September 25, 2009 - When evaluating a clinical care intervention for its potential inclusion in clinical guidelines, many organizations consider the same three criteria: risks, benefits, and quality of the underlying evidence. This Commonwealth Fund-supported study from researchers at Tufts Medical Center suggests something different when evaluating interventions: decision analysis.
Literature Abstract
September 25, 2009 - Patient focus groups provide further evidence that many health care providers need to learn more about the expectations of their minority patients, these patient' specific needs and preferences, and their satisfaction with care received. In this Commonwealth Fund-supported Study, researchers at conducted focus groups with 37 black and Hispanic men and women to explore racial and ethnic differences in patients' experiences with hospital care.
Literature Abstract
September 25, 2009 - There has been an explosion of new evidence supporting children's health as a developmental model. However, much of the information has not yet been introduced into clinical training for medical students and pediatric and family medicine residents. In this Commonwealth Fund-supported study, a working group developed a new case discussion format for residency programs that emphasizes the basic science involved in different developmental stages and in underlying diseases.
Literature Abstract
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
September 22, 2009 - Commonwealth Fund–supported articles published in the September issue of Pediatrics examine well-child care visits from two perspectives: those of pediatric clinicians and parents. Both groups recognize the need for a greater emphasis on developmental and behavioral issues, as well as the challenge of balancing families' individual needs with the need to cover the topics recommended in pediatric guidelines.
In the Literature
September 21, 2009 - A Commonwealth Fund-supported 10-nation study examines how the provision of pediatric developmental services is apportioned among different types of health care providers--pediatricians, general practice physicians, and nurses. In doing so, the researchers shed light on the uniquely broad role that U.S. pediatricians play in delivering child health care.
In the Literature
September 15, 2009 - The high cost of health care in the United States--higher than anywhere else in the world and rising faster than our gross domestic product--is taking its toll on families, employers, and government. In this presentation at a U.S. House of Representatives Steering and Policy Committee forum, Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis discusses the likely impact of proposed health reforms and suggests further policy changes for consideration.
Testimony
September 11, 2009 - This morning, the U.S. Bureau of the Census released the alarming news that the number of uninsured Americans hit 46.3 million in 2008, up from 45.7 million in 2007. In this testimony before the U.S. House of Representative's Joint Economic Committee, Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis highlights the good and bad news in the new data and how it underscorces the need for health reform.
Testimony
September 10, 2009 - A number of experts believe that the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009 has the potential to transform health care for the children it serves. In this Commonwealth Fund report, researchers offer their recommendations for improving CHIP outreach and enrollment, as well as the quality of care enrollees receive. See a table of provisions. Review presentations from a webinar held September 15 to learn more.
Fund Report
September 9, 2009 - Long-term care specialists—including consumer advocates, providers, public officials, and policy experts—who participated in a national survey generally agreed on the need for long-term care reform. Key groups supported the establishment of government-sponsored financing strategies, a shift toward home- and community-based care, offering payment incentives to improve quality, and more effective regulation of nursing homes, home health care agencies, and assisted living facilities.
In the Literature
September 9, 2009 - Small business owners and employees are among those who stand to benefit the most from provisions in some of the current health reform proposals under consideration by Congress, according to this Commonwealth Fund study.
Issue Brief
September 8, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund supplement to the September/October 2009 issue of the Columbia Journalism Review provides journalists and others with an evidence-based context for understanding how both lack of coverage and spiraling health care costs directly affect American families and businesses, and how comprehensive health reform can address these problems.
Other
August 20, 2009 - North Carolina's Assuring Better Child Health and Development program has quintupled the number of screening tests administered during Medicaid well-child visits to identify young children at risk for developmental disabilities and delays. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief examines the key elements of this program that have resulted in fewer children entering school with unrecognized or untreated developmental problems.
Issue Brief
August 20, 2009 - The rapid rise in health insurance premiums has severely strained U.S. families and employers in recent years. This Commonwealth Fund analysis of federal data finds that if premiums for employer-sponsored insurance grow in each state at the projected national rate of increase, then the average premium for family coverage would rise 94 percent by 2020.
Data Brief
August 13, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund-supported study finds that the quality of care at safety-net hospitals—which serve many poor, publicly insured, and uninsured patients—varies depending on the criteria used to identify such hospitals.
In the Literature