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Cost & Quality
Health care costs in the United States are skyrocketing, but many patients still aren't getting the quality care they need. Tens of thousands of people die each year and many more are injured by substandard care. Community Catalyst believes in a more efficient and patient-centered health care system that provides high-quality care to everyone at a reasonable price. We work to get more out of our health care dollar by identifying and advocating for policies that improve the quality of care while containing the growth of health care costs.
- March 27, 2013 Risky Business: Capitated Financing in the Dual Eligible Demonstration Projects The national Dual Eligible Demonstration Projects aim to improve health services for lowincome people with disabilities and low-income seniors by moving millions of people and billions of dollars into capitated health plans. The goals are laudable but must be supported by the right financing. Unfortunately, the capitated models under development put health plans at too much financial risk, undermining the goals of the demonstration and jeopardizing the health and well-being of vulnerable people.
- March 27, 2013 The Dual Eligible Demonstration Projects: State and Health Plan Readiness This issue brief summarizes concerns around state and health plan capacity to implement the dual eligible demonstration projects and offers recommendations for evaluating readiness based on what matters most to beneficiaries.
- March 27, 2013 The Dual Eligible Demonstration Projects: The Passive Enrollment Challenge This issue brief explains concerns for affected dual eligible beneficiaries and recommends alternatives to passive enrollment and policy options that might ease beneficiary concerns.
- March 04, 2013 Medicaid Report Card This webtool will help you propose budget-saving alternatives to harmful Medicaid cuts. Just click on your state to get a customized list of policies your state could enact to reduce costs while maintaining or even improving patient care.
- February 25, 2013 Do The Right Thing: How Congress Can Generate Health Care Budget Savings Without Hurting Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries Reducing the projected long-term national debt is the central focus of policymakers from both parties as we move into President Obama’s second term in office. Health care cost containment plays a prominent role in the debate because rising health care costs are seen as a primary driver of the debt.
- January 15, 2013 Better Care at Lower Costs An approach to reduce federal health spending by weeding out wasteful spending.
- September 14, 2012 Best Practices for Meaningful Consumer Input in New Health Care Delivery Models This issue brief outlines a framework for thinking about the best practices that are needed to ensure a meaningful consumer voice in new care delivery models.
- July 03, 2012 Letter to Secretary Sebelius Regarding the Dual Demonstration Projects As states have rapidly rolled out their proposals, we have become increasingly concerned that claims of potential savings and/or the speed with which those savings can be achieved is being overstated. In particular, we have three closely related concerns: that savings targets are not yet transparent, that the assumptions on which projected savings are based may be either opaque or overly optimistic and that insufficient safeguards are in place to guard against the potential for either windfall profits or catastrophic losses, either one of which would undermine the goals of the demonstration, and cause harm to people with disabilities and seniors.
- April 10, 2012 Dual Eligible Demonstration Projects: Top Ten Priorities for Consumer Advocates The Affordable Care Act created demonstration projects aimed at integrating care for low-income seniors and people with disabilities who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. This issue brief was created to assist advocates in states where duals demonstration project proposals are being created.
- February 22, 2012 Integrated System of Care for Dual Eligibles: Capitated Approach Guidance recently released from the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office provides several opportunities to engage in payment models for dual eligibles.
- November 15, 2011 Three Steps to Save Billions of Health Care Dollars This paper outlines Community Catalyst's practical approach to reduce federal health spending on Medicare by providing incentives for quality and efficiency.
- November 03, 2011 Payment Reform Toolkit What if your state could save millions of dollars in its Medicaid program next year and improve patient care? By implementing smart payment reforms, it can.
- July 11, 2011 Letter to Senator Hatch and Representative Upton regarding their Medicaid letter to Governors Community Catalyst and 118 other organizations representing consumers, health care providers, and people of faith in 33 states (plus D.C.) joined together to send an important message to Congress: Don’t shift more Medicaid costs onto states!
- June 13, 2011 Graduate Medical Education: An Untapped Tool for Primary Care Workforce Expansion By redesigning the way we pay for graduate medical education, we can expand the number of primary care physicians to provide better care and lower health care costs. This document makes the case and outlines a strategy.
- June 06, 2011 Campaign for Better Care Comments Regarding Accountable Care Organizations Community Catalyst is part of CBC, a coalition committed to ensuring that new models of care delivery and payment provide comprehensive, coordinated, patient- and family-centered care while driving down costs.
- May 17, 2011 Caps Miss the Mark Concern is growing about projected rising long-term debt which is driven largely by anticipated growth in health care costs. Many potential solutions to the debt problem are under discussion in political and policy circles.
- May 17, 2011 Health Care Cost Containment: Getting It Right This chart guides you through options on cost containment and outlines top-level approaches, problems and example solutions.
- April 25, 2011 Community-Based Care Transitions Program Transitions from one setting to another, especially discharge from a hospital, are often dangerous points in care for vulnerable patients – especially frail, older patients and those with chronic conditions.
- April 25, 2011 Healthy Hospital Initiative The Campaign for Better Care recently launched the Healthy Hospital Initiative to further the efforts of the Administrations Partnership for Patients program.
- August 31, 2009 Paying for Better Care: A Consumer Advocate’s Reference Guide to Payment Reform Our current method of paying for health care has created a system that is expensive, fragmented, and largely unresponsive patients' needs. It does not emphasize preventive, patient-centered care based on quality outcomes. This brief outlines new payment options as a way to improve patient care and slow the growth of health care spending.
- May 01, 2009 Special Delivery: How Coordinated Care Programs Can Improve Quality and Save Costs The delivery of health care in the United States is fragmented and uncoordinated.This adds unnecessary risks and costs to people’s health care experience.
- December 09, 2008 Getting What You Pay For: Reducing Wasteful Medical Spending Consumer advocates and policymakers can promote changes to reduce these sources of waste and improve patient care, such as: • Requiring disclosure of medical errors and misuse of care • Informing patients and their doctors about the effectiveness and costs of treatment options • Paying for care based on quality rather than quantity
- October 15, 2008 More for Our Health Care Dollar: Improving Quality to Cut Costs The first in a series on consumer-friendly approaches to cost containment.