Lown Presents
The Lown Presents series provides a deep dive into topics at the intersection of health policy, health equity, and high-value care. These free live streamed conversations feature experts with a variety of perspectives on health care, including hospital leaders, public health experts, patient advocates, thought leaders, and policymakers. The Lown Institute Hospitals Index provides a backdrop for discussions.
Medical Debt in America
May 15, 2025 in Washington, DC
The Lown Institute brought together advocates, researchers, and hospital leadership to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing the American healthcare system: Medical debt.
Through a series of panel discussions, over 80 attendees explored the research behind medical debt, how some hospitals are taking the lead in protecting patients, and which state and federal policies will impact this issue going forward.
Back Surgery Overuse
November 14, 2024 at 1pm ET
Low-back pain is incredibly prevalent, affecting one quarter of US adults at any given time. However, some interventions to treat back pain have been shown to have no clinical benefit compared to placebo–putting hundreds of thousands at risk of unnecessary harm.
- How many procedures are being done unnecessarily and at what cost?
- Which hospitals and systems are best and worst at avoiding this overuse?
- What does this kind of overuse look like in your state?
IN CONVERSATION
- Claire Brockbank, director of policy and strategy for 32BJ Health Fund
- Dr. Sohail Mirza, orthopedic surgeon and professor at Dartmouth College
- Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute
America’s Most Socially Responsible Hospitals, 2024
June 25, 2024 at 1pm ET
Join us as we review the results of the 2024 Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility rankings. The Lown Hospitals Index is setting the standard for socially responsible care through measures never used before like racial inclusivity, avoidance of overuse, and pay equity.
IN CONVERSATION
- Dr. Nabil Chehade, Executive VP and Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at MetroHealth
- Dr. Rajika Reed, VP of Community Health at St Luke’s University Health Network
- Dr. Paul Hattis, Senior Fellow at the Lown Institute
The state of medical debt in the U.S.
May 14, 2024 at 1pm ET
This two-hour intensive event will feature multiple panel discussions addressing the growing problem of medical debt in the United States. This is a must attend event for policymakers, journalists, thought leaders, and anyone else interested in getting up to speed on the scope of the problem, drivers, and possible solutions–by hearing directly from those most active in this space.
IN CONVERSATION
- Elisabeth Benjamin – Community Service Society of NY
- Christopher Goodman – University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- Ruth Landé – Undue Medical Debt
- Lisa Edmonds – patient advocate
- Berneta Haynes – National Consumer Law Center
- Noam Levey – KFF Health News
- Sara Rosenbaum – Milken School of Public Health, GWU
- Alexandra Spratt – Arnold Ventures
- Paula Smith – Lown Institute
Are hospitals giving back as much as they take? A close-up look at California
March 26, 2024 at 1pm ET / 10am PT
Communities invest in their local nonprofit hospitals through big tax breaks. Are hospitals giving back their fair share in return? To find out, the Lown Institute analyzed hospital community investments compared to the value of their tax breaks—what we call “Fair Share Spending.” Join us for a discussion with health policy experts to explore the findings, including a deep dive into the results for California hospitals. We’ll discuss:
- Which hospitals have the largest fair share deficits and surpluses?
- What insights can we learn from California?
- How do federal and state policies impact hospital community investments?
- How can we hold hospitals accountable for giving their fair share, while supporting the hospitals leading the way?
IN CONVERSATION
- Joan Allen – Government Relations Advocate at SEIU-UHW
- Michelle Burton – CEO of Rising Communities
- Anthony Wright – executive director of Health Access California
- Vikas Saini, MD – president, The Lown Institute
Unnecessary Stents: How professional inertia endangers patients and wastes billions of dollars
October 31,2023 at 1pm ET
Low-back pain is incredibly prevalent, affecting one quarter of US adults at any given time. However, some interventions to treat back pain have been shown to have no clinical benefit compared to placebo–putting hundreds of thousands at risk of unnecessary harm.
How many procedures are being done unnecessarily and at what cost? Which hospitals and systems are best and worst at avoiding this overuse? What does this kind of overuse look like in your state? Attend to get to the bottom of these questions and more.
IN CONVERSATION
- David L. Brown, MD – Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Keck Medicine of USC
- Thomas Power, MD, MBA, FACC, MRCPI -Senior Medical Director of Cardiology at Carelon Medical Benefits Management
- Betty Rambur, PhD, RN, FAAN – Routhier Endowed Chair for Practice, Professor of Nursing at the University of Rhode Island
- Vikas Saini, MD – President, The Lown Institute
America’s Most Racially Inclusive Hospitals, 2023
September 19, 2023 at 1pm ET
Many hospitals say advancing health equity in their communities is a priority – this report examines just how well they’re doing.
The Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility is the first rankings program to examine the racial inclusivity of America’s hospitals and determine their success at serving the people of color in their communities. This is the fourth year racial inclusivity results have been released and the first time that data from Medicare Advantage has been included along with traditional Medicare claims.
IN CONVERSATION
- Dr. Uché Blackstock – Chief Executive Officer of Advancing Health Equity
- Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers – Founding Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center
- Elena Mendez-Escobar, PhD, MBA – Co-Director of the Health Equity Accelerator at Boston Medical Center
- Dr. Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
America’s Most Socially Responsible Hospitals, 2023
July 18, 2023 at 1pm ET
When communities have access to socially responsible healthcare, our nation grows stronger. The Lown Institute Hospitals Index highlights the hospitals leading the way on social responsibility through their excellent performance on health equity, value of care, and patient outcomes.
- Which hospitals make the grade this year, and what can we learn from the most socially responsible hospitals?
- When it comes to hospital CEO compensation, are we getting what we pay for?
- What policies do we need to we improve hospital social responsibility across the board?
- What are local leaders, foundations, and governments doing to help hospitals reach their health equity goals?
IN CONVERSATION
- Veronica Flores – Chief Executive Officer of Rising Communities
- Julie Menin – New York City Council Member
- Read Pierce – Chief Quality Officer of Denver Health
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
Are nonprofit hospitals earning their tax breaks?
April 11, 2023 at 1pm ET
Nonprofit hospital systems receive billions in tax breaks each year. But how many hospitals actually give back to communities as much as they receive in tax benefits?
Join us April 11 as we discuss our findings with a guest panel of policymakers from Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and California to hear how they’re taking action on nonprofit hospital community benefit spending.
IN CONVERSATION
- Lisa Frank – Chief Operating Officer and Administrative Officer for the City of Pittsburgh
- Steven Ranzoni – Hospital Policy Advisor at the Oregon Health Authority
- Naman Shah – Director of Medical and Dental Affairs at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
- Nancy Dolson – Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
America’s Most Socially Responsible Hospitals, 2022
June 28th, 2022 at 1pm ET
Hospitals faced immense challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic — which hospitals delivered on outcomes, value, and equity?
Join us June 28 for the launch of the full 2022 Lown Institute Hospitals Index to find out which hospitals achieved the highest rankings on social responsibility during the first year of COVID-19.
IN CONVERSATION
- Kate Walsh – President and CEO, Boston Medical Center
- Judson Howe – President, Adventist Health in Mendocino County
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee – Special advisor to the President, The Lown Institute
Hospital Overuse During COVID
May 17, 2022 at 1pm ET
Every year, hundreds of thousands of older Americans receive tests and procedures in hospitals that are more likely to harm than help.
How often did this overuse happen in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, before vaccines were widely available? Join Lown Institute researchers to find out as we share new research on hospital overuse in COVID.
IN CONVERSATION
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee – Special Advisor to the President, The Lown Institute
- Kelsey Chalmers – Manager of Data Research, The Lown Institute
Are nonprofit hospitals earning their tax breaks?
April 12, 2022 at 1pm ET
Nonprofit hospital systems receive billions in tax breaks each year. How many of them are giving enough back to their communities in the form of charity care and programs to improve health?
Join us April 12 as we reveal which nonprofit health systems spend the most — and the least — on meaningful community benefits, and discuss the results with health experts and policymakers.
IN CONVERSATION
- Dale Folwell – North Carolina State Treasurer
- Paul Hattis – Senior Fellow, The Lown Institute
- Jennifer Valenzuela – Chief People and Equity Officer, Health Leads
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
- Judith Garber – Senior Policy Analyst, The Lown Institute
Racial inclusivity during COVID
March 17, 2022 at 1pm ET
In many US cities, hospital systems appear to be segregated, with some hospitals serving many more patients from communities of color than others. How did the pandemic change – or reinforce – these patterns?
Join us on March 17 as we announce the most racially inclusive hospitals in America, and discuss the impact of Covid on hospital inclusivity.
IN CONVERSATION
- Brenda Battle – Senior Vice President of Community Health Transformation and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, UChicago Medicine
- Tony Iton – Senior Vice President of Healthy Communities, The California Endowment
- Richard Allen William – Founder of the Minority Health Institute and Association of Black Cardiologists, former President of the National Medical Association
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee – Special Advisor to the President, The Lown Institute
Hospital CEO compensation: Why are they paid so much?
February 15, 2022 at 1pm ET
Nonprofit hospital CEOs are paid triple the amount of other nonprofit CEOs, with some getting multi-million dollar salaries. Why are hospital CEOs paid so much and what do these high salaries incentivize?
Join health care experts to discuss what’s behind the recent trends in hospital CEO pay and how we can better align executive compensation with hospitals’ social mission.
