Learning from State Health System Improvements
<p>This week the Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System issued a <a href="/publications/fund-reports/2007/jun/aiming-higher--results-from-a-state-scorecard-on-health-system-performance
">State Scorecard on Health System Performance,</a> which reveals that, to a great extent, the state you live in affects the health care you receive. Given that every American should have access to high-quality, equitable, and cost-effective health care, the <em>State Scorecard</em> was developed to help states identify ways they can improve care for their residents. <br><br >In a new column, <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=28793&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecommonwealthfund%2Eorg%2Faboutus%2Faboutus%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D504096%26%23doc504096">Spreading State Success,</a> Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis, Ph.D., gives examples of some of the innovative state policies and programs already in place in high-performing states--examples that can serve as models for states that ranked lower in the <em>State Scorecard.</em> She reviews such programs as Maine's DirigoChoice, an insurance product with sliding-scale deductibles and affordable premiums; New York's Medicaid managed care pay-for-performance program; and Community Care of North Carolina, which coordinates care at the local level, thereby controlling costs and improving quality.<br><br>Davis also emphasizes that every state, and the nation as a whole, should aim higher when it comes to providing affordable health care.</p>