Lown Institute

What Lown Institute does

Lown Institute is a U.S. nonprofit healthcare think tank founded in 1973 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Bernard Lown and headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts. The organization produces research, rankings, and policy analysis focused on healthcare social responsibility, health equity, low-value care, and nonprofit hospital accountability. Its core product is the Lown Hospitals Index, a comprehensive ranking of more than 2,700 U.S. acute care hospitals (and 331 hospital systems and 900 critical access hospitals in the 2026 edition) evaluated across 50+ metrics including equity, value of care, outcomes, racial inclusivity, CEO pay, and community benefit spending. The Index draws on Medicare claims, CMS datasets, and IRS Form 990 filings, and its mortality ranking methodology was independently validated in peer-reviewed research in April 2026.

The Institute's secondary products include the annual Shkreli Awards (spotlighting egregious healthcare profiteering, now in its 11th consecutive year), the Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility (a $25,000 annual prize), and a portfolio of research reports on issues such as unnecessary back surgeries, coronary stent overuse, hospital billing and debt collection, medication overload, and state healthcare spending. The organization distributes all content free of charge through its website, a weekly newsletter (Lown Weekly), webinars, an annual conference (LOWN26), and earned media coverage in outlets including the New York Times, ProPublica, STAT News, KFF Health News, and The BMJ.

The Institute operates on a nonprofit funding model with no commercial pricing. Revenue is generated through foundation grants — most notably a $1.5M award from Arnold Ventures in September 2023 to study hospital tax exemptions — supplemented by individual donations. Its leadership is headed by President Dr. Vikas Saini, and the board was expanded in February 2023 with three new directors. The organization employs 11-50 staff and serves three primary constituencies: U.S. hospitals and health systems seeking benchmarking on social responsibility, federal and state policymakers and regulators needing independent evidence for healthcare accountability reforms, and patients/advocates seeking transparency on hospital practices.

Name

Lown Institute

Legal name

Lown Institute

Website

https://lowninstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lown Institute is a U.S. nonprofit healthcare think tank founded in 1973 that produces the Lown Hospitals Index, Shkreli Awards, and research on hospital social responsibility, health equity, and medical overuse, serving hospitals, policymakers, and patient advocates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

Keywords

• Healthcare think tank
• Hospital social responsibility
• Health equity research
• Medical overuse analysis
• Hospital ranking methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Needham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: The Lown Institute operates primarily as a nonprofit think tank funded through grants and charitable contributions. Major grant funding includes $1.5M from Arnold Ventures to study U.S. hospital tax exemptions and financial practices.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals and supporters, with a 'Donate' option prominently featured on its website.
3. Bernard Lown Award Prize: The Institute awards a $25,000 prize annually to the Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility winner, funded through the organization's operating budget supported by grants and donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Lown Institute is a nonprofit healthcare think tank founded in 1973 by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Bernard Lown. It conducts research and produces analysis, rankings, and educational content focused on healthcare inequities, overmedicalization, and access to care. Its flagship output is the Lown Hospitals Index, an annual ranking of U.S. hospitals across civic leadership, value of care, patient outcomes, and pay equity, supported by datasets such as fair-share spending analyses, billing and collection practices, and reports on overuse and medical debt.

Product overview

The Lown Institute is a nonpartisan healthcare think tank founded in 1973 by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Bernard Lown. The organization operates primarily as a research and advocacy organization rather than a software product company. Its core offerings include the Lown Hospitals Index (a social responsibility ranking system for U.S. hospitals), the annual Shkreli Awards (highlighting worst examples of healthcare profiteering), the Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility, and the Lown Weekly newsletter. Additional research products cover hospital financial practices, medication overload, medical debt, and state healthcare spending analysis. The organization generates bold ideas for a just and caring healthcare system focused on accountability, health equity, human connection, and reducing low-value care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lown Hospitals Index: A signature project of the Institute and the first ranking to assess the social responsibility of U.S. hospitals, including measures like community investment, medical overuse, and CEO pay.
• Shkreli Awards
• Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility
• Lown Weekly

Products and services

• Lown Hospitals Index Annual ranking of more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals across four pillars — civic leadership, value of care, patient outcomes, and pay equity — designed for hospitals, policymakers, and journalists to benchmark performance.
• Lown Weekly Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• The 2026 Lown Hospitals Index evaluated more than 2,700 acute care hospitals, 331 hospital systems, and 900 critical access hospitals.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• ProPublica: A nonprofit investigative newsroom that has produced major healthcare accountability journalism on hospital billing, charity care, and medical debt. An adjacent player advancing healthcare transparency through investigative reporting.
• Center for American Progress (CAP): A progressive policy think tank producing research and policy recommendations across healthcare and other domains. Comparable as a nonprofit think tank shaping health policy discourse with grant funding.
• Public Citizen: A nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that has campaigned on hospital accountability, drug pricing, and healthcare profiteering. Comparable advocacy posture and naming-and-shaming tradition.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. News & World Report: Publishes widely consumed Best Hospitals rankings across specialties. A broader incumbent in hospital rankings with overlapping audience but a commercial, for-profit orientation.
• RAND Corporation: A large nonprofit research organization with a dedicated health division producing influential studies on healthcare delivery, costs, and quality. Comparable research-driven health policy work but much larger and broader.

Direct peers

• Health Affairs: A peer-reviewed journal and policy think tank publishing rigorous health policy research. Comparable as a nonprofit health policy research outlet shaping the national healthcare discourse.
• KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation): An independent nonprofit focused on national health policy research, polling, and journalism including hospital policy. Comparable as a grant-funded health policy research organization with strong media reach.
• The Leapfrog Group: A nonprofit watchdog that assigns letter grades to U.S. hospitals on safety, quality, and efficiency. The most direct peer to Lown's hospital-ranking mission using publicly available data to drive hospital accountability.
• Commonwealth Fund: An independent healthcare research foundation producing influential policy briefs, scorecards, and reports on U.S. healthcare system performance. Closely comparable as a nonprofit think tank shaping health policy debate.

Emerging players

• Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER): A nonprofit that produces reports analyzing the clinical and economic value of medical treatments, procedures, and health system interventions. Overlaps with Lown's low-value care and overuse agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lowninstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LownInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/lowninstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lowninstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/lowninstitute/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@thelowninstitute?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lown Institute