by Laura DeStefano | Oct 5, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
My story of innovation begins in 1981, when, as a young surgical trainee in Boston, I was shocked to learn that my dreams of joining the pioneers in the exciting new field of heart transplantation had been abruptly shattered—by a policy decision. The trustees of the...
by Laura DeStefano | Oct 4, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
Elder abuse is a global public health and human rights issue. Elder abuse includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect (both caregiver and self-neglect), and financial exploitation. Despite the evidence suggesting that elder abuse is associated with...
by Laura DeStefano | Oct 2, 2012 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Goal This paper is the product of individuals who worked to identify basic principles and expectations for the coordinated contributions of various participants in the care process. It is intended to provide common reference points to guide coordinated...
by Laura DeStefano | Sep 28, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
Family planning is one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1999). Nearly 75 percent of women of reproductive age in the United States (64 million) receive at least one family...
by Laura DeStefano | Sep 25, 2012 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Our aim is to accelerate the routine use of the best available evidence in medical decision making by raising awareness of and increasing demand for medical evidence among patients, providers, health care organizations, and policymakers. This paper is the product of...
by Laura DeStefano | Sep 21, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
The United States has the most technologically advanced health care system in the world. Although we spend far more on health care than any other country in the world, we perform poorly on many health measures, such as life expectancy and infant mortality, compared...
by Laura DeStefano | Sep 14, 2012 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Introduction Electronic health records (EHRs) and other forms of health information technology (IT) hold the promise of transforming the way health care is delivered in the United States, improving quality and safety while lowering costs. But after a decade of...
by Laura DeStefano | Sep 13, 2012 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Equity was identified as one of the six core dimensions of a high-performing, high-quality health care system in the landmark Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001). The report concluded that health care should be “equitable, (that is)...
by Laura DeStefano | Sep 7, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
Pursuit of value-based health care is now the aim of health policy in the United States. But caution is needed to avoid affirming Winston Churchill’s perspective that “you can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.” The...
by Laura DeStefano | Aug 24, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
When the family of Michelle Malizzo Ballog found out that their daughter’s 2008 death had been caused by a preventable medical error, one question trumped all others: How could this have happened? To the family’s surprise and relief, officials at the University of...