IN CONVERSATION
- Alan Weil – Editor-in-chief, Health Affairs
- Merrill Goozner – Journalist, GoozNews; Editor Emeritus, Modern Healthcare
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee – Special Advisor to the President, The Lown Institute
Hospital cost efficiency: Dollars and lives at stake
November 9, 2021 at 1pm ET
Hospital costs represent one-third of all health care spending, an estimated $1 trillion each year. But more spending doesn’t always mean better care — some hospitals spend much less than others while still achieving excellent patient outcomes.
What factors drive some hospitals to be much more cost efficient than others? What could we save — in both health and dollars — by improving hospital cost efficiency? And how do we incentivize hospitals to better coordinate care and reduce waste?
We’ll discuss these questions and more with health system leaders, researchers, and the creators of the Lown Hospitals Index.
IN CONVERSATION
- Shannon Brownlee – Special Advisor to the President, The Lown Institute
- Timothy Crowley – Senior VP for Network Development, Steward Health Care; CEO, Medical Group Innovations
- Nihar Desai – Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine
- Bob Rauner – Chief Medical Officer, OneHealth Nebraska ACO
- Vikas Saini – President, The Lown Institute
ANNOUNCING: The Most Socially Responsible Hospitals in America
September 21, 2021 at 1PM ET
Join us as we reveal the most socially responsible hospitals in America, along with the full results of the 2021 Lown Hospitals Index. There were only 75 hospitals out of more than 3,000 that made it onto our honor roll by earning “A” grades on equity, value, and outcomes.
Register for the launch event on September 21 to learn:
– The names of the winners
– How the Index has changed this year
– The methods behind our new Cost Efficiency metric
– What’s coming up next
You’ll also be able to ask questions directly to the creators of the Lown Hospitals Index.
2021 TOP HOSPITALS: COMMUNITY BENEFIT
July 12, 2021 at 1PM ET
We expect our hospitals to serve everyone in their community who needs care, no matter their insurance status or ability to pay. Nonprofit hospitals are legally obligated to provide financial assistance and other community benefits that improve health.
However, not all hospitals fulfill their community benefit requirement equally. Some even go so far as to sue thousands of patients for medical bills and put liens on their homes.
Which hospitals are leaders in community health investment and care for low-income patients? On July 12, we’ll reveal America’s top hospitals in our 2021 Community Benefit ranking with health policy experts.
- Marty Makary, Professor of Health Policy & Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Sara Rosenbaum, Professor of Health Law and Policy, George Washington University
- Vikas Saini, president, Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee, special advisor to the president, Lown Institute
2021 TOP HOSPITALS: RACIAL INCLUSIVITY
May 25, 2021 at 1PM ET
Socially responsible hospitals should care for everyone in their community, especially those bearing the health impacts of structural racism. Which hospitals are doing an exceptional job at serving people of color and and what can we learn from their leadership? Find out when we reveal the most racially inclusive hospitals in America.
- Aletha Maybank, Chief Health Equity Officer and Vice President of the American Medical Association
- Harriet Washington, writer and medical ethicist, author of Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Experimentation from Colonial Times to the Present
- Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Vikas Saini, president, Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee, special advisor to the president, Lown Institute
2021’s TOP HOSPITALS: AVOIDING OVERUSE
May 4, 2021
Hundreds of thousands of unnecessary tests and procedures are performed by hospitals each year, putting patients at risk and wasting resources. Find out which hospitals in the country are best at avoiding low-value services like hysterectomy, stents, and head imaging, when the 2021 Avoiding Overuse results of the Lown Institute Hospitals Index are released!
- Michael Chernew, Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; director, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC)
- Rita Redberg, cardiologist and professor, UCSF Medical Center; editor, JAMA Internal Medicine
- Mark Smith, founding president and former CEO, California Healthcare Foundation
- Vikas Saini, president, Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee, special advisor to the president, Lown Institute
- Also featuring leaders of some of the Top Hospitals on avoiding overuse!
THE PROMISE OF A COOPERATIVE HOSPITAL SECTOR
January 27, 2021
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the health of each of us matters. But is a competitive hospital market the best way to ensure every person gets the care they need?
- Paul Levy, Former President and CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Jill Horwitz, Vice Dean for Faculty and Intellectual Life and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
- David Seltz, Executive Director, Massachusetts Health Policy Commission
- Vikas Saini, President of the Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee, Senior VP of the Lown Institute
RACISM & HOSPITALS
October 21, 2020
How does structural racism manifest in the hospital sector and what can we do about it?
- Vikas Saini, President of the Lown Institute
- Shannon Brownlee, Senior VP or the Lown Institute
- Mary T. Bassett, Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health
- Milton R. Nuñez, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/ Lincoln