http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Alternative funding for health care in Canada will not result in lower costs nor contribute to financial sustainability, states a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-alternative-health-care-funding-canada.html Health Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:26:36 EST news233234622 People who are depressed are less likely to adhere to medications for their chronic health problems than patients who are not depressed, putting them at increased risk of poor health, according to a new RAND Corporation study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-depression-poor-medication-adherence-patients.html Medications Tue, 10 May 2011 11:50:59 EST news224247044 If implemented successfully, accountable care organizations (ACOs) have the ability to achieve better care, better population health, and lower costs, according to a new report released today by the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System. Implementing ACOs effectively will be vital to their success and, to that end, the Commission report also includes 10 recommendations for effective implementation, focusing on the design, payment and functioning of ACOs. An accompanying Commonwealth Fund perspective contains an analysis of how the proposed rules for the new Medicare Shared Savings Program for ACOs issued recently by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) align with these recommendations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-accountable-potential-curb-health.html Health Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:55:24 EST news221971698 With a push to make hospitals and doctors more accountable for health care quality, more attention must be paid to the accuracy and reliability of measures used to evaluate caregivers, says a prominent Johns Hopkins patient safety expert. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-unreliable-outcomes-hamper-efforts-safer.html Health Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:14:03 EST news221393634 In a paper published today in the professional health care journal, Health Affairs, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the University of Michigan Health System report that their model for collaborative health care quality improvement has measurably improved safety and quality in several clinical areas, and has saved millions in health care costs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-michigan-collaborative-quality-patient.html Health Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:57:49 EST news221389058