February 2, 2003 - According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 95 percent of the state's nonelderly population had health insurance in 2001—one of the highest coverage rates in the nation.
Fund Report
December 20, 2012 - In this essay, Commonwealth Fund executive vice president and COO John E. Craig reports on the current status of archiving in the foundation sector and recommends ways to improve policies and practices in an area that is too often overlooked.
Annual Report Essay
December 29, 2009 - A study of small- and medium-sized physician practices found that electronic medical record systems can help coordinate patient care within practice offices. However, because of interoperability issues, they are less able to support coordination between clinicians and across settings. Other challenges, like information overflow and reimbursement, also impede physicians' ability to use EMRs to improve patient care and coordination.
In the Literature
May 1, 2002 - The number of Americans without health insurance is near an all-time high, and various legislative proposals in Congress over the past few years have made little headway in reducing the number or uninsured. Now, members of Congress, as well as the Bush administration, are sponsoring legislation that would allow individuals to receive tax credits toward buying health insurance. This paper addresses the affordability of individual coverage under such a system of tax credits.
Fund Report
December 10, 2004 - The MMA provided Medicare Advantage plans with significant increases in monthly payment rates, beginning March 2004. About one-half of the payment increases were used by plans to reduce enrollee premiums and cost-sharing and enhance benefits; providers received most of the rest.
Fund Report
February 2, 2004 - The researchers found that Asian Americans were less likely than white patients to report that they were very satisfied with their care overall and less likely to have a great deal of trust in their doctor.
In the Literature
July 12, 2004 - In the report, Hospital Quality: Ingredients for Success, Jack Meyer and his colleagues synthesized findings from the journeys of four carefully chosen, exemplary hospitals. After extensive study and analysis of the four hospitals, the authors provide hospital leaders with helpful advice on quality improvement.
Commentary
July 15, 2011 - Collaborations that integrate community health centers with hospitals, providers, and/or public health agencies have yielded substantial benefits for patients. This report outlines that laws and policies that govern clinical collaborations and profiles health centers that have worked within the law to develop partnerships.
Fund Report
February 2, 2000 - Executive Vice President's Report from the 1999 Annual Report
Other
January 17, 2007 - Preventive care for young children involves varying strategies: screening and assessing children at risk of developing problems, following up on potential issues, and providing guidance to parents. A new tool, the Promoting Healthy Development Survey, can evaluate how well health care professionals provide such care, and ultimately help identify missed opportunities and determine how to better meet the needs of children and families.
In the Literature
August 24, 2006 - In each state, seniors face a dizzying array of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans—each with different benefit designs and formulary structures that are used to control costs, but may also affect enrollees' ability to access medications. This issue brief examines plans in the four most populous Medicare states—California, Florida, New York, and Texas.
Issue Brief
September 1, 1998 - The analysis examines health plan reporting patterns for HEDIS measures to identify which factors contribute to plan participation in Quality Compass and how the present system could be improved.
Issue Brief
November 1, 2002 - The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Center for State Health Policy (CSHP) at Rutgers University examined the experiences of four states that have made significant progress in health coverage expansion.
Fund Report
February 2, 2003 - The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) examined the experiences of six states—Arkansas, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Utah, and Vermont—that have made significant progress in health coverage expansion. The research did reveal common themes across all or some of the sites studied, as well as lessons that emerge from individual state experiences.
Fund Report
June 15, 2011 - In many states, Medicaid programs have contracted out the delivery of health care services to publicly traded for-profit health plans focused on Medicaid members. The authors of this Commonwealth Fund study found that publicly traded plans had higher administrative costs and received lower quality scores than non-publicly traded plans.
Issue Brief