At a presentation for the Massachusetts Health Data Collaborative, Vikas Saini and Shannon Brownlee discussed why they created the Lown Hospitals Index, how the metrics were developed, and what the results show about hospitals in Massachusetts. Watch the full presentation here! More
Many cardiologists recognize that placing coronary stents for stable heart disease has limited clinical benefit for patients. But low-value stents are still common -- how can we change this practice? New research in JAMA Internal Medicine provides some suggestions. More
How can we measure what really matters in primary care? In an essay in KevinMD, Dr. Michelle-Linh Nguyen offers a vision for better metrics in primary care. More
In this latest edition of “Lown Hospitals Q&A,” Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini talk about the prevalence and harm of hysterectomy overuse, and what the Lown Index shows about hysterectomies in US hospitals. More
Why should patient safety advocates care about medication overload? Watch Shannon Brownlee's presentation for Patient Safety Day on the importance of deprescribing as a patient safety issue. More
From drugs to masks to financial assistance, the US government has distributed Covid-19 resources in a way that exacerbates health inequities. How can we make sure that when a vaccine is ready for distribution, that it goes to those who need it most? More
A recent set of best practices on billing from a hospital industry group was hailed as promoting racial equity-- but does it go far enough for patients? More
In this week's Hospitals Q&A video, Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini discuss the American health care paradox and where hospitals fit into the equation. More
We spoke with Dr. Tom Perry, clinical associate professor at UBC to ask him about practical ways to avoid medication overload and the assumptions about medications we need to rethink in our society. More
Overprescribing of opioids can lead to dependence and serious harm, but abrupt tapers or discontinuation can also be disruptive for patients already taking opioids. How can primary care clinicians prescribe pain medications responsibly? More
To what extent have efforts to change clinician habits worked, when it comes to low-value carotid imaging? We interviewed Dr. Tim Anderson, co-author of a recent study on the topic, to find out more. More
What are safety net hospitals and why do they matter? In this latest edition of “Lown Hospitals Q&A,” Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini answer three questions about safety net hospitals. More
Why clinician satisfaction should be a metric of quality, from guest writer John Corsino, PT. More
A new study finds that for-profit hospitals are spending the same amount proportionally on charity care as nonprofits. More
The FDA's about-face on emergency approval of convalescent plasma raises questions about the level of evidence we need for Covid-19 treatments, and the role of politics in these decisions. More
In this latest edition of “Lown Hospitals Q&A,” Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini discuss why certain hospitals on the top of the US News ranking don't come out on top in the Lown Index. More
What has been the impact of hospital consolidation, and what can we do to reverse the harm from health care monopolies? At the second in an Open Markets Institute webinar series, health care experts outlined some of the key steps forward. More
At the 2020 Academy Health Research Meeting, presenters dug deep into the subject on everyone's minds: How do we tackle structural racism within health services research? More
In this latest edition of “Lown Hospitals Q&A,” Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini discuss trends in hospital executive pay and explain why the Lown Institute included pay equity as a metric on the Lown Institute Hospitals Index More
As our country faces difficult decisions about how to mitigate the pandemic, pharmaceutical companies are wielding their influence through contributions to policymakers, health care administrators, and journalists. More