Care Management for Medicaid Enrollees Through Community Health Teams

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

Insuring the Future: Current Trends in Health Coverage and the Effects of Implementing the Affordable Care Act

April 26, 2013 - Eighty-four million people―nearly half of all working-age U.S. adults―went without health insurance for a time last year or were underinsured because of high out-of-pocket costs relative to income, according to a new study based on findings from the Commonwealth Fund's 2012 Biennial Health Insurance Survey.

Fund Report

Forging Community Partnerships to Improve Health Care: The Experience of Four Medicaid Managed Care Organizations

April 18, 2013 - This issue brief explores how four managed care organizations serving vulnerable populations are changing the way care is delivered by investing in a strong community presence.

Issue Brief

The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center’s Asthma Improvement Collaborative: Enhancing Quality and Coordination of Care

January 23, 2013 - Building on earlier initiatives, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center launched an Asthma Improvement Collaborative in 2008 to enhance the quality and coordination of asthma care for low-income, Medicaid-insured children in Hamilton County, Ohio.

Case Study

Gaining Ground: Care Management Programs to Reduce Hospital Admissions and Readmissions Among Chronically Ill and Vulnerable Patients

January 23, 2013 - Preventable hospital admissions and readmissions are indicators of health system fragmentation associated with suboptimal patient outcomes and avoidable costs of care. This synthesis report looks at three case studies that illustrate the potential of care management programs to address this problem by improving care coordination and transitions among high-risk patients.

Case Study

Using Shared Savings to Foster Coordinated Care for Dual Eligibles

January 3, 2013 - To help promote enrollment by dually eligible people into state-designed coordinated care entities, the author of this Commonwealth Fund–supported article recommends that patients also participate in the shared-savings arrangement.

In Brief

Higher Readmissions at Safety-Net Hospitals and Potential Policy Solutions

December 10, 2012 - This new Commonwealth Fund analysis uses publicly reported 30-day hospital readmission rate data to examine whether safety-net hospitals are more likely to have higher readmission rates, compared with other hospitals.

Issue Brief

High-Performance Health Care for Vulnerable Populations: A Policy Framework for Promoting Accountable Care in Medicaid

November 16, 2012 - This report explores how state Medicaid agencies might align with and build on the Medicare Shared Savings Program, which rewards groups of providers that meet cost and quality benchmarks by working together to coordinate patients' care in accountable care organizations.

Fund Report

The Influence of Hospice Use on Nursing Home and Hospital Use in Assisted Living Among Dual-Eligible Enrollees

November 13, 2012 - In this study, Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers examined over 12 months the outcomes of assisted living residents who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, seeking to determine the association of hospice use with nursing home and hospital admission.

In Brief

Including Safety-Net Providers in Integrated Delivery Systems: Issues and Options for Policymakers

August 14, 2012 - This issue brief explores key design considerations for including safety-net providers in integrated delivery systems, which provide or arrange a coordinated continuum of health care services to a defined population, and hold themselves accountable for the outcomes and health status of their patients.

Issue Brief

Addressing Women's Health Needs and Improving Birth Outcomes: Results from a Peer-to-Peer State Medicaid Learning Project

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

The Post-Katrina Conversion of Clinics in New Orleans to Medical Homes Shows Change Is Possible, But Hard to Sustain

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

Strained Local and State Government Finances Among Current Realities That Threaten Public Hospitals' Profitability

August 6, 2012 - This Commonwealth Fund study of 150 safety-net hospitals finds that, to overcome declining government subsidies, safety-net hospitals governed by elected politicians must focus on cost control, quality improvement, and services that attract insured patients.

In the Literature

Association Between Patient-Centered Medical Home Rating and Operating Cost at Federally Funded Health Centers

June 26, 2012 - This Commonwealth Fund-supported study of federally funded health centers calls for evidence-based payment for medical homes.

In the Literature

Achieving Better Quality of Care for Low-Income Populations: The Roles of Health Insurance and the Medical Home in Reducing Health Inequities

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