November 13, 2009 - Access to doctors and use of mammography, cholesterol testing, and other preventive services improved for both white and Hispanic patients nationally from 1991 to 2004, Fund-supported researchers reported in the journal Medical Care. Gaps in access to care, however, widened between whites and Hispanics in individual states, including Texas and Florida.
In the Literature
October 29, 2007 - Community health centers are a critical source of primary care services for more than 15 million Americans in underserved communities. But patients who are uninsured or covered by Medicaid experience difficulty obtaining specialty care services, a new study finds.
In the Literature
May 16, 2012 - A new analysis of the Commonwealth Fund 2010 Biennial Health Insurance Survey demonstrates that when low-income adults have both health insurance and a medical home, they are less likely to report cost-related access problems, more likely to be up-to-date with preventive screenings, and report greater satisfaction with the quality of their care.
Issue Brief
November 5, 2004 - This Issue Brief was prepared for The Commonwealth Fund/John F. Kennedy School of Government Bipartisan Congressional Health Policy Conference, January 15–17, 2004.
Issue Brief
August 8, 2012 - This brief examines seven Medicaid agencies that have worked to develop the programs, policies, and infrastructures needed to identify and reduce women's health risks either prior to or between pregnancies in an effort to lower high rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, and preterm births.
Issue Brief
October 1, 2003 - The root causes of disparities in the quality of care between minority Americans, including blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans, and whites are not well understood, but a new study finds that patient-physician interactions contribute to the problem.
In the Literature
June 20, 2011 - In 2006, Massachusetts established a pay-for-performance program to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in hospital care for Medicaid patients. Using data from the first year of the program, the authors of this
article found little evidence of disparities in care. This finding and others raise questions about the utility of addressing disparities in hospital care through pay-for-performance.
In the Literature
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 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
June 26, 2012 - This Commonwealth Fund-supported study of federally funded health centers calls for evidence-based payment for medical homes.
In the Literature
August 12, 2005 - Faced with obstacles to recruiting and retaining providers, particularly specialists, a number of Medicaid managed care plans are improving their communications and outreach, implementing technologies to ease administrative burdens and improve claims turnaround, and offering financial incentives for high-quality care.
Fund Report
March 3, 2008 - In New York City, black babies with very low birth weights are more likely to be born in hospitals with high risk-adjusted neonatal death rates, according to a new study in Pediatrics.
In the Literature
December 2, 2011 - This Commonwealth Fund report profiles eight states that are at different stages in the development and implementation of a medical home program and have relied on different strategies to encourage primary care providers to adopt the model, including developing state medical home qualification standards instead of adopting national standards.
Fund Report
November 1, 2003 - General internists provide a valuable service to uninsured patients, but one that also has limitations, according to a new study.
In the Literature
May 21, 2013 - To provide more effective and efficient care for beneficiaries with complex health needs, Medicaid programs in some states have turned to local community health teams to augment the capacity of physician practices. A new report examines multidisciplinary community health team programs in eight states.
Fund Report