Quality and Safety
by Laura DeStefano | Jun 11, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Context Globalization has resulted in countries importing foreign products in numbers never before seen. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that the products it regulates now originate in more than 150 countries and 300,000 foreign...
by Laura DeStefano | May 29, 2013 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Introduction We are entering a critical time in health care in the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) changes the American health care system in many ways. Of major importance is the fact that it expands access to health insurance for...
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 Laura DeStefano | May 3, 2013 | Commentary, Perspectives
Health care delivery is changing in virtually every domain—affecting primary, tertiary, and quaternary care; crossing disciplines and engaging all health professions; and involving both processes and outcomes of care. All of these changes are marked by a major...
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...
