Our recent report found that more than 200,000 unnecessary back surgeries took place over a three year period, costing Medicare more than $1.9 billion. But what about the physicians responsible for this overuse? More
These hospitals are bucking the trend of back surgery overuse with rates below 5% for both spinal fusion and vertebroplasty. More
“Every field of medicine has more than the public realizes of stuff like this where the evidence doesn’t really support it that much,” Saini said. “When you do it across all of American health care, it’s actually a significant piece of the health care cost.” More
“Like everyone in America, older people with back pain deserve safe, evidence-based care that doesn’t waste taxpayer dollars,” Vikas Saini, M.D., president of the Lown Institute, said in a release. “Reducing unnecessary procedures, particularly invasive ones that carry grave risks, is a moral imperative.” More
Watch the video recording and see our key takeaways from the latest Lown Institute event on back surgery overuse. More
"We're not doing this just to draw attention to the fact that there is unnecessary surgery," Lown president Vikas Saini, MD, told MedPage Today. "We're doing it to track how much, so people who want to do something about it have a guideline." More
Spine surgeon Dr. Eugene Carragee reviews the evidence for vertebroplasty. More
U.S. hospitals performed more than 200,000 unnecessary back surgeries on older adults that cost taxpayers $1.9 billion, according to a new analysis of Medicare and Medicare Advantage claims data. More
The goal of Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction is to “help protect American taxpayers” by “helping patients and providers avoid unnecessary or inappropriate care,” according to the government. The 17 affected services are commonly overused or historically have had a higher risk of waste, fraud and abuse, according to the Lown Institute, a health care think tank More
As much as half of all spinal fusions don’t alleviate pain — why do doctors perform so many? More
Death rates from fall injuries among older Americans more than tripled over the past 30 years. Medications that act on the central nervous system could be the culprit... More
CMS estimated that regulating the radiation dose of CT scans could prevent nearly 14,000 cancers and save $5 billion. So why is CMS considering loosening regulations? More
As we prepare for the launch of our 2025 report on unnecessary back surgery, let’s take a moment to check in on the current state of medical overuse in America. More
"Depending on what you count, over‑prescribing costs the United States anywhere from a few billion dollars a year in easily measurable drug waste to more than half a trillion dollars…" writes Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute. More
According to the Lown Institute, Michigan’s nonprofit hospitals spent just 1.76% of their expenses on community benefit programs like charity care — the lowest among 20 states studied. That leaves a lot of room for hospitals to do more to serve their communities. More
Can we reduce healthcare waste while making Americans healthier? A new Medicare pilot program that uses AI is trying to do just that. Here’s what’s promising about the program, and which elements could use rethinking. More
Lown, a nonpartisan healthcare think tank, annually evaluates hospitals nationwide on more than 50 metrics pertaining to equity, value and health outcomes. Out of more than 2,700 acute care hospitals nationwide, Lown recognized 125 “Honor Roll” hospitals for achieving the highest scores in its latest 2025-2026 rankings.
Register now for the webinar "America's Most Socially Responsible Hospitals" on June 25, 2025. More
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."The enterprise of medicine has both scientific and moral dimensions, and they're inextricably balanced"
More