5/21/2013 - 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
5/16/2013 - An editorial by The Commonwealth Fund's David Blumenthal and Melinda Abrams explores one approach to addressing the primary care workforce shortage: using nurse practitioners to provide a wide range of primary care services.
In Brief
5/7/2013 - Under the Affordable Care Act, overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans are gradually being pared back. But will private plans be able to cope with the reduced payments? Using newly available government data, this brief examines average costs among Medicare Advantage plans and variation in costs among plan types.
Issue Brief
5/6/2013 - Combining Medicare's hospital, physician, and prescription drug coverage with commonly purchased private supplemental coverage into one health plan could produce national savings of $180 billion over a decade while improving care for beneficiaries, a new Health Affairs study finds.
In the Literature
4/26/2013 - 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
4/18/2013 - 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
4/18/2013 - This case study describes how one of the 17 Beacon sites, the Colorado Beacon Consortium, has strengthened the capacity of local health care providers to exchange health data and transform clinical care.
Case Study
4/8/2013 - Countries around the world have realized some success in achieving the "Triple Aim" of health care: better health and better health care at lower cost. A series of Commonwealth Fund–supported articles in the April 2013 issue of Health Affairs describes the lessons these successes hold for the U.S. health care system.
Other
4/8/2013 - In this Commonwealth Fund–supported study, researchers examined variation in drug prices among selected OECD countries in three years to determine which nations paid the highest prices for brand-name drugs.
In the Literature
4/8/2013 - Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers analyzed data collected in Europe to see whether stronger primary care systems were associated with higher performance on measures of population health, efficiency, and socioeconomic inequality.
In Brief
4/8/2013 - In this Commonwealth Fund–supported study experts argue that predictive modeling techniques are needed to identify and prioritize care for patient populations at risk of experiencing a "triple fail" event.
In Brief
4/8/2013 - The authors of this Commonwealth Fund–supported study describe early results and challenges of Ontario's reform effort.
In Brief
4/8/2013 - Researchers supported by The Commonwealth Fund reviewed the range of strategies used to contain health system costs in Canada, England, France, and Germany.
In Brief
4/8/2013 - The Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers found that although many OECD countries are using value-based approaches to steer patients toward more efficient and less costly care, use of such strategies is limited by a lack of information about the value of many health care interventions.
In Brief
4/8/2013 - Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers reviewed the experiences of Switzerland and the Netherlands with health insurance exchanges and offer lessons for the U.S. rollout.
In Brief