November 2, 2009 - In the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders survey, experts in health care and health policy say they favor strengthening Medicare's ability to help control program costs and support broader health system reform.
Data Brief
November 2, 2009 - With so much attention being given to healthcare reform, Gail Wilensky writes in this commentary on The Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey findings, it's essential to remember the importance of reforming Medicare as well.
Commentary
October 27, 2009 - In an attempt to control rapid growth in hospital costs, beginning in the mid-1970s seven states implemented rate-setting programs to regulate hospital payments. Although all but two have since been discontinued, these states' experiences offer lessons for policymakers as they continue searching for ways to control rising health care costs.
Issue Brief
October 23, 2009 - This report prepared by Commonwealth Fund researchers analyzes the similarities, differences, potential impacts, and costs of the three comprehensive health reform bills passed by key U.S. congressional committees. Also see interactive tables for side-by-side comparisons of the system reform and insurance provisions.
Fund Report
October 16, 2009 - How much does it cost a physician practice to become a medical home and add new medical home features? A new Commonwealth Fund report finds less than a $1-per-patient difference in costs per month between physician practices with a high level of medical home attributes—such as evening office hours, electronic health record systems, and care management services—and those with lower levels.
Fund Report
October 15, 2009 - In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce on October 15, 2009, Commonwealth Fund vice president Sara R. Collins discussed the growing number of Americans with such high out-of-pocket costs relative to their income that are effectively underinsured.
Testimony
October 9, 2009 - To move toward a new model of nursing home regulation, the states and federal government must strike a balance between the traditional regulatory approach to weed out substandard facilities and a partnership model aimed at promoting high performance. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief highlights the importance of how such a model is structured, as well as the need to adequately train and educate regulatory staff and providers about culture change.
Issue Brief
October 8, 2009 - As a companion to the 2009 State Scorecard, this report profiles seven health systems: six that rank among the top quartile of states—Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin—plus Delaware, which was among the most-improved states from 2007 to 2009.
Fund Report
October 8, 2009 - The Commonwealth Fund-supported study in Annals of Internal Medicine looks at primary care practices in Massachusetts and finds a strong association between clinicians' frequent use of advanced electronic health records and higher practice performance on quality-of-care measures.
In the Literature
October 8, 2009 - The cost and quality of health care, as well as access to care and health outcomes, continue to vary widely among states, according to the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's second state scorecard report. The states that led in the first state scorecard, released in 2007, generally continued to lead, often setting new benchmarks and widening the gap between leading and lagging states.
Fund Report
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
October 5, 2009 - A new Commonwealth Fund-supported study from researchers at Harvard Medical School demonstrates that expanding health coverage might not cost as much as policymakers assume. Mainly due to untreated chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, individuals who were uninsured before becoming eligible for Medicare at 65 had significantly higher spending than did those with coverage prior to Medicare enrollment.
In the Literature
October 1, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund-supported study of the state's health reform finds that employer-based coverage in Massachusetts has increased, as has the scope and quality of coverage as assessed by workers. However, some employees in small firms have seen a significant rise in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
In the Literature
October 1, 2009 - In invited testimony before the Senate Special Committee on Aging on September 30, Commonwealth Fund senior vice president Cathy Schoen described some of the innovative policies enacted by other nations to improve performance, enhance value, and harness markets and competition in the public interest. Schoen says the U.S. can learn a lot from their experiences.
Testimony
September 25, 2009 - The reporting of medical errors by health care providers can hinge on many factors—their awareness of events, professional judgment, and a general willingness to come forward. In this Commonwealth Fund-supported survey, using a Web-based survey developed to improve communication between doctors and patients, researchers at Dartmouth Medical School explored the feasibility of patients reporting adverse events.
Literature Abstract