Issues Research synthesizes knowledge to help advance the understanding of important questions facing organizations and society. Our goal is to provide logical and compelling insights that take account of the complexities of a topic while remaining focused on actionable implications for policy. Our work has been presented to policymakers on Capitol Hill, used by decision-makers in corporations, and published in scholarly journals. Explore the links to the left to learn more about our qualifications and work.

 
Recent Reports

The Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System has released a State Scorecard on Health System Performance, coauthored by Douglas McCarthy, president of Issues Research. The report documents wide variation among states and the potential for substantial improvement—in terms of access, quality, costs, and lives—if all states approached levels achieved by the top states.

Performance Snapshots is a new resource on The Commonwealth Fund's Web site that synthesizes research and data about the performance of the health care system through more than 180 charts and narratives. The project was conceived and conducted by Douglas McCarthy in collaboration with professor Sheila Leatherman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Milbank Quarterly has published an article, Stories from the Sharp End: Case Studies in Safety Improvement, coauthored by Douglas McCarthy and David Blumenthal, M.D., director of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital. The article describes innovative approaches taken by six leading health care organizations to create a culture of patient safety.

 
The Commonwealth Fund's Quality Matters newsletter features quality improvement case studies by Douglas McCarthy, president of Issues Research (click on titles below to view recent articles). 

Summa Health System's Care Coordination Network. Increasing demand for acute care beds led an Ohio health system to establish a network that aimed to improve transitional care between its hospitals and local post-acute care facilities.

Achieving a Culture of Patient- and Family-Centered Care at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Describes a community hospital's experience in putting patients and their families at the center of its strategy for improving clinical outcomes, patient experience, and corporate performance.

The Marshfield Clinic: Improving Quality and Efficiency in Response to Pay-for-Performance Incentives. The early experience of one participant in a three-year Medicare demonstration program suggests that information systems, care management, process redesign, and physician involvement are important to improving the quality and efficiency of care in response to pay-for-performance incentives.

Click here to view more case studies