Mark Friedberg, MD
Mark Friedberg is an associate natural scientist at the RAND Corporation and a board-certified general internist. His research has focused on the quality of care delivered by primary care practices, the responses of health care provider organizations to performance reporting, the impact of Patient-Centered Medical Home demonstrations, and the distributive implications of pay-for-performance initiatives. He has developed and fielded surveys of medical group leaders, physicians, and other clinical staff. His clinical work has included ambulatory primary care and hospital-based internal medicine, and he is a clinical instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Friedberg received his B.A. in economics and statistics from Swarthmore College; his M.D. from Harvard Medical School; and his M.P.P. in health care policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
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. 
