March 3, 2004 - Rising health care costs and growing instability in insurance coverage have made health reform a key issue in this election year, a Commonwealth Fund survey shows. Nearly six of 10 Americans (57%) say presidential and congressional candidates' views on health reform will be a "very important" factor in their vote this November.
Fund Report
September 8, 2011 - The number of U.S. adults who had health insurance all year but were still "underinsured"—that is, they had very high medical expenses relative to their incomes—rose by 80 percent between 2003 and 2010, from 16 million to 29 million, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study published in the September issue of Health Affairs.
In the Literature
November 10, 2005 - The Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) has been proven successful in helping older hospitalized patients stay mentally and physically active. A new Fund-supported study shows how hospitals that have adopted the program are sustaining it for the long term.
In the Literature
October 1, 1999 - Summary of Panel Discussion, New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Fund Report
July 2, 2012 - This Commonwealth Fund–supported found that primary care offices that offer after-hours care achieve physician buy-in; effective communication; make appropriate staffing adjustments, and make an overall commitment to improving access and continuity in patient–provider relationships.
In the Literature
September 28, 2010 - In response to concerns about the quality and safety of health care provided after physician offices close for the day, new models have sprung up in several countries to provide patients with quality after-hours care. The authors of this Commonwealth Fund–supported study evaluated one such alternative.
Literature Abstract
March 12, 2007 - A new Data Brief from the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System analyzes some of the state variation in performance described in the National Healthcare Quality Report from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Data Brief
December 19, 2011 - This study, by former Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow Mary Seddon and colleagues, describes the effort to eliminate CLAB among critical-care patients in one New Zealand institution, Middlemore Hospital.
In Brief
January 14, 2009 - This article presents an overview of results from The Commonwealth Fund's 2008 National Scorecard on Health System Performance, which finds U.S. performance well behind benchmarks set by other countries, as well as those achieved by high performing states, hospitals, or health plans within the United States.
Literature Abstract
October 8, 2009 - As a companion to the 2009 State Scorecard, this report profiles seven health systems: six that rank among the top quartile of states—Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin—plus Delaware, which was among the most-improved states from 2007 to 2009.
Fund Report
June 13, 2007 - The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System has released the first-ever, comprehensive comparison of health system performance in all 50 states. This report ranks states on 32 performance indicators of access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, equity, and "healthy lives."
Fund Report
October 8, 2009 - The cost and quality of health care, as well as access to care and health outcomes, continue to vary widely among states, according to the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's second state scorecard report. The states that led in the first state scorecard, released in 2007, generally continued to lead, often setting new benchmarks and widening the gap between leading and lagging states.
Fund Report
March 1, 2013 - Colorado, Minnesota, and Vermont are working to align incentives between health care payers and providers to improve care delivery and outcomes while controlling costs. This synthesis describes the common drivers of reform across the states and lessons learned.
Case Study
December 9, 2000 - This report examines the need for a coverage initiative that fosters greater access to affordable benefits through employment, particularly in light of the strong support that employment-based coverage enjoys among the public. Under this proposed program, states would organize a group health insurance market for small firms with low-wage workers.
Fund Report
September 10, 2010 - This brief looks at states' efforts to create all-payer claims databases, in order to gather comprehensive information on disease incidence, treatment costs, and health outcomes. These databases are providing essential trend data that will be needed to guide policymakers through the transitions health care reform will bring.
Issue Brief