A New Era in American Health Care: Realizing the Potential of Reform

Illustrates features of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the beneficiaries of reform, changes to the healthcare system, and implementation challenges and long-term concerns. Includes current data on insurance status and access to care

Embedding blended learning in a university’s teaching culture: experiences and reflections

Blended learning, the combination of traditional face-to-face teaching methods with authentic on-line learning activities, has the potential to transform student learning experiences and outcomes. In spite of this advantage, university teachers often find it difficult to adopt new on-line techniques, in part because institutional practices are still geared to support more traditional approaches. This paper describes how a project, funded to support international collaboration to enhance learning and teaching in Geography, has allowed a university to explore models for change. It briefly examines the associated issues of sharing and repurposing resources; it reflects on the impact of the project on local strategy, and the importance of sustaining the collaborations and approaches to learning and teaching after the funding is completed

Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Congressional Priorities

Presents survey results on healthcare experts' support for implementing the 2010 health reform, including the individual mandate, health insurance exchanges, and Medicaid expansion; incentivizing care coordination; and expanding cost-containment pilots

Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Health Reform, Implementation, and Post-Reform Priorities

Presents survey results on healthcare experts' views on the comprehensive health reform law enacted in March 2010, including premium subsidies, new insurance market rules, and alternative payment methods; implementation challenges; and long-term issues

Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Medicare Reform

Presents findings of a survey of experts on Medicare's successes and proposed reforms, including putting payment pilots on a fast track, negotiating drug prices, and creating an advisory council with authority to make payment and benefit design decisions

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally, 2010 Update

Updates physician and patient survey data on how the U.S. healthcare system ranks against those of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives

Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Payment System Reform

Presents results of a survey of healthcare experts on the adequacy of the current fee-for-service payment system, reform options, strategies to improve efficiency and effectiveness, and changes to Medicare. Analyzes opinion leaders' responses by sector

Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Slowing the Growth of Health Care Costs

Presents results of a survey of experts on the need to slow U.S. healthcare spending growth and on support for cost-reduction strategies, including payment reform and creating a center for comparative effectiveness, as proposed by the Obama administratio

How Health Reform Legislation Will Affect Medicare Beneficiaries

Analyzes how provisions in the House and Senate healthcare reform bills and President Barack Obama's proposal would improve Medicare benefits, strengthen the fiscal solvency of the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and reduce spending growth