October 18, 2006 - In this Fund report, the researchers identify the five domains of culturally competent care that can best be assessed through the patient's perspective.
Fund Report
October 3, 2006 - The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which grants states flexibility to modify their Medicaid programs, should be watched closely, a new Fund report finds. While the law could negatively affect access to early childhood development services, some of its provisions allow states to expand access to services.
Fund Report
March 31, 2011 - In this Commonwealth Fund–supported study, researchers used direct observation of well-child visits to evaluate their duration and content, adherence to Bright Futures guidelines, and differences between visits with children who have special health care needs and visits with children who do not.
In Brief
October 1, 1999 - As the federal government begins reducing subsidies for safety net hospitals, the authors detail the reliance of safety net hospitals--which treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay--on the Medicare and Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment programs.
Fund Report
December 21, 2004 - Maine's ambitious Dirigo Health initiative is seeking to contain health care costs and ensure access for all state residents, while improving quality at the same time. Two Fund-sponsored reports examine Maine's experiment—one focusing on the workings of the DirigoChoice benefit plan, the other examining the views of employers and workers in the state.
Fund Report
July 1, 2002 - In response to documented disparities in access to and quality of health care, health organizations have begun to take steps to identify disparities in their own patient populations. This report analyzes data from a "report card" of quality of care measures designed to identify such disparities.
Fund Report
May 5, 2011 - This Commonwealth Fund report finds that by fostering connections between federally qualified health centers and other private primary care providers, states may be able to connect Medicaid beneficiaries with services needed to help them manage their health and reduce costly visits to hospitals.
Fund Report
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
August 16, 2011 - The authors of this Commonwealth Fund-supported study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine developed a new tool to evaluate patient-centered medical home interventions in safety-net clinics.
In Brief
December 11, 2007 - This Commonwealth Fund report finds significant under-detection of developmental delays in early childhood. The author says that it will be necessary to address financial, educational, and other barriers to physicians' use of developmental screening tools.
Fund Report
November 1, 2003 - A survey of clinicians and staff at 15 practices finds that Healthy Steps specialists have become well integrated into pediatric practice.
In the Literature
August 1, 2001 - In this report, the author concludes that building on insurance options that currently exist—such as employer-sponsored insurance, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicaid—represents the most targeted and potentially effective approach for increasing access to affordable coverage for the nation's 15 million uninsured women.
Fund Report
November 15, 2004 - Parents can turn to state toll-free telephone hotlines for advice on their young children's health and well-being and for referrals to community-based support services. While most help lines deliver high-quality information, there is considerable room for improvement.
Issue Brief
March 26, 2009 - Even after controlling for socioeconomic characteristics, uninsured breast cancer patients at a large safety-net hospital system were more likely than their insured counterparts to be diagnosed with advanced disease requiring more extensive and costly treatment, according to this Fund-supported study.
In the Literature
April 21, 2009 - A Commonwealth Fund-supported study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that Medicare coverage reduces racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in heart disease and diabetes outcomes. The authors suggested that providing health coverage to those under age 65 may reduce such disparities among all adults.
In the Literature