Scorecard Offers Vision of Improved Long Term Services
The first of 70 million baby boomers turn 65 this year, and long-term services and supports (LTSS), which include home care, assisted living, and nursing home care, are on the rise. To help states identify gaps, AARP’s Public Policy Institute, The Commonwealth Fund, and The SCAN Foundation, developed the first state LTSS scorecard.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - September 7, 2011 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Patient Compensation for Medical Injuries: International Approaches
In the U.S., the complex process of seeking compensation for medical injuries makes it difficult for patients to receive compensation, and fear of lawsuits leads to defensive medicine. This episode looks at countries like New Zealand, which separate patient compensation and issues of medical malpractice.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - July 14, 2011 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Health Reform —Opportunities and Challenges for Providers
Relatively little attention has been paid to the ways the health reform law seeks to strengthen the delivery system. This episode addresses how provisions to improve transparency, encourage more organized care, and promote payment reform affect those on the frontlines.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - June 13, 2011 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Health Reform—Opportunities and Challenges for Providers
Relatively little attention has been paid to the ways the health reform law seeks to strengthen the delivery system. This episode addresses how provisions to improve transparency, encourage more organized care, and promote payment reform affect those on the frontlines.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - June 13, 2011 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Covering and Caring for Kids
This episode focuses on a new report evaluating how well the nation cares for its kids. Producer Sandy Hausman explores why children's coverage has improved in 35 states despite the recession, what states can learn from each other, and how health reform can help.         (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - February 2, 2011 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Transparency in Health Care
Americans usually know what they can expect to pay for products—and most understand that you get what you pay for—but when it comes to health care, that's not the case. This episode looks at how sharing information about quality and costs with the public, payers, and health care professionals may change the way health care is delivered.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - January 18, 2011 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Transforming Safety Net Clinics into Medical Homes
Sandy Hausman reports on the Safety Net Medical Home Initiative, a Commonwealth Fund-supported demonstration project designed to help clinics that serve low-income patients become medical homes.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - October 21, 2010 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Sharing Resources to Improve Care
Today, many primary care practices are sharing clinical and technical services with other providers so that they can become certified medical homes, which provide patients with coordinated, around-the-clock care. In Massachusetts, 95 percent of pediatric practices rely on the Child Psychiatry Access Project for guidance in mental health care.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - August 19, 2010 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

How the U.S. Health System Stacks Up
Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis discusses how the Affordable Care Act might improve U.S. health system performance relative to six other industrialized countries surveyed by The Commonwealth Fund.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - June 23, 2010 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

How Will Community Health Centers Fare Under Health Reform?
This episode of the New Directions in Health Care series looks at the findings from a survey of federally qualified health centers. Community health centers are the core of the ambulatory care safety net—serving some 16 million Americans, regardless of their ability to pay.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - May 27, 2010 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Health Care Abroad and Reform at Home —Controlling Health Care Costs
This episode of the New Directions in Health Care series looks at the costs of providing medical services in other parts of the world and considers how health care reform might change the bottom line in this country. It explores ways in which proposed health reforms in Congress—such as an emphasis on primary care and new approaches to delivery and payment—could help ensure value for our health care dollars.         (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - March 17, 2010 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Health Care Abroad and Reform at Home—Controlling Health Care Costs
This episode of the New Directions in Health Care series looks at the costs of providing medical services in other parts of the world and considers how health care reform might change the bottom line in this country. It explores ways in which proposed health reforms in Congress—such as an emphasis on primary care and new approaches to delivery and payment—could help ensure value for our health care dollars.         (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - March 17, 2010 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Rebuilding Primary Care in New Orleans
After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans had "an unprecedented opportunity to redefine its health system." This episode looks at the network of safety-net clinics that was created following the disaster, and how many of these clinics have become medical homes that provide coordinated, accessible, and affordable primary care.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - February 1, 2010 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Health Reform in Massachusetts: Lessons for the Nation
It's been three years since Massachusetts implemented sweeping health reform. In this episode, Sandy Hausman looks at how satisfied consumers, employers, and physicians are with the new system. Key players also discuss how a good public education campaign and a general spirit of cooperation contributed to the program's success.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - December 1, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Changing the Culture of Nursing Homes Through Regulation
Over the last 20 years, the quality of life and care in nursing homes has improved dramatically. But some experts say federal and state regulations of nursing homes can get in the way of these important changes, if caregivers and home operators see surveyors—who visit homes to make sure they are complying with standards—as the enemy. A new Commonwealth Fund report suggests that state inspectors could, in fact, be agents of change.         (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - October 8, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts