REGISTER: The 2025 Shkreli Awards
Register now for the 2025 Shkreli Awards, hosted on December 11, 2025 at 1pm More
Physicians who perform the most unnecessary back surgeries—what we know
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 fifteen hospitals prove that avoiding unnecessary back surgery is possible
These hospitals are bucking the trend of back surgery overuse with rates below 5% for both spinal fusion and vertebroplasty. More
Report claims Heritage Valley Sewickley, St. Clair hospitals perform needless back surgeries
“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
Medicare spent $1.9B on unnecessary back surgeries over 3 years, report finds
“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
“We are up against an enormous financial juggernaut”: Experts discuss back surgery overuse at Lown event
Watch the video recording and see our key takeaways from the latest Lown Institute event on back surgery overuse. More
Unnecessary back surgeries for seniors cost Medicare $2B over three years, analysis finds
Hospitals Called Out for Unnecessary Back Surgeries on Seniors
"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
PRESS RELEASE: Older adults get unnecessary back surgeries at an alarming rate
Patients face serious risk of complications; billions in Medicare dollars wasted More
Vertebroplasty: The Myth of the Most Effective Medical Intervention
Spine surgeon Dr. Eugene Carragee reviews the evidence for vertebroplasty. More
Medicare paid for 200K unneeded back surgeries: Study
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
17 Services That Medicare Wants People to Stop Using
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
The Spinal Surgeries That Didn’t Need to Happen
As much as half of all spinal fusions don’t alleviate pain — why do doctors perform so many? More
A Rising Tide of Harm: How Medication Overload May Be Fueling Falls In Older Americans
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
Excess radiation increases the risk of cancer. Why is CMS loosening regulations?
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
Checking in on medical overuse in America
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
America the Overprescribed
"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
Forgiving medical debt is crucial, but it won’t fix our health care system | Opinion
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
Overuse costs Medicare billions. Will WISeR be the fix we need?
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 Institute 2025: Which Northeast Ohio hospitals rank among most socially responsible?
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.