Are 3D mammograms better than none?
The hype around 3D mammograms misleads patients about the benefits of cancer screening. More
How one bit of medical jargon fuels public confusion about cancer treatments
The frequency and harms of care cascades
How often do care cascades happen, and what harms do they cause? More
Can value-based payments help reduce waste in health care?
Even though proven interventions exist to reduce waste on the clinical side, implementing them on a large scale is easier said than done... More
Incidence vs mortality: Which cancers are we overdiagnosing?
Over the past several decades, the medical community has made many positive advances in cancer prevention and treatment, leading to reduced deaths from cancer. However, for some types of cancer, we have not improved mortality rates despite pouring billions of dollars into early detection efforts. Which types of cancers are we preventing, which types are […] More
Lown Conferences
The Lown Institute organized the first conference in the world dedicated to the problem of overtreatment. The Institute has since convened six national conferences attracting more than 200 attendees annually and featuring world-renowned leaders in health care. More
Routine urine testing: It’s a culture problem
Testing asymptomatic adults for urinary tract infections often leads to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. So why do doctors keep doing it? More
Testing a radical approach to cancer: Less chemotherapy
This oncologist is taking a "Lownian" approach to treating advanced cancer. More
Research on overuse harms: Where do we go from here?
How do we frame overuse not just as an issue of cost but also as an issue of harm? A recap of the Lown Institute meeting on overuse harms research. More
Why is it difficult to provide the right care to adults with dementia?
The latest edition in the Lown Right Care Series in American Family Physician offers tips for providing right care to adults with dementia. More
The top ten overuse studies of 2018
Which studies on overuse in 2018 were the most influential? More
Overtreatment of diabetes leads to thousands of hospitalizations each year
A recent study finds that overtreatment of older adults for Type 2 diabetes is common, harmful, and preventable. More
Press Release: For Grandparents Day, Recommend a Prescription Checkup
It's Grandparent's Day -- Do you know what medications your grandparents are taking? More
When a deal isn’t really a deal: Coupons for medical imaging
If you buy something you don't need at a high discount, does that make it a good deal? Why patients should be wary of Groupons for medical imaging. More
New report finds disturbing variation in neonatal intensive care
Does the supply of NICU beds correspond to the need for intensive care? Or are some infants being placed in the NICU when less intensive care would be safer? More
Why we can’t ignore medication overload
On the Institute for Healthcare Improvement blog, Dr. Terry Fulmer, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation, explains why tackling medication overload is essential for older adults. More
The Hidden Drug Problem of Older Adults: Medication Overload
Medication overload (also known as polypharmacy) is a serious problem among older adults. It’s getting new attention as efforts to make health care more “age-friendly” spread around the US. More
Proton center marks 10 years in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Proton Center is completing upgrades to software and equipment as it anticipates treating its 3,000th cancer patient this fall.
However, not everyone within the medical community is sold on proton therapy, which has not been widely proven to be more successful than standard radiation that is much cheaper.
“It’s controversial because it’s incredibly expensive, and there isn’t any evidence that it actually works for many of the ways it’s being used,” Shannon Brownlee, senior vice president at the Lown Institute, a Brookline-based health care think tank, told the Boston Globe this year.
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Top U.S. medical centers roll out DNA sequencing clinics for healthy (and often wealthy) clients
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I’m an ICU nurse. I know I need an end-of-life directive. So why can’t I bring myself to write it?
Few want to think about their own deaths. And forms rarely capture the complexity of real-life medical decision-making. But there are ways to tackle these and other roadblocks.