Low-value care for back pain is common, but may be declining
Low back pain is one of the most common health problems in the world and one of the most common causes of overuse -- but there is some good news. More
How some drug companies manipulate patient advocates
Patient advocates and researchers uncover concerning patterns in financial relationships between industry funding and patient advocacy organizations. More
How much should we pay nonprofit hospital CEOs?
What are we rewarding hospital CEOs for -- and what metrics could drive their salaries on instead? In an recent piece in Health Affairs Forefront, Vikas Saini, Judith Garber, and Shannon Brownlee from the Lown Institute share findings from the Lown Hospitals Index on pay equity at nonprofit hospitals. More
The medicalization of death: What does it mean and what can we do about it?
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
When meds taken “as prescribed” still cause harm
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
Despite new technology to detect afib, we still don’t know if screening helps
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
Guest Interview: How prescription checkups can work on the ground
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
Why access to Aduhelm won’t improve health equity
After CMS restricted access to Aduhelm, Biogen and the Alzheimer's Association called the decision discriminatory. Here's why we're skeptical... More
How electronic tools can help deprescribe in the hospital
The Medsafer study shows how clinical decision tools can help doctors deprescribe more in the hospital. More
Which health systems are doing the most to reduce overuse?
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
Shkreli Awards: Dishonorable Mentions
Enjoy these Shkreli Award "dishonorable mentions" — nominees that didn't quite make the top ten, but are worth calling out nonetheless. More
What’s in the Congressional drug pricing report?
A recently-released Congressional committee report on drug prices reveals some outrageous business practices by pharma -- here's what they found. More
Why hospital price transparency is not enough
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
Why can’t we reproduce so many scientific findings?
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
Taking action on maternal health
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
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
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