CHRTlines Blog

Recent Posts

03/08/2010 Health Reform and Access to Care

03/01/2010 “The Summit” and Bringing it Home

02/22/2010 The More Things Change

Spotlight

February 17, 2010

Panel Discussion on "Health Care Reform at the State vs National Level: Tradeoffs and Tipping Points" March 22 at the Ford School

CHRT director Marianne Udow-Phillips joins fellow panelists Thomas Buchmueller and John J. H. (Joe) Schwarz and moderator Matthew Davis for a discussion of the challenges facing states trying to maintain public health care programs in an environment of stalled national health care reform and severe budget constraints, presented by the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. This free public event takes place Monday, March 22, 4:00–5:30pm at Weill Hall on Central Campus.

Get complete event details »

December 4, 2009

Health Care Collaboration Saves

In this opinion piece, CHRT board member Tom Simmer, M.D., describes the success of BCBSM's collaboration with UMHS and 33 other hospitals around the state to improve surgical quality. CHRT board member Skip Campbell, M.D., is the initiative's program lead.

Read the op-ed »

December 4, 2009

Experts Expose Health Reform Gaps for Ethnic Elders

CHRT board member Carmen Green was a featured speaker at the recent Gerontological Society of America's 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

View the article and video »

CHRT Press Release
November 3, 2009

Help for Michigan's Health Care Safety Net

U-M study will help safety net providers cope with growing need

Read the press release »
Press release PDF »

Related CHRT Project:
Safety Net »

October 15, 2009

Forum on Health Care Reform: Proposals, Politics, and Prospects

CHRT director Marianne Udow-Phillips was an expert panelist in a campus wide forum on health care reform co-sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the School of Public Health and the FORUM on Health Policy.

Visit the event page with webcast replay »

The Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) sponsors research and public information to promote evidence based care delivery, improve population health, and expand access to care. Housed at the University of Michigan, CHRT is a non-profit partnership between U-M and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to test the best ideas for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the health care system.

March 8, 2010

Cover Michigan Survey 2010

In January of 2009, CHRT released the first edition of Cover Michigan, a report designed to provide a comprehensive picture of health care coverage in the U.S. and Michigan. In August 2009, to better understand the impact of coverage trends on the people behind the statistics, CHRT commissioned a survey of 1,022 Michigan adults about their sources of coverage, perceived health status, ability to pay for insurance and care, and decisions about seeking—or not seeking—needed health care services.

January 25, 2010

The Cost Burden of Disease: U.S. and Michigan

CHRT Issue Brief January 2010

Publication details »

There may be no broad consensus on the impact of recent health reform proposals on the growth of health care costs in the U.S., but few would dispute that rising health care costs are a threat to the U.S. economy, the health system, and the health and financial well-being of families and individuals in the United States. As we collectively seek ways to address the crisis of rising costs—as part of overall health reform or through regional, state, or local approaches—we must understand the factors that drive health care costs and where opportunities exist to affect those drivers.

December 14, 2009

Health Care Spending by Country, State and Payer

CHRT Issue Brief December 2009

Publication details »

Experts on all sides of the health reform debate agree that the current rate of growth in health care spending is unsustainable and ultimately damaging to the economy and the health system alike. Patients experience this stress in a more personal way, through rising out-of-pocket costs or by struggling to get the care they need. Most agree that measures to control health care costs are essential to health reform if we are to have a financially sustainable health care system. There is less agreement, however, on how to accomplish this while maintaining—not to speak of improving—quality, access, and consumer satisfaction.