REGISTER: The 2025 Shkreli Awards
Register now for the 2025 Shkreli Awards, hosted on December 11, 2025 at 1pm More
How long does it take to book a new patient appointment with a primary care doc in greater Boston? We called to find out.
We called 86 hospitals and primary care offices to see how long it would take to get a new patient appointment. Here's what we found. More
Physicians who perform the most unnecessary back surgeries—what we know
Our recent report found that more than 200,000 unnecessary back surgeries took place over a three year period, costing Medicare more than $1.9 billion. But what about the physicians responsible for this overuse? More
These fifteen hospitals prove that avoiding unnecessary back surgery is possible
These hospitals are bucking the trend of back surgery overuse with rates below 5% for both spinal fusion and vertebroplasty. More
Vertebroplasty: The Myth of the Most Effective Medical Intervention
Spine surgeon Dr. Eugene Carragee reviews the evidence for vertebroplasty. More
A Rising Tide of Harm: How Medication Overload May Be Fueling Falls In Older Americans
Death rates from fall injuries among older Americans more than tripled over the past 30 years. Medications that act on the central nervous system could be the culprit... More
Excess radiation increases the risk of cancer. Why is CMS loosening regulations?
CMS estimated that regulating the radiation dose of CT scans could prevent nearly 14,000 cancers and save $5 billion. So why is CMS considering loosening regulations? More
Guest Post: Hear from Lown’s data science intern, Maya
Hear from Lown's 2025 data science intern, Maya Balaban, about what she's been working on. More
Checking in on medical overuse in America
As we prepare for the launch of our 2025 report on unnecessary back surgery, let’s take a moment to check in on the current state of medical overuse in America. More
How did the 2025 US News best hospitals perform on the Lown Index?
US News & World Report just released their list of “best hospitals” for 2025-26, which is based primarily on patient outcomes for complex specialty care and common procedures. The Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility takes a different approach to hospital ranking, evaluating hospitals on metrics of equity and value as well as outcomes. Here's how the 2025 US News best hospitals perform on the Lown Index. More
These top critical access hospitals are at risk of closure
See which critical access hospitals made our list of most socially responsible hospitals…and which ones are at risk of shutting down services or closure. More
CFPB rule to remove medical debt from credit reports blocked in court
A federal judge recently struck down a rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) seeking to remove medical debt from credit reports. How will this affect medical debt in the future? More
“Meeting people where they are”: A conversation with America’s most socially responsible hospitals
Hospital leaders explained how their institutional culture, policies, and workforce help them deliver high-quality and high-value care while still prioritizing equity. More
REGISTER: America’s Most Socially Responsible Hospitals, 2025
Register now for the webinar "America's Most Socially Responsible Hospitals" on June 25, 2025. More
Tackling medical debt in America: Insights from experts and advocates
“We’re all here because this issue is a moral stain on the fabric of the country… We’re also here because if we want to fix this, we can," Dr. Vikas Saini told the crowd at the 2025 Lown conference on Medical Debt in America. More
California, New York have highest hospital property tax exemptions
Hospitals in 18 states own a total of $170 billion in assessed real property value and benefit from a total of $4.3 billion in real estate tax exemptions. However, this benefit is not spread out equally among states. More
Hospitals benefit from billions in property tax exemptions
These 20 hospitals avoided nearly $1 billion in property taxes. More
REGISTER: The 2024 Shkreli Awards
Register now for the 2024 Shkreli Awards, hosted on January 7, 2025 at 1pm More
REGISTER: Webinar on Unnecessary Back Surgery
Register now for the webinar "Unnecessary Back Surgery: Older Americans put at risk while Billions in Medicare funds wasted" on November 14, 2024. More
Cancer screening costs $43 billion – what do we get for that spending?
A new study estimates that the five most common cancer screenings cost $43 billion in 2021. How exactly was this money spent and where might it have gone instead? More