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Finding Resources for Health Reform and Bending the Health Care Cost Curve

July 2, 2009 - This Fund report examines policy options that could slow growth in health spending, improve health outcomes, and provide additional revenues to finance comprehensive reform.

Fund Report

NorthShore University Health System: Achieving Rapid Improvement on Core Measures

July 2, 2009 - In 2007, NorthShore University Health System achieved 97 percent compliance with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) process-of-care measures, a 12-point increase in one year. The measures relate to achievement of recommended treatment in: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care.

Case Study

United Hospital Center: Improving Surgical Care Through Evidence-Based Education and Standardization

July 2, 2009 - In just a few years, the United Hospital Center (UHC) rose from being one of the lower-performing U.S. hospitals on process-of-care measures to being one of the top performers. This case study focuses on UHC's achievement in providing recommended treatment related to surgical care.

Case Study

Organizing for Higher Performance: Case Studies of Organized Delivery Systems

July 2, 2009 - Fifteen case studies illustrate how diverse types of organized health care delivery systems promote higher performance through information continuity, patient engagement, care coordination, team-oriented care delivery, continuous innovation and learning, and convenient access to care.

Case Study

Group Health Cooperative: Reinventing Primary Care by Connecting Patients with a Medical Home

July 2, 2009 - Group Health Cooperative (GHC) is a nonprofit, consumer-governed health care organization serving 580,000 members in Washington State and Idaho through an integrated multispecialty group practice and a network of community providers.

Case Study

Options for Financing Health Reform: Comparing the Impact of Selected Policy Options

June 24, 2009 - To illustrate how the potential impact of such reforms depends heavily on the details and structure of the reforms, the authors of this Policy Points brief examine estimates from three sources, all of which indicate that early investments in reform could yield significant reductions in total health care spending over time through gains in the quality and efficiency of care.

Policy Points

Fork in the Road: Alternative Paths to a High Performance U.S. Health System

June 24, 2009 - A comprehensive approach to health insurance, provider payment, and care delivery system reforms has the potential to slow health care cost increases while achieving near-universal coverage. Yet, this new Commonwealth Fund analysis finds that the potential savings for families, businesses, and the federal government vary markedly, depending on whether or not a public insurance plan option is included and how such a plan is structured.

Fund Report

Building Medical Homes in State Medicaid and CHIP Programs

June 23, 2009 - Since 2006 more than 30 states have initiated projects to advance medical homes in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP), and several states also are driving state-wide transformation. This National Academy of State Health Policy/Commonwealth Fund report provides state policymakers with examples of promising practices and lessons learned.

Fund Report

Setting a National Minimum Standard for Health Benefits: How Do State Benefit Mandates Compare with Benefits in Large-Group Plans?

June 23, 2009 - This Commonwealth Fund issue brief considers the benefit of a broad federal minimum standard for health benefits by comparing existing state benefit mandates with the services and providers covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) standard benefit package.

Issue Brief

Community Care of North Carolina: Building Community Systems of Care Through State and Local Partnerships

June 22, 2009 - Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) is a public–private partnership between the state and 14 nonprofit community care networks. The networks comprise essential local providers that deliver key components of a "medical home" for low-income adults and children enrolled in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Case Study

HealthPartners: Consumer-Focused Mission and Collaborative Approach Support Ambitious Performance Improvement Agenda

June 22, 2009 - HealthPartners is the nation's largest nonprofit, consumer-governed health care organization, providing health and dental care and coverage to more than 1 million individuals in Minnesota and surrounding states.

Case Study

Geisinger Health System: Achieving the Potential of System Integration Through Innovation, Leadership, Measurement, and Incentives

June 22, 2009 - Geisinger Health System is a physician-led, not-for-profit, integrated delivery system serving an area with approximately 2.6 million people in northeastern and central Pennsylvania with innovative products and services designed to drive higher performance.

Case Study

Kaiser Permanente: Bridging the Quality Divide with Integrated Practice, Group Accountability, and Health Information Technology

June 22, 2009 - Kaiser Permanente—comprising the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and Permanente Medical Groups in eight regions—is the largest nonprofit integrated health care delivery system in the United States.

Case Study

Group Health Cooperative: Reinventing Primary Care by Connecting Patients with a Medical Home

June 22, 2009 - Group Health Cooperative (GHC) is a nonprofit, consumer-governed health care organization serving 580,000 members in Washington State and Idaho through an integrated multispecialty group practice and a network of community providers.

Case Study

Should Health Care Come with a Warranty?

June 16, 2009 - Warranties are commonly available for many consumer products. But could they possibly work in health care as well? In a new Commonwealth Fund-supported Health Affairs Web Exclusive, the authors argue that warranties could improve the care delivered to patients while giving medical providers the opportunity to improve their profit margins.

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