Hospitals Using Health IT Provide Better Care at Lower Cost
January 26, 2009 - When physicians use health information technology to its full potential, the result is fewer deaths, fewer complications, and lower health care costs, according to the first study to directly measure physicians' use of health IT in a hospital setting. In a Perspectives on Health Reform, essay, David Blumenthal, M.D., director of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, writes that the federal government can help providers overcome the financial, technical, and logistical obstacles to adoption of health IT. And, in a new column, Fund president Karen Davis calls health IT a critical component of health reform, when implemented alongside payment reform and an overall commitment to performance improvement.
The Building Blocks of Health Reform
January 30, 2009 - This Fund issue brief, referenced in a New York Times Op-Ed column by Paul Krugman on January 30, outlines how to ensure near-universal health coverage and help lower overall health spending, all with minimal disruptions to Americans who are satisfied with their current coverage.
Karen Davis Gives Senate Testimony: Closing the Quality Chasm
January 29, 2009 - In this invited testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Karen Davis reviews how the nation can simultaneously address how we organize and deliver health services to ensure the best possible health outcomes and the best value.
A New Way to Pay Medicare Providers and Improve Performance
January 27, 2009 - In a Web Exclusive article published by Health Affairs, experts at The Commonwealth Fund unveiled a new framework for revising the Medicare program's provider payment system to "slow Medicare's cost growth, improve the value for the dollars it spends, and serve as a model for broader health system change."
WhyNotTheBest.org: A New Resource for Health Care Providers, Researchers, and Other Professionals
January 22, 2009 - The Commonwealth Fund has launched a new Web site that allows health care providers, researchers, and professionals to easily conduct side-by-side comparisons of 4,500 hospitals nationwide, track performance over time against numerous benchmarks, and download tools to improve health care quality. Watch a demo to learn more.
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable. Read the 2007 Annual Report for highlights of the Fund's activities.
DC Policy Updates
Washington Health Policy Week in Review
Laid-off workers need assistance to cover COBRA premiums; Senate stimulus plan offers health spending boost; and more.
Commission on a High Performance Health System
The Time Has Come for Comprehensive Health Reform
In a new statement, The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System says the moment has come for the United States to take the necessary steps to ensure the health security of all Americans and put the nation's health care system on a path to high performance.
Newsletter Spotlight
Quality Matters: Standardizing Hospice and Palliative Care
A look at the growing field of hospice and palliative care; an overview of the state of palliative care for children; and more.
From the President
Health Information Technology: Key Lever in Health System Transformation
As President Obama and the new Congress embark on an ambitious agenda to reform the American health care system, the need to develop a national policy to encourage the spread of health information technology is resurfacing as a key issue.
Featured Podcast
The Green House: A New Model of Care
Residents, families, and staff say that Green Houses, based on a radically different model for long-term care created by geriatrician Bill Thomas, M.D., make warm, wonderful homes for elders. In this episode, Emily Schifrin visits two new Green Houses, in San Angelo, Texas, for elders with Alzheimer's disease.
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