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

Europe's Strong Primary Care Systems Are Linked to Better Population Health But Also to Higher Health Spending

April 8, 2013 - Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers analyzed data collected in Europe to see whether stronger primary care systems were associated with higher performance on measures of population health, efficiency, and socioeconomic inequality.

In Brief

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

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

Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems Data, 2011

December 27, 2011 - 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

New 2011 Survey of Patients with Complex Care Needs in Eleven Countries Finds That Care Is Often Poorly Coordinated

November 9, 2011 - Adults with complex medical conditions, including those with serious or chronic illness, injury, or disability, benefit from receiving their care from a medical home, The Commonwealth Fund's latest international health policy survey finds.

In the Literature

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

November 9, 2011 - This publication presents overviews of the health care systems of 14 countries—Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Fund Report

The U.S. Health System in Perspective: A Comparison of Twelve Industrialized Nations

July 27, 2011 - This analysis, of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) health data for 12 industrialized nations, finds health care spending in the U.S. towers over the other countries and U.S. performance was mixed.

Issue Brief

How Health Insurance Design Affects Access to Care and Costs, by Income, in Eleven Countries

November 18, 2010 - A new Commonwealth Fund survey finds that adults in the United States are far more likely than those in 10 other industrialized nations to go without health care because of the cost, have trouble paying their medical bills, encounter high medical bills even when insured, and have disputes with their insurers or discover insurance wouldn't pay as they expected.

In the Literature