and measure the harms
In a recent piece in the BMJ, Shannon Brownlee and Deborah Korenstein argue that if we want to move the needle overuse, we have to make overuse an issue of preventable harm, not just waste. More
‘Pandemic grief’ proves especially devastating and complex for many in mourning, health experts say
Bereavement after a coronavirus death may be traumatically distorted by our enforced absence — not “being there” to offer an embrace to a dying loved one. More
Value-based care has an equity problem
Two recent studies in JAMA find that hospitals and clinicians caring for high proportions of people of color get punished in our current value-based payment programs. More
COVID-19 curbed health systems’ charity-care spending in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic kept many patients out of hospitals last year. That meant fewer people qualified for free or discounted care compared with 2019. More
Her Doctor’s Office Moved 1 Floor Up. Why Did Her Treatment Cost 10 Times More?
Same building. Same procedure. Same doctor. But there was an extra "facility fee" because the location changed slightly. A shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than $300. More
Building back better requires strengthening primary care
The U.S. must strengthen primary care, the platform on which achieving better, more equitable, and more affordable care depends. More
Addressing Workforce Diversity — A Quality-Improvement Framework
Perspective from The New England Journal of Medicine — Addressing Workforce Diversity — A Quality-Improvement Framework More
Assessment of a Risk-Based Approach for Triaging Mammography Examinations During Periods of Reduced Capacity
This cohort study assesses strategies to triage patients for mammogram cancer screening during times of reduced capacity. More
Addressing Workforce Diversity — A Quality-Improvement Framework
The Lown Institute’s recent national ranking of hospitals based on civic leadership, value of care, and patient outcomes stirred discussion because of its emphasis on care for the community and its stark contrast with the U.S. News and World Report rankings. No such ranking system exists for issues related to workforce diversity, although there are opportunities to establish stand-alone listings or to integrate this dimension into current ranking methods. Although legal obstacles around reporting of workforce diversity data are unclear — particularly if this reporting attracts attention to institutions with low diversity — similar, if not more detailed, information is already openly available for many public hospital systems whose state laws mandate reporting of all state employee salaries. More
Does higher hospital CEO compensation mean better quality?
There's nothing wrong with paying a hospital leader for doing a good job, especially in a crisis. But when compensation goes into the millions we have to ask, are we getting what we pay for? More
Taxpayers Fund Research and Drug Companies Make a Fortune
The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want things to change, but Americans can have both lower prices and innovation. More