Gun Control: A Health Policy Issue?
Although the health-related consequences of gun violence are undeniable, the need for stronger gun control policies to address these health outcomes is hotly contested. Is the field of health philanthropy particularly “gun shy” about engaging in the contentious policy debate surrounding gun control? A number of health funders have supported grants and initiatives related to violence prevention, but relatively few have explicitly recognized gun control as a health policy objective.
2013 Terrance Keenan Award Speech
The following remarks are from former Missouri Foundation for Health President and CEO James Kimmey’s acceptance speech upon receiving The Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy on March 14, 2013.
Big Ideas to Blueprints: Decisive Grantmaking in Dynamic Times
Download the GIH essay written for the 2013 annual meeting Big Ideas to Blueprints: Decisive Grantmaking in Dynamic Times. Foundation leaders were also invited to pen guest commentaries and share their thoughts around the annual meeting theme.
Innovations in Care for Chronically Ill Patients
Caring for patients with one or more long-term health conditions is the bread and butter of our health care system; yet innovations in care for the chronically ill do not always receive the attention they deserve. In this Issue Focus, promising paths to care improvement, challenges, and areas for future exploration are discussed.
Reducing Hospital Readmissions: What Is at Stake and What Will it Take?
Nearly one in five Medicare inpatients is readmitted to the hospital in the 30 days following discharge, most often for reasons relating to the original hospital stay. Such read missions are very costly, accounting for more than $17 billion annually in Medicare spending. With the view that many rehospitalizations could be averted through improvements in health care delivery, finding the path to reduce read missions and capture the resulting savings has seized the imagination of many policy wonks and spurred attention, along with some action, on the front lines.
The Supreme Court Decision on the Affordable Care Act: Forging Ahead
On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered its decision on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In a five-to-four ruling, the court largely upheld the ACA, maintaining important provisions already in place and paving the way for a fundamental transformation of the health care system. Following the decision, GIH held several webinars analyzing the implications of the ruling.
Health Advocacy: Yes, No, or Maybe So?
Although engagement in public policy is viewed as a mission-critical strategy by an increasing number of health funders, many foundations are still considering whether and how they should support health advocacy efforts. This Issue Focus article briefly addresses some of the key questions foundations are likely to confront as they determine what role, if any, they should play in the public policy arena.
Medical Homes 101
First championed by the American Academy of Pediatrics more than 40 years ago, the medical home is a team-based health care delivery model led by a physician that provides comprehensive, continuous, and coordinated primary and preventive medical care to patients.