September 14, 2004 - The Commonwealth Fund 2003 International Health Policy Survey provides a comparative perspective on health policy issues in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The 2003 survey consisted of interviews with a sample of hospital chief operating officers or top administrators of the larger hospitals across the five nations.
Chartbook
January 1, 2004 - Australia's mixed public-private health care system provides a unique opportunity to address safety and quality considerations.
Fund Report
January 1, 2004 - Hospitals and other health care delivery systems provide millions of Americans each year with important, frequently life-saving care. Yet, as we all know, medical errors and patient safety issues represent a national problem of epidemic proportions.
Fund Report
June 11, 2003 - The U.S. has the highest health care spending per capita in the world, and during the 1990s health spending in the U.S. rose faster than in other industrialized nations. The key to containing costs—as well as getting higher value for what we spend—may well lie in fundamental changes in the supply side of the market.
Testimony
January 31, 2007 - When hospitals operate at full capacity or overcapacity, the quality of patient care is often compromised. This Commonwealth Fund-supported study finds overcrowding is also associated with increased patient mortality.
In the Literature
May 1, 2002 - The Commonwealth Fund 2001 International Health Policy Survey indicates that Australians are more satisfied with their health care system than they were three years ago. Findings from the survey show a significant decline over a three-year period in the percentage of Australians calling for a complete rebuilding of their health care system, from around 30 percent in 1998 to less than 20 percent in 2001.
Data Brief
May 1, 2003 - The Commonwealth Fund 2002 International Health Policy Survey finds that Australians with health problems are at risk for medical errors and care coordination problems. One of four Australian adults with health problems believed a medical mistake or medication error had been made in their care in the past two years.
Data Brief
May 21, 2004 - The most recent Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey asked hospital executives in five countries—Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States—for their views of their nation's health care system, the level and quality of their hospitals' resources, and efforts to improve quality of care.
Data Brief
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
April 12, 2006 - A new Fund-supported study of drug coverage assessment in four countries finds that program success depends on the scientific rigor of the review process, the separation of the analysis into distinct phases, and the ability of the public to understand the decision-making rationale.
In the Literature
May 4, 2003 - A survey of patients with health problems in the United States and four other industrialized countries reveals disturbingly high rates of medical errors, lack of coordination in patient care, poor communication between doctors and patients, and barriers when accessing care.
In the Literature
July 28, 2009 - Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom all have set up agencies to ensure that their investments in health care, including medications, treatments, and new medical technologies, are yielding ‘value for money’ and to assist health care providers in improving their clinical practice.
Other
June 5, 2009 - Agencies in Australia, France, Germany, and the U.K. have comparative effectiveness research agencies that offer lessons for the United States.
In the Literature
May 3, 2002 - The Commonwealth Fund 2001 International Health Policy Survey shows significant differences in the health care experiences of adults in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Issue Brief
May 1, 1999 - In this article, the authors find that amid widely divergent systems and cultural norms of health care, citizens express surprisingly similar concerns about the future. Different systems pose different problems: in those with universal coverage, dissatisfaction is with the level of funding and administration, including queues. In the U.S., the public is primarily concerned with financial access.
Chartbook