Tracking the Progress of Reforms in Health Care Delivery
<p>The Affordable Care Act brings new opportunities to reshape health care delivery to foster better patient experiences, improve health outcomes, and slow cost growth. With several changes already under way—like the creation of patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations, and a national health information infrastructure—and many more to come, how can we know if progress is being made? </p>
<p>The authors of a <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2011/jun/delivery-system-reform-tracking-framework-understanding-change">new issue brief</a>, published today by The Commonwealth Fund, propose a framework for a new tool to track delivery system reform. Ideally such a tool would pool all available data to create a detailed picture of delivery system change, including data on: </p>
<ul>
<li>the number of patient-centered medical homes in each community </li>
<li>capacities for measuring and improving the quality, safety, and coordination of care </li>
<li>incentives available to providers and organizations to improve care and lower costs </li>
<li>health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and efficiency. </li>
</ul>
<p>Read the brief to learn more about the proposed framework and the challenges that must be overcome in creating a practical tool for tracking delivery system reform. <br /></p>