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
Concern about rising rates of cesarean deliveries has been renewed after the CDC released their latest data. More
A new study from the Annals of Internal Medicine found that different compensation models can open and close the gender pay gap. How does this happen and what does it say about our healthcare system? More
The new US News & World Report "best hospitals" ranking is out... How do these hospitals do on the Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility? More
The social responsibility index is perhaps the Lown Institute’s highest-profile review of not-for-profit and nonprofit health care systems and hospitals. The institute’s focus is analyzing the socioeconomic impact of the systems and hospitals, particularly as it relates to the tax exemptions they receive compared with community benefits and the charity care they provide.
More
Among America's most prestigious hospitals, prices for common tests and services vary considerably, a new study finds. More
Deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections were decreasing, until COVID-19 happened. How does this reflect our pill-for-every-ill culture? More
In a new set of hospital rankings released last month, Duke Regional Hospital in Durham was named the nation’s second-most “socially responsible” hospital, while other Triangle- and North Carolina-based hospitals also received high marks. The rankings, released annually since 2020 by nonprofit think tank the Lown Institute, are the first “to define clear, measurable standards for hospital social responsibility, providing “benchmarks for hospitals to measure how well they serve their patients and communities.” More
Between staffing shortages, long hours, and low-pay, essential hospital employees are struggling. How did it get this way? More
Two Saint Alphonsus Hospitals have received recognition as ‘Top Socially Responsible Hospitals’ by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit think tank that focuses on health care systems. The medical centers in Nampa, Idaho and Ontario, Oregon were both rated in the top 10 “Most Socially Responsible” hospitals in the United States according to a new ranking by the Lown Institute.
More
Nonprofit hospitals in the U.S. are exempt from most taxes. To earn this status, they are supposed to engage in activities that benefit their communities, such as providing free care to uninsured people or programs to improve neighborhood health. For many, though, their real community contributions fall far short of the tax breaks they receive. More
How much are nonprofit hospitals giving back to communities? It depends on what you count, Lown Institute leaders explain in a new op-ed. More
The first year of COVID-19 was incredibly difficult for hospitals, as they dealt with an unknown virus, shortages of staff and equipment, financial difficulties and other challenges. To better understand how the pandemic affected hospitals, the Lown Institute analyzed the number of weeks from March 1, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021, in which hospitals had at least 10 percent of inpatient beds filled with COVID-19 patients as reported in CDC data. More