VIDEO: An introduction to community benefits
What types of spending count as community benefits, and which types of hospitals spend the most? Shannon and Vikas tackle these questions and more on this week's Lown Hospitals Q&A. More
Can for-profit hospitals be anchor institutions?
How do nonprofit and for-profit hospitals differ when it comes to community engagement and community health investment? More
When evidence becomes politicized, how do we talk about low-value care?
When we call unproven treatments "cures," we not only put patients at risk of harm, we create a framework in which evidence is no longer valued. Kelsey Chalmers and Judith Garber explore how this perspective could impact the "less is more" movement, and how we need to reframe the issue to build a coalition for change. More
Medicare spending and low-value care: Lessons from the Dartmouth Atlas and Lown Hospitals Index
To what extent does high Medicare spending reflect more hospital utilization of low-value care? Can low-value care within certain regions be attributed to individual hospitals? We compared data from the Dartmouth Atlas and the Lown Hospitals Index, to gain insight into these questions. More
Closing the maternal mortality gap
What makes the US so different from other wealthy countries when it comes to maternal health? More
Could telehealth increase inappropriate prescribing?
The Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in the era of telehealth. But are there unintended consequences for overprescribing? More
Hospital charges are out of control. Will transparency help?
A new report shows that the ratio of hospital charges compared to their costs has ballooned over the past decades. Why does it matter? More
The cardiac implant you get may depend on the company paying your doctor
Does receiving money from medical device companies impact the devices doctors implant in patients? A recent study in JAMA suggests that it does. More
Video: Measuring patient satisfaction in hospitals
How can we measure the ways in which hospital environments promote healing? And what do we find on the Lown Index when it comes to patient satisfaction? Shannon Brownlee and Dr. Vikas Saini tackle these questions and more in this week's video. More
Debunking popular Covid-19 myths
Misinformation about Covid-19 spreads as quickly as the virus, through social media and even from government officials. Let's examine some popular myths about Covid-19 and see if there is any truth to these claims. More
The “deimplementation” process: Stopping overuse in pediatric care
Overuse in pediatrics is prevalent, but often goes overlooked. How can we improve health care value for people of all ages? Researchers argue that it is time for the field of pediatrics to develop their own pediatric "deimplementation science" to improve children's health. More
More than a third of older adults are prescribed potentially inappropriate drugs, study finds
In a new study, researchers found that 34% of older adults were prescribed a potentially inappropriate medication. People taking five or more medications were much more likely to have received an inappropriate medication. More
Lowering the age for colon cancer screening: What could go wrong?
The US Preventive Services Task Force recently issued a draft recommendation to lower the starting age of colorectal cancer screening (CRC) from 50 to 45. We examine both the potential benefits and harms of expanding screening to a younger age group. More
Drug advertisements that scare
Despite larger health threats consuming the nation this year, pharma did not let up on their fear-mongering advertisements. Check out a few of the scariest-- if you dare! More
VIDEO: Racism and Hospitals
How does structural racism manifest in the hospital sector and what can we do about it? At the first in the Lown Presents event series, Lown Institute leaders invited a health equity expert and the CEO of one of the most inclusive hospitals in the nation to discuss this crucial topic. More
Why public health experts need to get political
Public health experts are striving to stop the spread of Covid-19 by spreading the word about masks, social distancing, and other preventive measures. But there is much more they can and should be doing to save lives from Covid-19, argues Harvard public health professor Dr. Mary T. Bassett, in a recent article in Nature. More
Prioritizing equity in value-based care
As we move toward value-based care models, how do we prioritize patients that have historically been neglected in our health care system? More
Why a new payment model for rural hospitals could hurt them
Rural hospitals are struggling in the pandemic. But will a new payment model help or hurt? More
Where do we go next in deprescribing research?
In a keynote address for the US Deprescribing Research Network Conference, Dr. Cara Tannenbaum urged participants to reimagine the future of deprescribing research. More
What Trump’s Covid-19 experience reveals about our pandemic response
Did Trump receive the "best care possible"? Or was he overtreated? More