Hospital system acquisitions and mergers: Nonprofits lead the way
Which hospital systems are growing the fastest, and which ones are shrinking? More
The ten largest hospital systems account for 25% of hospital profits. Most own fewer hospitals than they did in 2020.
What do the largest hospital systems in the U.S. look like? Insights on the biggest systems from Lown's recently-released Hospitals Ownership Transparency data set. More
WATCH: Medical credit cards and public hospitals
Watch Lown Institute intern Katryn Basso share her research examining public hospitals' offering of medical credit products, and what this means for patients. More
WATCH: Do tax-exempt hospitals adapt charity care to community needs?
At the latest edition of Lunchtime Paper Presentations, Dr. Cory Cronin from Ohio University shared new research on the relationship between More
REGISTER: America’s Most Socially Responsible Hospitals, 2026
Register now for the webinar "America's Most Socially Responsible Hospitals" on June 23, 2026. More
Hot takes from health leaders: Overrated and underrated policy solutions for high healthcare costs
This week's question: What's the most important thing a young clinician can do right now? More
WATCH: Measuring and communicating hospital overuse
Lown Institute Senior Director of Research Kelsey Chalmers and Senior Policy Analyst Judith Garber discuss measuring and messaging hospital overuse. Hosted by WISER Healthcare, a research collaborative for reducing overdiagnosis and overtreatment. More
Hot takes from health leaders: What’s the most important thing a young clinician can do right now?
This week's question: What's the most important thing a young clinician can do right now? More
Hot takes from health leaders: What keeps you up at night?
This week's question: What keeps you up at night when you think about where healthcare affordability is headed? More
Hot takes from health leaders: Who needs to fix the affordability crisis?
Introducing Hot Takes from Health Leaders: a biweekly series featuring candid responses from the policymakers, clinicians, hospital executives, researchers, and advocates who will convene at LOWN26: Confronting Healthcare Affordability on May 21st in Cambridge, MA. More
Hot takes from health leaders: Where is healthcare getting it right?
Introducing Hot Takes from Health Leaders: a biweekly series featuring candid responses from the policymakers, clinicians, hospital executives, researchers, and advocates who will convene at LOWN26: Confronting Healthcare Affordability on May 21st in Cambridge, MA. More
Hospital CEO pay in Massachusetts over four years: Whose pay increased the most?
How has CEO compensation for large hospital systems in Massachusetts changed over the past few years? We took a look at the latest data to find out. More
How long does it take to book a new patient appointment with a primary care doc in greater Boston? We called to find out.
We called 86 hospitals and primary care offices to see how long it would take to get a new patient appointment. Here's what we found. 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
“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
PRESS RELEASE: Older adults get unnecessary back surgeries at an alarming rate
Patients face serious risk of complications; billions in Medicare dollars wasted More
Why private equity growth matters for veterans’ health
How is the growth of private equity acquisitions in healthcare impacting veterans? At a roundtable event hosted by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, researchers and policy experts discussed the drivers and consequences of these acquisitions going unchecked. Watch the event recording! 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
How did the 2025 US News best hospitals perform on the Lown Index?
US News & World Report just released their list of “best hospitals” for 2025-26, which is based primarily on patient outcomes for complex specialty care and common procedures. The Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility takes a different approach to hospital ranking, evaluating hospitals on metrics of equity and value as well as outcomes. Here's how the 2025 US News best hospitals perform on the Lown Index. More