November 10, 2009 - This case study describes the strategies and factors that appear to contribute to high performance on surgical care improvement measures at Reid Hospital. It is based on information obtained from interviews with key hospital personnel and materials provided by the hospital during the spring of 2009.
Case Study
November 6, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund issue brief examines an unprecedented use of state health insurance regulatory authority to promote health system reform. In Rhode Island, regulators have used this authority to implement a set of standards to promote increased affordability through a series of requirements aimed at strengthening and expanding the state's primary care infrastructure.
Issue Brief
October 7, 2009 - Holland Hospital has significantly improved its performance on the pneumonia process-of-care, or "core" measures, over the last five years. The core measures, developed by the Hospital Quality Alliance, relate to provision of recommended treatment in four clinical areas: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care.
Case Study
September 22, 2009 - From 2004 to 2008, St. Charles Hospital achieved dramatic improvement on process-of-care measures, particularly on those intended to reduce surgical complications. This case study examines how they achieved these quality improvements.
Case Study
August 13, 2009 - The Mayo Clinic is the world's oldest and largest integrated multispecialty group medical practice, combining clinical practice, education, and research at the regional, national, and international levels for the benefit of individuals with routine as well as complex health care needs.
Case Study
August 13, 2009 - Henry Ford Health System is a vertically integrated health care system in southeastern Michigan whose leadership is committed to systemic integration, clinical excellence, and customer value through the core competencies of collaboration, care coordination, and innovation and learning.
Case Study
August 13, 2009 - The Mayo Clinic is the world's oldest and largest integrated multispecialty group medical practice, combining clinical practice, education, and research at the regional, national, and international levels for the benefit of individuals with routine as well as complex health care needs.
Case Study
August 13, 2009 - Henry Ford Health System is a vertically integrated health care system in southeastern Michigan whose leadership is committed to systemic integration, clinical excellence, and customer value through the core competencies of collaboration, care coordination, and innovation and learning.
Case Study
August 13, 2009 - Marshfield Clinic is a not-for-profit, physician-governed multispecialty group practice serving residents of rural Wisconsin through a regional ambulatory care system, an affiliated health plan, and related foundations supporting health research and education.
Case Study
July 22, 2009 - The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) was established in 2004 to provide Germany's Federal Joint Committee with evidence-based evaluations of the benefits and cost benefits of health services, and functions in an advisory role.
Issue Brief
July 22, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund issue brief examins the U.K.'s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which was established to perform three core functions: 1) reduce unwarranted variation in practice across the United Kingdom through the development and dissemination of best practice evidence-based standards; 2) encourage fast diffusion and uniform uptake of high-value medical innovations; and 3) ensure the taxpayers’ money is invested in the National Health Service so that health benefit is maximized.
Issue Brief
July 22, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund issue brief looks at Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, through which most prescription drugs are subsidized.
Issue Brief
July 22, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund issue brief outlines the French National Authority for Health, which was established to assist France's public institutions in optimizing the basket of reimbursable goods and services and to help health care professionals continuously improve their clinical practice.
Issue Brief
July 2, 2009 - Group Health Cooperative (GHC) is a nonprofit, consumer-governed health care organization serving 580,000 members in Washington State and Idaho through an integrated multispecialty group practice and a network of community providers.
Case Study
July 2, 2009 - In just a few years, the United Hospital Center (UHC) rose from being one of the lower-performing U.S. hospitals on process-of-care measures to being one of the top performers. This case study focuses on UHC's achievement in providing recommended treatment related to surgical care.
Case Study