Recent developments of interest in cardiovascular medicine
One Texas hospital has over half of stents placed meeting criteria for overuseopens in a new tab or window, according to the nationwide ranking in a report from the Lown Institute. More
Hospitals’ unnecessary stent use costs Medicare $800M a year
"The frequency at which stents are overused shows that many physicians are struggling to keep up with the evidence," Vikas Sani, MD, cardiologist and president of the Lown Institute, said in an Oct. 31 news release. "To be socially responsible, hospitals need to take a more active role in reducing these unnecessary procedures." More
Stents are costly, overused: study
The researchers said the unnecessary procedures aren’t only costly for Medicare but can also run a patient around $1,600, with Medicare paying the remaining roughly $9,000. Stent procedures also run the risk of tears in the artery, blood clots and kidney damage, according to the report. More
‘More dangerous than useful’: 1 in 5 coronary stents implanted by cardiologists are unnecessary, wasting $800M per year
“When physicians continue a practice despite the evidence against it, it becomes more dangerous than useful.” cardiologist Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute, said in statement. “The overuse of stents is incredibly wasteful and puts hundreds of thousands of patients in harm’s way.” More
Unnecessary stents can cost Medicare $800 million a year, new analysis estimates
A report out today from the Lown Institute says unnecessary use of coronary stents could cost Medicare an estimated $800 million a year. Looking at more than 1,700 hospitals and outpatient centers, the think tank determined more than 1 in 5 procedures from 2019 through 2021 met criteria for overuse. More
Once every seven minutes, a Medicare patient gets a coronary stent they don’t need, report says.
More than one in five coronary stents doctors placed in Medicare patients from 2019 through 2022 weren't needed; and they cost the federal health program and beneficiaries about $2.4 billion, according to the analysis by Lown Institute, a nonprofit think tank. More
The prevalence and harm of unnecessary stents
A new report from the Lown Institute finds that U.S. hospitals performed more than 229,000 unnecessary stents on Medicare patients from 2019-2021. Here's what overuse experts had to say about the issue... More
PRESS RELEASE: Unnecessary coronary stents cost Medicare as much as $800 million per year
How professional inertia harms patients and wastes billions of dollars. More
An ethical imperative: How nurses can be leaders in reducing overuse
Nurses are among the most trusted profession in the US and have a lot to gain from reducing unnecessary care, yet this potential for nurses to lead the charge has gone largely untapped. Experts share their insights on value-informed nursing and their visions for the future. More
REGISTER: How unnecessary stents harm patients and waste billions of dollars
How often are these procedures happening, and where? How much are we wasting on these low-value services? And what can we do to prevent unnecessary care? More
How AI-powered cancer screening could impact overuse
AI-supported cancer screenings have the potential to reduce false positives ...but they could also exacerbate overdiagnosis. More
Private equity in cardiology raises overuse concerns
As private equity’s infiltration into cardiology expands, what does this mean for the cost and quality of care? More
Does cancer screening help us live longer?
Cancer screenings save lives, right? It's actually more complicated than that... More
Defining “better”: A look at the new Alzheimer’s drugs
Unlike its predecessor drug aducanumab, lecanemab actually showed a statistically significant difference in slowing cognitive decline in its clinical trial. But can the drug improve patients’ quality of life? More
PODCAST: Dr. Vikas Saini on why more healthcare isn’t always better
On the podcast "Turn on the Lights," hosted by Kedar Mate and Don Berwick of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Lown Institute president Vikas Saini explains how overuse takes hold in medicine and how patients can protect themselves from the harms of unnecessary care. More
Dallas’ Most Socially Responsible Hospital
The Lown Hospital Index for Social Responsibility analyzed facility's outcomes, value of care, and health equity. More
2023 Hospital Social Responsibility: Event Recap
Over 3,600 hospitals were evaluated across the nation. Fifty-four earned A’s across the three main categories of equity, value, and outcomes, earning them Honor Roll status. To have a socially responsible healthcare system, we need more hospitals performing better on metrics like pay equity, racial inclusivity, and community investment. So how do we accomplish this goal? More
America’s most socially responsible hospitals, 2023
Which hospitals make the grade this year, and how can we improve hospital social responsibility across the board? Join Lown Institute leaders and health policy experts on July 18th as we reveal America’s most socially responsible hospitals and discuss how to build a system where all hospitals can reach their health equity goals. More
Why more mammograms aren’t the solution to breast cancer
A recent analysis by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit health care think tank, highlighted some key USPSTF figures that show the limits of mammograms in a helpful way. The analysis imagines a world without screening mammograms, in which women seek evaluation for breast cancer only when they notice a breast lump or other concerning symptoms. According to the USPSTF’s models, about 28 out of every 1,000 women in this world would die from breast cancer at some point in their lives.
Earlier screening for breast cancer: Benefits and harms
The USPSTF just lowered the recommended screening age for breast cancer from 50 to 40. What were the reasons for this change and what are the potential harms and benefits? More