Deaths in high-income countries have largely become "medicalized," moving more and more into the purview of the health care system. What are the implications of this change for families and for health systems around the world? The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death recently released a report addressing the medicalization of death and why it matters. More
A group of advocates has been sounding the alarm about the risk of side effects from benzodiazepines, even when taken as directed. An upcoming documentary tells their stories. More
Will devices like the Apple Watch that continuously monitor heart rhythm reduce rates of stroke? The evidence still isn't there, the USPSTF finds. More
To reduce harmful overmedication, we need to give doctors and patients opportunities to deprescribe. One pharmacy benefit manager has already started providing prescription checkups for their members -- here's how their program is working so far. More
After CMS restricted access to Aduhelm, Biogen and the Alzheimer's Association called the decision discriminatory. Here's why we're skeptical... More
The Medsafer study shows how clinical decision tools can help doctors deprescribe more in the hospital. More
New research from Johns Hopkins evaluates overuse at more than 600 health systems. How do their results compare to those of the Lown Hospitals Index? More
Enjoy these Shkreli Award "dishonorable mentions" — nominees that didn't quite make the top ten, but are worth calling out nonetheless. More
A recently-released Congressional committee report on drug prices reveals some outrageous business practices by pharma -- here's what they found. More
The 2021 hospital price transparency rule may not end the price confusion for patients, but it's still a valuable change-- here's why... More
Being able to do an experiment over again and confirm the results is actually a crucial aspect of science, called reproducibility. Unfortunately, a shockingly large proportion of cancer biology studies we do may not be reproducible, a new study shows. More
The White House recently announced their first Maternal Health Day of Action. We take a look at what's in the plan, what's promising, and what's missing... More
Recent research on racial and socioeconomic health disparities shows how far we still have to go to have better health for all. More
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
Many cancer patients experience financial toxicity due to the high cost of care -- and low-value services play a role, new study shows. More
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
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
A recent study examines insurer-negotiated prices for ten expensive drugs at the 20 top US News & World Report hospitals. More
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
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