Medical debt: North Carolina’s novel approach
A new medical debt relief effort in North Carolina focuses on the impact of changes to financial assistance rather than solely forgiving old medical debt. Here's how they did it.. More
What do the highest-paid nonprofit hospital CEOs have in common?
Nonprofit hospitals are under scrutiny for paying executives millions while cutting jobs and reducing community investment. We examined the top ten highest-paid CEOs from 2021, according to the Lown Hospitals Index, to find out more. More
IRS audits spotlight hospital community benefit spending
Following interest from policymakers on hospital community benefit spending, the IRS announced it will audit 35 hospitals with a focus on community benefit compliance. Here's what you need to know More
Hospitals behaving badly: UPMC, Texas Children’s spending draws scrutiny
Hospitals in the U.S. are continuing to land in hot water for excessive spending on CEO pay and other extravagances at the same time as they face financial challenges and lay off hundreds. More
Can AI help reduce medical debt? It depends on how hospitals use it…
Could AI and other machine learning help ameliorate our nation’s medical debt crisis—or will it make the problem worse? It all depends on how hospitals use these tools, write Kelsey Chalmers, PhD, our own Director of Research, Data Science at the Lown Institute, and Christopher W. Goodman, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, in a recent JAMA Internal Medicine viewpoint. More
How one Medicare Advantage insurer made billions from overdiagnosis
UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health care company, is under fire for allegedly encouraging clinicians to overdiagnose peripheral artery disease in their Medicare Advantage patients to inflate profits. What does Lown data have to say about this situation? More
Should patients care about 340B?
340B is more than a big pile of money. The program is a band-aid covering up huge problems with our health system that can no longer be ignored. The 340B drug discount program is a hugely important policy issue for hospitals and drug companies, but the most of the rest of us have never heard of it or barely understand it. Why is pharma and the hospital industry getting so worked up about 340B, and how does any of this matter? Here’s what you need to know about a growing policy battle… More
Medication overload: How to avoid harm from too many meds
Five years after the Lown Institute’s report on medication overload was published, this issue continues to be relevant in American health care. What are the harms of medication overload, how can you avoid it, and what policy changes do we need? More
How do private equity-affiliated hospitals perform on the Lown Index?
Here's how seven health care systems currently or recently owned by private equity firms performed on outcomes, value, and equity on the Lown Index... More
Do rich patients get better care, or just more care?
Are higher-income patients at higher risk for overuse? A recent study in Health Affairs considers the relationship between patient income and value of care. More
Large hospital bill? You should’ve chosen the hospital down the street.
Some hospitals in the same cities have very different policies for large bill assistance. Here are a few examples from the recently released Lown Institute data set. More
The most socially responsible hospital systems in America
The Lown Index ranks more than 300 hospital systems on social responsibility. Find out which ones made the top ten! More
America’s most socially responsible critical access hospitals
See which Critical Access Hospitals made our list of most socially responsible for 2024! More
PRESS RELEASE: Lown Institute names top hospitals in the United States
Out of 2,784 acute care hospitals nationwide, 154 are recognized as “Honor Roll” hospitals for achieving the highest scores on measures of equity, value, and outcomes. More
Presumptive eligibility: A promising solution to medical debt
What is presumptive eligibility and how can this policy help prevent medical debt before it starts? More
These five states have the lowest rates of medical debt. Here’s why…
We've pinpointed some signature moves in these leading states' policies that keep their medical debt rates impressively low. More
“It’s time to defy the status quo”: Dr. Lilia Cervantes accepts the 2024 Bernard Lown Award
Dr. Lilia Cervantes received the 2024 Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility for her exceptional work advancing health equity and expanding access to care for undocumented immigrants. Watch her acceptance of the award and read excerpts from her speech. More
When doctors aren’t part of the hospital’s financial assistance policy
Nonprofit hospitals have to provide financial assistance. But what happens if the clinicians who provide care are excluded from the policy? More
Private equity is getting into the c-section game in Florida; we have questions
A new law in Florida allows for doctors to perform c-sections outside of hospitals. How could this impact overuse and maternal health outcomes? More
Free care: Neighboring hospitals may have wildly different policies
Some hospitals in the same cities have very different free care policies. Here are a few examples from the recently released Lown Institute data set. More