by Jenna Ogilvie | May 29, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
A central tenet of the learning health system philosophy is that evidence development should be part of care delivery. Furthermore, it should be possible to address difficult problems in the learning health system; health care-associated infections are such problems....
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 17, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
A generation ago, the doctor always knew best. Medical decision-making was cloaked in secrecy. Medical charts and Xrays were handled clandestinely. And hospitals’ outcomes, volumes, and mortality rates were not available for general consumption—if the data were...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 9, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
We have long known that factors outside of medical care—race, education, housing, income, and other social determinants—are the most important drivers of how healthy or sick we are. It is not new information that people of color get unequal health care and have poorer...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 9, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
The public health laboratory (PHL) system in the United States is composed of a web of local, state, and federal facilities that provide a broad scope and level of services. Supporting the workforce of the PHL network is particularly challenging due to the impact of...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 23, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Rising health care costs continue to stress budgets at all levels—family, employer, state, and national. At the same time, the results from health care are not commensurate with this level of investment. But there is cause for optimism that results can improve: the...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 19, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
More than ever, health care providers need to help purchasers make intelligent, value-based decisions. Providers are being asked to reduce the total cost of care, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and move quickly on innovations that add value. But without...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 15, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Background Most people who receive health care in the United States recognize that the system is complicated and fragmented. What they are less likely to know is that opportunities to learn from the care provided in hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices are...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 5, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
Decades of research from the Dartmouth Atlas have shown that unwarranted variations in elective surgery are pervasive in the United States. Decision aids (DAs) are evidence-based sources of health information that can help patients make informed treatment decisions...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Mar 22, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
Fundamental changes are reshaping the nation’s health care system—from purchaser and payer demands for greater quality and value to new legislative and regulatory requirements stemming from the Affordable Care Act. Also driving change is the growing recognition that a...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Jan 16, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Executive Summary In response to issues raised in the report of the World Health Organization (WHO)-affiliated Consultative Expert Working Group (CEWG) on research and development (R&D) financing and coordination and the desire of the U.S. government to obtain a...
