Why hospital price transparency is not enough
The 2021 hospital price transparency rule may not end the price confusion for patients, but it's still a valuable change-- here's why... More
Which hospitals got the most CARES Act Funding?
Which hospitals got the largest slice of the federal relief pie? Two recent studies examine the impact of this massive funding influx on hospital finances. More
America’s “best” hospitals charge high drug price markups
A recent study examines insurer-negotiated prices for ten expensive drugs at the 20 top US News & World Report hospitals. More
Measuring low-value care throughout the health system
The Lown Hospitals Index evaluates more than 3,000 hospitals on 12 low-value services. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School and Dartmouth Institute have released a new tool, expanding the measurement of 41 low-value services across hospital and non-hospital settings. More
How to stop hospitals suing patients
When researchers, media, and advocates teamed up to bring attention to hospital lawsuits, it led to a dramatic decrease in lawsuits filed. What can we learn from this initiative? More
Hospitals that advertise aren’t necessarily better
What do hospitals that advertise their services have in common? Lown Intern Neil Trivedi explains in a guest blog post. More
Hospital overuse linked to thousands of adverse events each year
In a recent study in JAMA Health Forum, Lown Institute researchers investigate the relationship between low-value hospital services and hospital-acquired infections and patient safety events. More
Despite new regulation, few hospitals are transparent about their prices
Two new studies analyzing hospital price transparency find that fewer than 25% of hospitals are complying with the new CMS rule. More
The harms of hospital segregation
New research on racial disparities in Covid-19 mortality show how hospital segregation harms Black patients. More
Are nonprofit hospitals contributing their fair share of financial assistance?
A recent study looks at patterns of charity care spending at public, private, and for-profit hospitals, and finds some interesting results... More
“What we’ve seen should be a wake-up call to everybody”: Lown leaders discuss needed changes in healthcare
On the Race to Value podcast, Vikas Saini and Shannon Brownlee discuss Dr. Lown's legacy, trust as high-value care, hospital coordination, and much more. More
Can we put a ceiling on hospital prices?
In JAMA, Michael Chernew and Maximilian Pany argue that a price cap on the higher end of hospital prices would save tens of billions. More
Overuse in Medicare slow to change, study finds
A recent analysis in JAMA finds that overuse in Medicare barely budged from 2014-2018. How can we move further toward value-based care? More
Covid-19 shows how our hospital system is “separate and unequal”
An investigation of a hospital overwhelmed by Covid-19 in Los Angeles shows the vast inequalities between the safety net institutions and other hospitals in the area. More
VIDEO: Hospital price transparency
On January 1, a new CMS rule on hospital price transparency went into effect. What does the new regulation do? How could it affect the cost of care? And are hospitals complying? Shannon and Vikas answer these questions on this week’s Lown Hospitals Q&A. More
Are hospitals complying with the new price transparency rule?
Hospitals now have to disclose on their website the prices they negotiate with insurers. But many hospitals are lagging when it comes to revealing their "real" prices... More
Video Teaser for Lown Presents: Hospital Cooperation
Watch and share this video sneak peek of what Shannon, Vikas, and our guests will be talking about at Lown Presents: The Promise of Hospital Cooperation on January 27th. More
Can for-profit hospitals be anchor institutions?
How do nonprofit and for-profit hospitals differ when it comes to community engagement and community health investment? More
Hospital charges are out of control. Will transparency help?
A new report shows that the ratio of hospital charges compared to their costs has ballooned over the past decades. Why does it matter? More
Video: Measuring patient satisfaction in hospitals
How can we measure the ways in which hospital environments promote healing? And what do we find on the Lown Index when it comes to patient satisfaction? Shannon Brownlee and Dr. Vikas Saini tackle these questions and more in this week's video. More