"The enterprise of medicine has both scientific and moral dimensions, and they're inextricably balanced"
Dr Vikas Saini is a Cardiologist and President of the Lown Institute, where he leads a non-partisan think tank advocating bold ideas for a just and caring system for health. With a unique background combining philosophy and medicine, Dr. Saini has spent decades examining the intersection of ethics, evidence, and economics in healthcare. His work on the Social Responsibility Index challenges traditional hospital rankings by measuring what truly matters: equity, value, and patient outcomes rather than reputation and revenue.
More
Medical debt is associated with poor financial and health outcomes. So why don't we see more positive effects when medical debt is relieved?
More
A new study in JAMA Health Forum finds that certain communities receive much less community benefit spending from hospitals
than others.
More
Register now for the 2024 Shkreli Awards, hosted on January 7, 2025 at 1pm
More
Register now for the webinar "Unnecessary Back Surgery: Older Americans put at risk while Billions in Medicare funds wasted" on November 14, 2024.
More
Are Black mothers more likely to have unscheduled C-sections? A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests yes–and that their likelihood of an unscheduled C-section was greater when there were operating rooms going unused. Same hospital, different c-section rates While C-sections can be a lifesaving option when necessary, they are invasive […]
More
While Harris and Walz have challenged corporate power, politicians do so only because voters are pushing for it, cautioned Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, a health-care think tank.
“The health-care corporations now are mega-regional players. They have huge clout. It would really take much more than a single politician,” Saini said. “It’s going to take a broader movement in the country. … Maybe we’ll get there as there is a lot of pain.”
More
The Lown Index ranks more than 300 hospital systems on social responsibility. Find out which ones made the top ten!
More
See which Critical Access Hospitals made our list of most socially responsible for 2024!
More
Join us as we review the results of the 2024 Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility rankings!
More
Register now for the webinar "America's Most Socially Responsible Hospitals" on June 25, 2024.
More
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to collect data on hospital greenhouse gas emissions for the first time. Here's why this effort could be helpful for transparency and accountability on climate change, and some ways the initiative could go further.
More
In the face of the nation’s high rates of maternal mortality, OBGYN workforce shortages are exacerbating the problem. In some states, abortion bans could be making things worse.
More
Despite having access to world-class medical facilities nearby, often people with the most serious health concerns tend to bypass the “nicer” hospitals. Here’s why that happens, and why you might consider trying out these hospitals nonetheless.
More
A new report by The Root Cause Coalition highlights community needs and priorities when it comes to the social drivers of health.
More
For hospitals that operate on razor-thin margins, balancing financial concerns with their social mission is an incredibly difficult task. In NEJM, experts explain how hospitals manage these challenging tradeoffs.
More
More than half of Black adults say they’ve had at least one negative interaction with doctors or other health care providers, with about a third saying that their pain was not taken seriously or that their provider has rushed them. Read tips on how to address culturally incompetent care.
More
Black Americans are at a higher risk of medical debt and its consequences compared to other Americans. What can patients do to protect themselves?
More
One year ago, safety net hospital Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center closed its doors. Recent interviews help paint a picture of how this closure has impacted remaining hospitals.
More
What does it mean for patients and clinicians to be confronted with healthcare inequalities daily?
More
