What’s Working to Control Costs
<p>Without major changes in the way the U.S. pays for and delivers health care, total national health spending is projected to rise to $4.6 trillion—or nearly 20 percent of GDP—by 2020. In a <a href="/blog/2012/whats-working-control-costs">new blog post</a>, Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis says policymakers looking for savings should "go where the money is," and focus on improving care for patients with multiple, high-cost conditions. The post is based on a presentation given today at a Washington, D.C., briefing cosponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and The Commonwealth Fund. </p><p>Davis says savings and quality improvement can be achieved through improved primary care, payment reform, and health information technology. She highlights a number of successful projects, including several state-based Medicaid initiatives to create patient-centered medical homes; initiatives aimed at avoiding rehospitalizations; and international examples of chronic care management and after-hours care systems as an alternative to emergency room use, among others. </p>
<p>Read the post for more examples of success from which policymakers can draw in order to slow health spending—and improve health care—as quickly as possible. </p>
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