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
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.
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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