The harms of hospital segregation
New research on racial disparities in Covid-19 mortality show how hospital segregation harms Black patients. More
We need health care models that pay for equity, not just “pay for performance”
Value-based payment models may exacerbate racial health disparities. To change this, we need to make equity a part of value -- and reward hospitals for advancing equity. More
New Alzheimer’s drug may burden state budgets
State budgets are already being squeezed by rising health care costs, leaving less for public health and social spending. How will the cost of new Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm impact Medicaid costs and state budgets? More
FDA approval of new Alzheimer’s drug sets a dangerous precedent
The FDA's approval of a new Alzheimer's treatment has significant implications for future drug trials, health system costs, patient safety, and conflicts of interest. More
Reducing overuse of c-sections and cervical cancer screening
Overuse is ubiquitous across medical specialties, and obstetrics and gynecology are no exceptions. Two recent studies shine a light on the problem of overuse in women's health. More
“Do I need to be knocked out for this procedure?” And other questions about anesthesia overuse
General anesthesia is necessary for some medical procedures, but can put children and older adults at risk of harm. In this guest blog, a medical student shares what they're learning about avoiding anesthesia overuse. More
VIDEO: Racial Inclusivity at US Hospitals
What's causing segregation in our health system, and what can we do about it? Watch the recording of the Lown Hospitals Index racial inclusivity launch to find out. More
PRESS RELEASE: Racial segregation is common in urban hospital markets, analysis reveals
New rankings identify the most and least racially inclusive U.S. hospitals. Sometimes they are just blocks apart. More
Less routine care during Covid-19 is not a crisis
How can the avoidance of routine care during the pandemic benefit patients? New research on the physical and financial harms from low-value preventive care show that the pandemic might have a "silver lining." More
A tale of three countries: How access to surgeries differs by income across health systems
A recent study looks at how high- and low-income patients access common cancer surgeries in the US, Canada, and Australia. More
VIDEO: 2021’s Top Hospitals for Avoiding Overuse
In case you missed the avoiding overuse launch event, you can watch the full recording here! Featuring Vikas Saini and Shannon Brownlee along with guest experts Mike Chernew, Rita Redberg, and Mark Smith, as well as hospital leaders Pete Healy and Gary Kaplan. More
VIDEO: New research on hospital overuse
We're excited to share our new research on hospital overuse just published in JAMA Network Open! More
Medical device industry spends more on physician payments than pharma
A recent study finds that medical device companies spend more than pharma on payments to physicians, but spend it in different ways. More
Clinicians consistently overestimate disease risk, study finds
Clinicians should know the rough probability of a patient having a certain disease based on their symptoms and test results. Yet health care practitioners are not as good as you might expect at predicting patients' disease risk, a new study finds. More
For new Lown intern, personal experience inspired a career in public health
Lown Institute intern Emily Acker has had more interactions with the health care system than the typical young adult. Here's how that has informed her experience as a public health advocate and researcher. More
Researchers speak out on racism and medical publishing
After an editor at a major medical journal dismissed the idea of structural racism, researchers say his views are symptomatic of larger problems in health research. More
Are nonprofit hospitals contributing their fair share of financial assistance?
A recent study looks at patterns of charity care spending at public, private, and for-profit hospitals, and finds some interesting results... More
From trials to real world: Implementing deprescribing
Stopping harmful medications sounds simple, but it can be much harder in practice. How can we take what we've learned from deprescribing trials and scale them up? Dr. Justin Turner explains in a webinar hosted by the US Deprescribing Research Network. 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
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