Innovations from Abroad: Special Issue of Health Affairs

April 8, 2013 - Countries around the world have realized some success in achieving the "Triple Aim" of health care: better health and better health care at lower cost. A series of Commonwealth Fund–supported articles in the April 2013 issue of Health Affairs describes the lessons these successes hold for the U.S. health care system.

Other

Higher U.S. Branded Drug Prices and Spending Compared to Other Countries May Stem Partly from Quick Uptake of New Drugs

April 8, 2013 - In this Commonwealth Fund–supported study, researchers examined variation in drug prices among selected OECD countries in three years to determine which nations paid the highest prices for brand-name drugs.

In the Literature

Australia's "Fourth Hurdle" Drug Review Comparing Costs and Benefits Holds Lessons for the United States

April 8, 2013 - In a Health Affairs article, two former Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellows highlight Australia's fourth-hurdle drug review process as a possible model for the U.S. After testing new drugs for safety, efficacy, and quality, the Australian government assesses for value, and makes coverage decisions accordingly.

In the Literature

International Best Practices for Negotiating 'Reimbursement Contracts' with Price Rebates from Pharmaceutical Companies

April 8, 2013 - In a Commonwealth Fund–supported study, Steven Morgan, a 2001–02 Commonwealth Fund Canadian Associate Harkness Fellow, and colleagues sought to determine best practices for reimbursement contract negotiation based on the experiences of health care payers in the U.S. and in eight other industrialized countries.

In the Literature

Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems Data, 2012

March 22, 2013 - This updated Commonwealth Fund chartbook uses data collected by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to compare the health care systems and performance across several industrialized countries.

Chartbook

International Profiles of Health Care Systems: Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States

November 19, 2012 - Read overviews of the health care systems of 15 countries—Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Fund Report

A Survey of Primary Care Doctors in Ten Countries Shows Progress in Use of Health Information Technology, Less in Other Areas

November 15, 2012 - More than two-thirds of U.S. primary care physicians were using electronic medical records in 2012, a substantial increase from 2009, when less than half had adopted the technology, a new Commonwealth Fund survey finds. But results also depict the U.S. as an outlier when it comes to affordability of health care.

In the Literature

Oceans Apart: The Higher Health Costs of Women in the U.S. Compared to Other Nations, and How Reform Is Helping

July 13, 2012 - Twenty percent of U.S. women ages 19 to 64 were uninsured in 2010, up from 15 percent in 2000. This issue brief examines the implications of poor coverage for women in the United States by comparing their experiences to those of women in 10 other industrialized nations, all of which have universal health insurance systems.

Issue Brief

Explaining High Health Care Spending in the United States: An International Comparison of Supply, Utilization, Prices, and Quality

May 3, 2012 - This Commonwealth Fund analysis of 13 industrialized countries finds the U.S. spends far more on health care than any other country. However this high spending cannot be attributed to higher income, an older population, or greater supply or utilization of hospitals and doctors. Instead, the findings suggest the higher spending is more likely due to higher prices and perhaps more readily accessible technology and greater obesity.

Issue Brief

Incentivizing Quality Care Through Pay-for-Performance

April 5, 2012 - Alternative payment models have gained momentum in the U.S. and abroad to align health care providers' incentives with value rather than volume.

International Innovation

Using Comparative Effectiveness Research to Inform Policymaking

April 5, 2012 - As the comparative effectiveness research (CER) becomes more widely available in the U.S., decision-makers can learn from international experiences using CER to drive health care toward improved quality and value.

International Innovation

International Learning on Increasing the Value and Effectiveness of Primary Care (I LIVE PC)

April 3, 2012 - This article, based on a Commonwealth Fund/Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality international conference on primary care, shows how strong primary care can provide the groundwork for efforts to improve overall care and population health while also controlling costs.

In the Literature

International Perspectives on Patient Engagement: Results from the 2011 Commonwealth Fund Survey

March 29, 2012 - An international survey of adults with complex health care needs found wide variations in the degree to which patients are engaged in their own care, from self-managing a health condition to actively participating in treatment decisions.

In the Literature

Leadership and Governance in Seven Developed Health Systems

March 20, 2012 - Researchers compared the leadership and governance arrangements in seven nations with advanced health systems: Australia, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

In Brief

Paying for "End-of-Life" Drugs in Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom: Balancing Policy, Pragmatism, and Societal Values

January 19, 2012 - This brief analyzes British, Australian,and German policies on coverage of "end-of-life" drugs.

Issue Brief