April 30, 2010 - With the enactment of comprehensive health reform, reimbursement for a variety of health care services will likely depend on evidence to support that provision. Understanding what constitutes "evidence" will have a profound effect on the range of clinical care provided.
Issue Brief
March 3, 2010 - Massachusetts has successfully demonstrated the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project, a program that provides timely telephonic psychiatric and clinical guidance to primary care providers treating children with mental health problems. This study looks into the development and implementation of the project.
Case Study
February 2, 2010 - The National Quality Forum has noted that questions about developmental and preventive care would improve the CAHPS pediatric survey. To fill this gap, Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers developed and tested new questions and survey protocols to assess the preventive and developmental care provided by pediatricians.
Literature Abstract
February 1, 2010 - In this commentary in Academic Pediatrics, Commonwealth Fund vice president Edward L. Schor, M.D., contends that pediatricians rarely have sufficient time or enough specific information about children’s development and families’ circumstances to offer highly targeted, individualized care during preventive visits.
Literature Abstract
December 1, 2009 - This Fund–supported study published in Pediatrics that evaluated the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in six early-adopting health care organizations found that EHRs can facilitate the screening of young children for developmental delays and can help flag patients with abnormal results.
In the Literature
November 24, 2009 - Drawing on a recent Commonwealth Fund report, Making Care Coordination a Critical Component of the Pediatric Health System: A Multidisciplinary Framework, the authors of this Fund-supported article discuss strategies for coordinating care in medical homes. They report that having committed leadership and a process to shift care delivery from "reactive encounters" to "proactive interactions" are key to success.
Literature Abstract
November 17, 2009 - For this Fund-supported study in The Permanente Journal, researchers explored the options for disseminating a model of well-child care that is parent-centered and team-based and includes developmental and preventive visits.
Literature Abstract
November 17, 2009 - For this Fund-supported study in The Permanente Journal, researchers explored the options for disseminating a model of well-child care that is parent-centered and team-based and includes developmental and preventive visits.
In the Literature
September 25, 2009 - When evaluating a clinical care intervention for its potential inclusion in clinical guidelines, many organizations consider the same three criteria: risks, benefits, and quality of the underlying evidence. This Commonwealth Fund-supported study from researchers at Tufts Medical Center suggests something different when evaluating interventions: decision analysis.
Literature Abstract
September 25, 2009 - There has been an explosion of new evidence supporting children's health as a developmental model. However, much of the information has not yet been introduced into clinical training for medical students and pediatric and family medicine residents. In this Commonwealth Fund-supported study, a working group developed a new case discussion format for residency programs that emphasizes the basic science involved in different developmental stages and in underlying diseases.
Literature Abstract
September 22, 2009 - Commonwealth Fund–supported articles published in the September issue of Pediatrics examine well-child care visits from two perspectives: those of pediatric clinicians and parents. Both groups recognize the need for a greater emphasis on developmental and behavioral issues, as well as the challenge of balancing families' individual needs with the need to cover the topics recommended in pediatric guidelines.
In the Literature
September 21, 2009 - A Commonwealth Fund-supported 10-nation study examines how the provision of pediatric developmental services is apportioned among different types of health care providers--pediatricians, general practice physicians, and nurses. In doing so, the researchers shed light on the uniquely broad role that U.S. pediatricians play in delivering child health care.
In the Literature
September 10, 2009 - A number of experts believe that the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009 has the potential to transform health care for the children it serves. In this Commonwealth Fund report, researchers offer their recommendations for improving CHIP outreach and enrollment, as well as the quality of care enrollees receive. See a table of provisions. Review presentations from a webinar held September 15 to learn more.
Fund Report
August 20, 2009 - North Carolina's Assuring Better Child Health and Development program has quintupled the number of screening tests administered during Medicaid well-child visits to identify young children at risk for developmental disabilities and delays. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief examines the key elements of this program that have resulted in fewer children entering school with unrecognized or untreated developmental problems.
Issue Brief
July 10, 2009 - Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) leaders are assessing and improving the quality of care provided to children and adolescents, but many states are finding the resources available to them are inadequate for the job. This report identifies states' priorities for measuring and improving child and adolescent health outcomes.
Fund Report