Learning from the International Experience: Commissioned Papers for the 2016 Commonwealth Fund International Symposium

David Bates, M.D., and his team will work closely with Fund vice president Robin Osborn to develop original content for the 2016 symposium. Leading experts from the various symposium countries will be commissioned to author four papers highlighting diverse examples of policy and practice. The paper’s themes are: 1) how “smart” cities and integrated delivery systems link data sets and use “big data” analytics to target and improve care for high-need, high-cost and vulnerable populations; 2) how administrative data and clinical registries can be used to improve quality and reduce costs; 3) how policy can both enable and hinder efforts to effectively deploy health information technology (HIT) for data analysis and exchange and for care improvement; and 4) how HIT in high-income and low-income countries can empower patients and their families. The papers and the symposium discussion aim to spark creative thinking on HIT’s potential for helping delivery systems provide better, more efficient care to high-need, high-cost patients and vulnerable populations. The papers will inform U.S. policymakers, delivery system and corporate leaders, researchers, and journalists about leveraging information technology to maximize the value of our health care dollars.