The Commonwealth Fund Connection serves as a roundup of Fund publications, charts, and multimedia added to the Commonwealth Fund Web site in the last two weeks, and also offers links to other timely content.
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What's New
Watch the highlights of the ministers' roundtable from The Commonwealth Fund's 2009 International Symposium on Health Care Policy, "Top Priorities for Achieving a High Performance Health Care System." Participants included Carolyn Clancy, M.D., director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Andy Burnham MP, Secretary of State for Health, England; Thomas Björn Zeltner, M.D., former Secretary of State for Health, Switzerland; Abraham (Ab) Klink, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, The Netherlands; Dr. Jonathan Coleman, Associate Minister of Health, New Zealand; Karin Johansson, State Secretary for Health, Sweden; and Lord Ara Darzi, KBE, M.D., former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, England. Read more »
Recent Releases
Growing awareness of the failings of the prevailing fee-for-service payment system has led to a reemergence of interest in payment models that build on the capitation approach, generally referred to as global payment. Based on interviews with physicians and industry leaders, this Commonwealth Fund report found that many of the problems that plagued capitation payment programs in the 1980s and 90s have been resolved. Those interviewed believe that cost reductions of 20 to 30 percent—as well as improvements in the quality of care—are achievable under well-constructed global payment models. Read more »
As part of health care reform, Congress is considering the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. The measure would mark the most significant change since 1965 in the way the U.S. finances long-term care, creating a voluntary system that melds public insurance with private long-term care coverage and Medicaid. This Commonwealth Fund report explores lessons for policymakers from long-term care financing models in the U.S. and abroad. Read more »
The self-directed care model—in which patients are given choices and control over their health care services—has been widely adopted for seniors and the long-term care of people with physical and cognitive disabilities. It has been shown to improve patients' satisfaction and quality of life, as well as to reduce costs. This issue brief examines a range of innovative self-directed care programs in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States and explores potential for further advancement of the self-directed care model. Read more »
Tiered networks, which provide patients with a choice of medical providers at different price points, are an increasingly common feature of health insurance plans. This Commonwealth Fund–supported study in the American Journal of Managed Care found that, when certain physicians were excluded from a preferred provider organization network, most patients did not continue to see them. The researchers conclude that using cost-sharing to steer patients toward preferred physicians—those who provide superior quality at lower cost—may be an effective tool for improving value in health care. Read more »
New On The Web
Check out the recently launched mobile version of The Commonwealth Fund's Web site. Visit commonwealthfund.org from your mobile device to keep up to date with new policy analysis and the latest research while you are traveling or away from your desk. Read more »
Events
Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis will deliver a keynote speech at the National Pay for Performance Summit, held March 8–10, 2010, in San Francisco. Sponsored by the Integrated Healthcare Association, the event is the leading forum to discuss pay-for-performance strategies that promote health care access, quality, and efficiency. Karen Davis' keynote speech, "Bending the Curve on Health Care Inflation," will take place on Wednesday, March 10, at 8:00 am. For more information or to register, visit the National Pay for Performance Summit Web site. Read more »
Learn how to engage health care providers in efforts to incorporate language services into broader patient safety initiatives in this archived webinar, hosted by the Joint Commission and Memorial Health System. Presenters discuss the Joint Commission's most recent efforts to set standards to improve patient–provider communication and patient safety initiatives at the Indiana-based Memorial Health System. Read more »