February 1, 2010 - A Commonwealth Fund–supported study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine investigated the extent to which racial and ethnic disparities can be attributed to differences within physician practices—meaning they are potentially related to discrimination or differential treatment—or to differences between practices, an indication that minority patients tend to receive treatment in low-performing practices.
Literature Abstract
September 8, 2004 - Minority children often receive poorer health care than other children. While a variety of public and private sector programs are taking on these disparities, better coordination and monitoring at the federal level is needed to maximize their effectiveness, the Fund's Anne C. Beal, M.D., says in a Health Affairs article.
In the Literature
August 6, 2012 - Given the right incentives, safety-net primary care clinics can make the transition to become patient-centered medical homes. The results of the New Orleans program, however, underscore that primary care transformation is a long process, and one difficult to achieve and sustain.
In the Literature
May 1, 1999 - Despite national attention to increasing preventive health care for women, The Commonwealth Fund 1998 Survey of Women's Health finds little change in preventive health screening rates since a similar study commissioned by the Fund in 1993. The 1998 survey also finds that wide disparities in screening rates persist across income and education levels and racial and ethnic groups.
Data Brief
August 22, 2006 - This Fund report identifies "promising practices" that address language barriers and low health literacy to help hospitals and providers better communicate with their vulnerable patients.
Fund Report
October 13, 2011 - Safety-net health care providers face particular challenges in coordinating care for their low-income and uninsured patients. This Commonwealth Fund issue brief finds that successful efforts will require flexibility, as well as federal, state, and local financial resources to sustain the safety net and make the investments needed to upgrade capabilities.
Issue Brief
May 1, 2002 - The report profiles a variety of programs around the country that provide interpretation services in health care settings, and also identifies federal, state, local, and private funding sources for interpretation services.
Fund Report
April 8, 2005 - Community health centers and small physician practices can have a particularly difficult time effectively serving patients with limited English proficiency. A new Fund report shows how a number of solo practitioners, small group practices, and clinics around the country have found creative methods for meeting the needs of these patients.
Fund Report
January 18, 2007 - Many benefits offices, which help people apply for Medicaid and other public programs, lack knowledge and resources about language services. The National Health Law Program evaluted these offices and offers strategies, such as written language access plans, recruiting bilingual staff for dual roles, and interpreter competency testing.
Fund Report
May 3, 2010 - This brief surveys safety-net health centers to determine their potential to become medical homes. Safety-net health centers that provide vulnerable and low-income populations with comprehensive primary care have unique opportunities for successful transformation, but also face challenges.
Issue Brief
October 1, 1996 - The author argues that public hospital strategies for survival should include reforming governance and management, establishing new relationships with physicians, increasing workforce flexibility, preserving Medicaid market share, and increasing public accountability.
Fund Report
December 8, 2006 - Parents with limited English proficiency, providers, hospital staff, and quality improvement professionals agree that language and cultural differences lead to communication issues that can have a pervasive, negative impact on the quality and safety of hospital care children receive, according to a Fund-supported study. Yet, the authors find these stakeholders disagree about what exactly needs to change.
In the Literature
January 11, 2007 - Federally funded community health centers provide care to more than 15 million Americans, including many minority patients. A Health Affairs study by Fund-supported researchers finds that while these centers generally provide good care, gaps in quality exist, particularly for the uninsured.
In the Literature
March 1, 2002 - This fact sheet, based on the Fund's 2001 Health Care Quality Survey, focuses on the survey findings related to the health, health care, and health insurance coverage of African Americans.
Other
March 1, 2002 - This fact sheet, based on the Fund's 2001 Health Care Quality Survey, focuses on the survey findings related to the health, health care, and health insurance coverage of Asian Americans.
Other