Commentary
by Laura DeStefano | Dec 14, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
We have a good concept of the flawed state of health care, the critical need for change, and the future we want. Patient-centered, personalized care, provided by collaborating care teams, is a part of that vision. Many changes will be necessary to achieve that future,...
by Laura DeStefano | Nov 30, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
While there has been an enormous amount of attention paid to the transformation of the United States Health Care delivery system under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), little has been said about the many opportunities in the ACA for population health systems improvement...
by Laura DeStefano | Nov 16, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
More than a decade ago, the board of directors and executive leaders of Virginia Mason (VM) Health System in Seattle, WA, held a series of meetings to determine the future direction of the organization. It was a new century, we had a new CEO, and the Institute of...
by Laura DeStefano | Nov 2, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
The translation of new evidence into reliable practice typically takes years and sometimes decades. For interventions with a strong evidence base for improving outcomes, the absence of a reliable evidence implementation capacity means that the health system regularly...
by Laura DeStefano | Oct 19, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
Diabetes mellitus (DM) and associated complications are increasing in the United States, with prevalence up 40 percent from 2002 to 2010. [1] Randomized controlled studies have shown reductions in the increased cardiovascular disease risk associated with diabetes when...
by Laura DeStefano | Oct 18, 2012 | Commentary, Perspectives
In September 2000, the United Nations (UN) Millennium Declaration [1] established the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to accelerate efforts to reduce extreme poverty and related barriers to human development. At the Rio+20 World Summit on Sustainable Development,...
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 | 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 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...
