Hospitals pushing back on community benefit oversight
Hospitals are starting to be held accountable for their community benefit spending -- how are they responding? We explore some cases in recent news. More
Fauquier Hospital offers less financial help to patients than other hospitals in Virginia, U.S.
“It's not uncommon for Medicaid expansion to result in a reduction in charity care spending, but that doesn't mean it's justified,” said Aaron Toleos, vice president of communications for the Lown Institute. For example, Fauquier Hospital could consider expanding its financial-aid policy to include more people struggling to pay their hospital bills or even funnel money that had been used for charity care into programs to address homelessness, food insecurity or addiction treatment, Toleos said. More
Despite patient safety efforts, adverse events in hospitals still common, study shows
Can hospitals advance patient safety in a profit-driven system? A recent study identifies persistent rates of adverse events in hospitals. More
Is it time to prioritize pay equity in healthcare?
Hospitals are facing persistent staffing issues and many are in poor financial shape....but their CEOs keep getting bonuses. Could pay equity be the solution that stabilizes our hospitals? More
A tale of two drugs: Accountability and evidence in Alzheimer’s treatments
An investigation of one Alzheimer's Disease drug and the approval of another offer lessons on accountability and evidence for new drug approvals. More
10 healthcare names get Shkreli Awards for bad behavior
"If we're ever going to get to the great health system that Americans deserve, we have to call out bad behavior," Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute, said. "The Shkreli Awards are a mirror that's hard to look into, but we've got to do it." More
North Texas Home to Two of the Greediest Stories in Healthcare
2022 Shkreli Awards: Dishonorable Mentions
Last week, we hosted the 6th annual Shkreli Awards, calling out the worst profiteers and dysfunction in the healthcare system in 2022. In a perfect world, these awards wouldn’t be necessary. In our world, we have a plethora of candidates to consider. More
2022 Shkreli Awards call out the worst, most dysfunctional players in healthcare
“If we’re ever going to get to the great health system that Americans deserve, we have to call out bad behavior,” Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, said in a statement. “The Shkreli Awards are a mirror that’s hard to look into, but we’ve got to do it.” More
Medicare Advantage Plans Take Top Spot in Shkreli Awards
Lown Institute president Vikas Saini, MD, told MedPage Today that this year's list reads like "a tragic comedy of grift and profiteering." If the actions of these companies and individuals seem to be worse than in past years, Saini said that's because governmental agencies and media organizations appear to be "more vigilant in calling out bad actors." More
PRESS RELEASE: Healthcare’s biggest baddies named and blamed in 2022 Shkreli Awards
From massive insurance fraud to a dentist that intentionally broke patients’ teeth, here are this year’s worst examples of greed and dysfunction in healthcare. More
21 health systems with smallest CEO-to-worker pay ratios
Amid a wave of intensified criticism of hospital CEO pay at large, one source continues to pay close attention to the ratio of executive compensation to worker wages at more than 300 health systems. That source is Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that measures hospitals' and health systems' social responsibility through 53 metrics related to inclusivity, pay equity, community benefit, care value and outcomes. More
2022 Shkreli Awards
It's the 6th year of the Shkreli Awards, a top ten list of the worst examples of profiteering and dysfunction in health care, named for the infamous "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli. More
How a Sprawling Hospital Chain Ignited Its Own Staffing Crisis
Because of its nonprofit status, Ascension avoids more than $1 billion a year in federal, state and local taxes, according to the Lown Institute, a health care think tank. Until the pandemic, Ascension was consistently profitable, earning hundreds of millions a year. More
Hospital policies that exacerbate the staffing crisis
While the pandemic was a breaking point for many healthcare workers, some hospital systems were cutting staff well before 2020... More
Price transparency comes to the insurance market…but there’s a catch
Insurers are required to publish their negotiated prices for all services. The problem is, there's too much data... More
How some hospitals put up barriers to financial assistance
It's the time of year where most of us are getting into the "giving spirit." But recent investigations show that some hospitals are instead putting up obstacles to financial assistance. More
Nine NYC hospitals received $1.2 billion in tax breaks, invested less than half in community: report
The Lown Institute calls for greater transparency and accountability. More
Power to the People: How a single tweet could reignite a movement
With $8 and 9 words, one internet troll is forcing insulin manufacturers to answer the question of why the drug is so unaffordable More
The “S” in ESG: How hospitals are embracing social responsibility
Which hospitals are walking the talk on social responsibility? A new feature in Frontiers of Health Services Management showcases the Lown Index and winning hospitals. More