Commonwealth Fund News and Research

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Current commercial EMR's better for billable events rather than care coordination

A gap exists between policy makers' expectations that current commercial electronic medical records (EMRs) can improve coordination of patient care and clinicians' real-world experiences with EMRs, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) published online in The Journal of General Internal Medicine.

30 Dec 2009

Majority of young adults support health reform legislation, says survey

An overwhelming majority-88 percent-of young adults across the political spectrum think it is important for Congress and the President to pass health reform legislation that would assure affordable health insurance for all and improve health care, according to a Commonwealth Fund survey released today.

19 Dec 2009

Roundup of health policy research and analyses

Urban Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: What Would Health Care Reform Mean for Small Employers and Their Workers? - "Small employers and their workers face a broad assortment of barriers to obtaining health insurance coverage today," such as "high administrative costs, limited ability to spread health care risk, and a low-wage workforce."

18 Dec 2009

New report: CBO underestimates savings from health bills but economists worry savings aren't enough

"Previous analyses have underestimated the potential cost-saving effects of the House and Senate health reform bill, according to a new report co-authored by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Commonwealth Fund," Modern Healthcare reports.

8 Dec 2009

Consumer Watchdog: Opponents of health reform are fear-mongering relentlessly during Senate debate

Opponents of health reform are fear-mongering relentlessly during prolonged Senate debate, said Consumer Watchdog, spinning endlessly the lobbying messages of the insurance industry.

8 Dec 2009

Health experts available to speak about health care reform

Garson helped originate and draft the "Health Partnership Act" (S. 325 and H.R. 5606), which funds grants to states for innovations to improve coverage for the uninsured, quality and efficiency.

5 Dec 2009

Individuals in CDHPs likely to exhibit a number of cost-conscious behaviors

Individuals in consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) are more likely than those with traditional coverage to exhibit a number of cost-conscious behaviors, to be more engaged in wellness programs, and to be more inclined to think that financial incentives matter in holding down costs, according to survey results released today by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

2 Dec 2009

Interventions by parent mentors can effectively reduce wheezing and asthma attacks in children

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found that informed adults can help families stave off complications associated with asthma. The findings, available online and in the December issue of Pediatrics, suggest that interventions by parent mentors - caregivers of asthmatic children who have received specialized topical training - can effectively reduce wheezing, asthma attacks, emergency room visits and missed adult workdays.

30 Nov 2009

Parent mentors can help in reducing asthma complications in minority children

26 Nov 2009

Smoothie Factory supports Chronic Disease Fund’s mission with holiday fundraising program

More than 14-million Americans, with chronic or life altering diseases and cancer, can’t afford the medication they need because of the high out-of-pocket costs associated with their insurance coverage. That’s why the Chronic Disease Fund, a nonprofit organization, provides financial help to seriously ill Americans so they can get the medications they need to live without the fear of debt.

25 Nov 2009

New study suggests financial incentives can affect the provision of patient-centered care

Like everybody, health care professionals enjoy a pay raise for a job well done. But in some instances, financial incentives for health care performance may actually backfire.

24 Nov 2009

Health policy research roundup

Urban Institute: Progress Enrolling Children in Medicaid/CHIP: Who Is Left And What Are The Prospects For Covering More Children? - This policy brief examines the characteristics of the estimated 5 million uninsured children who are eligible for CHIP/Medicaid in 2007 (64 percent of all uninsured children; 88 percent of all low-income uninsured children), but not enrolled.

20 Nov 2009

NCQA to revise landmark evaluation of medical practices to improve care quality

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today announced plans to revise its landmark evaluation of medical practices through the Physician Practice Connections®-Patient-Centered Medical Home™ (PPC®-PCMH™) to reflect the growing interest in this promising approach to improving care quality.

18 Nov 2009

Some combination drug therapies are counter-productive

Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen's protective barriers and opens the door for another to deliver the deathblow.

16 Nov 2009

Dutch health minister critiques U.S. health system

The New York Times interviews Ab Klink, the Dutch health minister, about the Dutch view of U.S. health care: "The health system in the United States may be twice as expensive as those in Europe, and the population may be less healthy, but at least Americans have access to many more choices of doctors and insurers.

10 Nov 2009

Health policy research roundup

Health Affairs: Enrollment Is Driving Medicaid Costs—But Two Targets Can Yield Savings - "Although Medicaid spending has grown faster than the rate of increase in national health spending, much of this is explained by increased enrollment," write the authors of this paper, who present data showing that "[p]er enrollee, Medicaid spending actually compares favorably to increases in medical care prices and gross domestic product."

7 Nov 2009

Majority of U.S. physicians say patients have difficulty paying for medications and care

Fifty-eight percent of primary care doctors in the U.S. report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications and care, and half of U.S. doctors spend substantial time dealing with restrictions insurance companies place on their patients' care, according to findings from the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey published online today in the journal Health Affairs.

5 Nov 2009

Experts favor sweeping changes to Medicare-reforms to help support broader health system reform

A vast majority of leaders in health care and health policy believe Medicare has been successful in providing access to care and stable coverage to the elderly and disabled individuals; however only a small percentage think the program has realized its potential to achieve other important goals, like using its leverage as the country's largest purchaser of services to control costs and promote a high performance health system.

4 Nov 2009

Heart, cancer doctors get break on scheduled Medicare pay cuts

Heart and cancer doctors will get a smaller fee cut next year from Medicare, the U.S. government program for the elderly, than the Obama administration first sought in a move to shift money to family physicians," Bloomberg reports. Earlier this year, Medicare officials said they would cut 10 percent of payments for the two specialties. Now, they plan on making the reductions over four years, instead.

2 Nov 2009

New report analyzes similarities, differences, potential impacts and costs of current health reform bills

A new Commonwealth Fund report analyzes the similarities, differences, potential impacts, and costs of current bills passed by the five committees of jurisdiction in the United States Congress: Finance Committee and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives' Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Energy and Commerce committees.

24 Oct 2009

Commonwealth Fund News and Research

Current commercial EMR's better for billable events rather than care coordination

Majority of young adults support health reform legislation, says survey

Roundup of health policy research and analyses

New report: CBO underestimates savings from health bills but economists worry savings aren't enough

Consumer Watchdog: Opponents of health reform are fear-mongering relentlessly during Senate debate

Health experts available to speak about health care reform

Individuals in CDHPs likely to exhibit a number of cost-conscious behaviors

Interventions by parent mentors can effectively reduce wheezing and asthma attacks in children

Parent mentors can help in reducing asthma complications in minority children

Smoothie Factory supports Chronic Disease Fund’s mission with holiday fundraising program

New study suggests financial incentives can affect the provision of patient-centered care

Health policy research roundup

NCQA to revise landmark evaluation of medical practices to improve care quality

Some combination drug therapies are counter-productive

Dutch health minister critiques U.S. health system

Health policy research roundup

Majority of U.S. physicians say patients have difficulty paying for medications and care

Experts favor sweeping changes to Medicare-reforms to help support broader health system reform

Heart, cancer doctors get break on scheduled Medicare pay cuts

New report analyzes similarities, differences, potential impacts and costs of current health reform bills

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