Keeping Young Adults Insured
More than 13.2 million young adults in the U.S. have no health insurance coverage, finds a Commonwealth Fund study. While many young adults are healthy, this age group is in need of preventive care for the chronic conditions so many Americans develop. Learn how federal and state policies can help keep young people insured.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - August 6, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Help for Health Care Providers Putting Policy into Practice
Given the tightly packed schedules of health care providers, there can be a lag time of as long as a decade in getting national recommendations into practice. Public-private improvement partnerships, a concept developed with Commonwealth Fund support by the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program, provide regional training, site visits, and more, to help with the process of change.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - July 16, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Reducing Rehospitalizations: New Initiative Addresses Readmissions as a Community Problem
Being discharged from the hospital is something most patients eagerly anticipate, but many patients find themselves back in the hospital far too soon. A new Commonwealth Fund-supported initiative administered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement called STAAR--State Action on Avoidable Rehospitalization--is a multi-state, multi-stakeholder collaborative that aims to reduce rehospitalization rates by 30 percent.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - June 17, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Why Women Aren't Getting the Health Care They Need
Women are disproportionately affected by health care costs, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study. The study authors say that medical debt--which affects women across all income levels--is forcing many women to skip care or make other sacrifices.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - May 11, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Health IT in Hospitals: How It Can Help
In this episode, producer Sandy Hausman visits a V.A. hospital in Virginia to see how electronic record keeping has improved quality on almost every measure of care. She also talks with the author of a Commonwealth Fund-supported study that provided crucial evidence linking health information technology, such as automated order entry, notes and decision-support, with lower mortality rates as well as lower costs.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - April 7, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Coalition Is Improving Quality in Nursing Homes
Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes is a group of long-term care providers, caregivers, consumers, and others that has engaged almost half of the nursing homes in the U.S. in its quality improvement efforts. For this episode, Emily Schifrin talked with the organization leadership and frontline workers to find out what has made the campaign so successful.         (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - March 16, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

The Green House: A New Model of Care
Residents, families, and staff say that Green Houses, based on a radically different model for long-term care created by geriatrician Bill Thomas, M.D., make warm, wonderful homes for elders. In this episode, Emily Schifrin visits two new Green Houses, in San Angelo, Texas, for elders with Alzheimer's disease.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - January 16, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Retail Clinics: A Look at Who Picks Up Primary Care at the Pharmacy
Producer Sandy Hausman explains the role retail clinics, which operate in pharmacies, supermarkets and big-box retailers, play in providing basic health care to certain Americans who lack affordable alternatives.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - December 18, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Telemedicine in Rural America
In North Dakota, a trip to the doctor can involve "a lot of windshield time," explains Mary Wakefield, director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota. In this episode, Sandy Hausman looks at how telemedicine--where health care is delivered by computer--is making it easier for people in rural areas to get the care and medication that they need.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - October 28, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Investing in Children's Health and Development
The Assuring Better Child Health and Development initiative was designed to improve the delivery of developmental services though policy and practice change in selected states. In Iowa, a focus on screening, as well as on the mental health of the family and referrals to appropriate providers for treatment, has led to more comprehensive care.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - October 2, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

Geisinger Health System: A Leader in 21st Century Health Care
Geisinger Health is a physician-led, integrated system that cares for about 2.5 million patients in Pennsylvania. Learn about the radical changes Geisinger has made to improve care for its patients while also improving efficiency.         (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - September 10, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

The Polyclinic: Personalized Health Care in Downtown Seattle
A remodeled downtown location, same-day scheduling, and ready access to physicians have enhanced patient-centered care delivered by the Family Medicine Practice of The Polyclinic.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - August 27, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

A New Approach to Medical Interpreting
A new method of interpreting--where doctors and patients speak into enhanced telephones while an off-site interpreter translates--is helping improve patients' experiences and outcomes at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.         (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - August 7, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

The Rise of Resident-Centered Care in Nursing Homes: Transforming Jewish Home Lifecare
Hear how a culture change initiative at the Sarah Neuman Center in Mamaroneck, New York, and at Jewish Home Lifecare's Manhattan and Bronx campuses, is transforming life for residents and staff by deinstitutionalizing the physical environment, dining, the staffing structure, and more.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - July 22, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts

RESPECT: Practicing Patient-Centered Care in Wisconsin
Because the U.S. health system is complex and fragmented, physicians find it difficult at times to put the needs of patients first. But some health care practices deliver patient-centered care despite the odds. In this episode, producer Sandy Hausman visits the Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group in Racine, Wisconsin, where staff are dedicated to exceptional patient service as well as superior clinical quality.        (Source: New Directions in Health Care)
Source: New Directions in Health Care - June 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The Commonwealth Fund Source Type: podcasts