Last week, Lown experts Dr. Vikas Saini and Judith Garber were featured in a conversation about the responsibility between hospitals and the community at the 2022 Medicaid Institute, hosted by the Center for Community Solutions. More
Regardless of tax status, medical centers in markets with high medical debt do provide more charity care, according to an analysis by KHN and the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank. That’s important, said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, a nonprofit that grades hospitals on their quality and community benefits. But he asked: “Is a hospital truly serving its community if it’s pushing so many into debt?” More
A recent study of hospital financial assistance policies shows how some policies became more generous after Covid-19, some became more restrictive, and some just got weird... More
Through our work with the Lown Institute Hospitals Index, we’ve seen how socially responsible hospitals can be. These top hospitals prioritize equity, while maintaining excellent patient outcomes and avoiding overuse. But not all hospitals have performed well on social responsibility. In fact, the New York Times recently highlighted two nonprofit hospital systems that have gone against their social mission and put profits over patients fair share spending was featured in these articles. Here’s a breakdown of what the Times uncovered. More
According to the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that recently published its 2022 hospital fair share spending rankings , 83% of hospital systems evaluated spent less on charity care and community investment than the estimated value of their tax breaks — what Lown Institute calls a “fair share deficit.” Mayo Clinic’s fair share deficit is $328 million, the 11th worst in the country. More
Regardless of tax status, medical centers in markets with high medical debt do provide more charity care, according to an analysis by KHN and the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank. That’s important, said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, a nonprofit that grades hospitals on their quality and community benefits. But he asked: “Is a hospital truly serving its community if it’s pushing so many into debt?” More
In recent years, more people, like Keenan and Saini, have questioned whether nonprofit hospitals are contributing enough to their communities to deserve the major tax breaks they get while becoming some of the largest businesses in town. "The hospitals are sort of the pillars of communities, but people are starting to ask these questions," Saini says. More
New research is out on the long-term mental health toll of the Flint water crisis on its residents. What can we learn, and how can we do better? More
Providence also owes some of its wealth to its nonprofit status. In 2019, the latest year available, Providence received roughly $1.2 billion in federal, state and local tax breaks, according to the Lown Institute, a think tank that studies health care.
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Although Bon Secours has taken a financial hit this year like many other hospital systems, the chain made nearly $1 billion in profit last year at its 50 hospitals in the United States and Ireland and was sitting on more than $9 billion in cash reserves. It avoids at least $440 million in federal, state and local taxes every year that it would otherwise have to pay, according to an analysis by the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. More
Mass General Brigham has said it will reduce its total medical spending by $127.8 million annually, nearly doubling its commitment to reduce its spending after months of discussions with a state watchdog agency. The filing is part of the hospital’s “performance improvement plan,” which was required by the state’s Health Policy Commission after what it said were years of spending above acceptable levels.
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Medical debt has become a crisis in the United States, with half of US adults reporting medical debt over the past five years. A new study shows the risk factors for medical debt in America and the impact of debt on families. More
It's no secret that rural hospitals are struggling financially. Would private equity help turn the tides, or would it jeopardize quality patient care? More
The American healthcare industry accounts for an estimated 8% of all carbon emissions in the nation. How can we encourage hospitals to take action on the climate crisis? More
This percentage dropped to 24 percent for those who used three or more prescription drugs and 12.8 percent for those who used five or more prescription drugs. However, a report from the Lown Institute released in April 2019 shows that polypharmacy has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. More
Water contamination, emissions, and plastic pollution all pose immense public health risk. What can hospitals do right now to help? More
One job of the FTC is to prevent mergers that create hospital monopolies, but a type of state law has allowed hospitals to sidestep federal regulation and avoid competition. More
The Inflation Reduction Act allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices and cap insulin costs...but only for Medicare enrollees. More
“Citizens put their lives and billions of tax dollars in the hands of America’s hospitals,” said Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, in a press release. “We believe communities should have expectations and the most socially responsible institutions should be lifted up as models for the system.” More