The Commonwealth Fund -- Health Policy, Health Reform, and Performance Improvement

International Survey: U.S. Lags in Access, Quality, Use of Health IT

A new Commonwealth Fund survey of primary care physicians in 11 countries reveals that the United States lags far behind other countries in key areas of access, quality, and use of health information technology—undermining doctors' efforts to provide timely, high-quality care. Be sure to visit the new International Health Policy Center, where you can browse content by country or topic and create custom tables and charts using data from our international health policy surveys from 2006 to 2009.

Analysis of Health System Reform Provisions of House of Representatives and Senate Health Reform Bills: A Preview

November 20, 2009 - This preview of a forthcoming Commonwealth Fund report offers a summary and chartpack outlining the payment and delivery system reform provisions in the bills, as well as their potential impact on health expenditures. Also available is a chartpack from another upcoming Fund report on coverage and affordability provisions in the two bills.

Commonwealth Fund Commission: Making Health Reform Work for Families and Businesses

November 20, 2009 - This statement from The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System calls for a comprehensive, integrated approach to health system reform to reverse the negative trends in U.S. health system performance and provide a more secure future for U.S. families and businesses.

How Medicare Can Lead Efforts to Reward Value, Not Volume

November 13, 2009 - In this Commonwealth Fund issue brief, experts argue that the health care system as a whole would do well to emulate top-performing providers that embrace accountability for health care quality, outcomes, and cost. And they say the Medicare program—the nation's largest payer for health care—is the logical place to start.

Outcomes for Minority Patients Linked to Source of Care, Study Finds

November 16, 2009 - Fund-supported researchers reported in Inquiry that minority patients in the New York City area are significantly less likely than whites to be treated at high-volume hospitals for services for which high volume is associated with better outcomes.

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 2008 Annual Report for highlights of the Fund's activities.

Health Reform

The Comprehensive Congressional Health Reform Bills of 2009

This report prepared by Commonwealth Fund researchers analyzes the similarities, differences, potential impacts, and costs of the three comprehensive health reform bills passed by key U.S. congressional committees. Also see interactive tables for side-by-side comparisons of the system reform and insurance provisions.

International Health Policy Center

Browse Publications and Create Custom Charts

Visit the new International Health Policy Center to browse content by country or topic and create custom tables and charts using data from our international health policy surveys from 2006 to 2009.

Commission on a High Performance Health System

The Path to a High Performance U.S. Health System:

This statement from The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System calls for a comprehensive, integrated approach to health system reform to reverse the negative trends in U.S. health system performance and provide a more secure future for U.S. families and businesses.

Featured Podcast

Changing the Culture of Nursing Homes Through Regulation

Over the last 20 years, the quality of life and care in nursing homes has improved dramatically. But some experts say federal and state regulations of nursing homes can get in the way of these important changes, if caregivers and home operators see surveyors—who visit homes to make sure they are complying with standards—as the enemy. A new Commonwealth Fund report suggests that state inspectors could, in fact, be agents of change.

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Fund Blog

Committing to Improvement in All Areas of Health Care

The Commonwealth Fund's 2009 State Scorecard shows that in areas of health system performance where we have made a commitment to reporting and improving performance, we see dramatic results. In this post, Douglas McCarthy looks at how to make improvements seen in hospital quality the norm across all areas of health care.

State Data Center

Interactive U.S. Map Offers State Rankings and Results

Visit an interactive map to view state-specific rankings and results compared to benchmarks, and to view the number of lives and dollars each state could save by achieving benchmark levels of performance. You can also compare states and generate custom tables and bar charts.

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