New Studies Focus on Vermont's Single-Payer Law, Medicaid Medical Homes, and Rehospitalizations
<p>In the July issue of <em>Health Affairs</em>, experts report on innovations in health care organization, delivery, and financing across the United States. The new issue includes three articles prepared with Commonwealth Fund support: </p>
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<a href="/publications/journal-article/2011/jul/what-other-states-can-learn-vermonts-bold-experiment">What Other States Can Learn from Vermont's Bold Experiment: Embracing a Single-Payer Health Care Financing System</a>. William C. Hsiao, Ph.D., and colleagues provide estimates of savings, costs, and impacts of Vermont's historic single-payer health care legislation. According to the authors' projections, the law will produce annual savings of 25.3 percent compared with current spending, cut employer and household spending by $200 million, create 3,800 jobs, and boost the state's overall economic output by $100 million. </p>
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<a href="/publications/journal-article/2011/jul/early-look-four-state-initiative-reduce-avoidable-hospital">An Early Look at a Four-State Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospital Readmissions</a>. Amy E. Boutwell, M.D., and coauthors describe how the Commonwealth Fund–supported State Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations initiative, known as STAAR, is fostering partnerships among hospitals and their community-based partners to improve provider communication at critical transitions in patient care and reduce the need for costly rehospitalizations. </p>
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<a href="/publications/journal-article/2011/jul/reinventing-medicaid-state-innovations-qualify-and-pay">Reinventing Medicaid: State Innovations to Qualify and Pay for Patient-Centered Medical Homes Show Promising Results</a>. Author Mary Takach, M.P.H., describes how 17 states are promoting the spread of patient-centered medical homes through a combination of incentive payments and qualification standards for physician practices. The early results point to promising trends in costs, quality, and access to care, Takach writes. </p>