New commission on a high performance health system

Healthcare Financial Management, July, 2005

The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation supporting independent research on health and social issues, announced on June 1 the creation of a Commission on a High Performance Health System, which aims to move the United States toward a healthcare system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, with particular focus on the most vulnerable due to income, race/ethnicity, health, or age.

The commission will seek opportunities to change the delivery and financing of health care to improve system performance, and will identify public and private policies and practices that would lead to those improvements. It will explore mechanisms for financing improved health insurance coverage and investment in the nation's capacity for quality improvement, including reinvesting savings from efficiency gains.

Approved by the Commonwealth Fund's board of directors at its April meeting, the commission will have an initial five-year term. It is charged with tracking performance targets, developing policy options, and disseminating innovative practice changes to improve the U.S. healthcare system.

"The U.S. healthcare system is the most expensive in the world, yet there is little question that, by any number of measures, we are not getting what we're paying for," said Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis. "We see the establishment of this commission as one crucial step in determining what needs to be done to ensure that we get the best care--and the best value--for our health care dollars."

The commission is chaired by James J. Mongan, MD, president and CEO of Partners HealthCare. The 18 commissioners represent broad interests in health care and a commitment to each of the elements of a high-performance healthcare system--coverage, quality, and efficiency. The commission is scheduled to have its first meeting in July.

To read the press release announcing the formation of the commission, go to www.cmwf.org.