A Federal-State Discourse on Maintaining Momentum for Payment and Delivery System Reform
States and the federal government have been undertaking an almost bewildering array of policy initiatives and experiments in an effort to improve value and reduce costs in the health care system. What are we accomplishing and learning from these efforts? And what’s needed to sustain and advance the most promising strategies?
In July 2016, a group of federal and state policy officials met to take stock of progress to date on the path toward health care payment and delivery system reform. At this meeting, convened by National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) with support from The Commonwealth Fund, participants shared their enthusiasm for payment and delivery reform, their impressions of current payment and delivery reform policies and demonstrations, and discussed opportunities for improvement going forward.
Read the full brief here.
View a comparison chart of ongoing payment and delivery reform demonstrations.
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
