In a new blog post—the first in a series about how U.S. health system financing could be more coherent and transparent—Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis examines options for paying for coordinated care. The health reform law will inject greater transparency into the health care market and increase the value of what we pay for care. These initiatives are one important step in the evolution of a new payment system that will provide incentives to attain the best results—rather than provide the most services—and in doing so achieve savings from the elimination of wasteful, duplicative, or avoidable treatment. "But changing the method of payment is only one part of the solution," Davis writes. "To make it work, new health care organizations that are accountable for both patient outcomes and the resources devoted to care will need to be formed."
