Commonwealth Fund case study points to “continuous innovation” at Group Health Cooperative

June 26, 2009 — 2:31 pm

SEATTLE — A Commonwealth Fund case study notes that Group Health Cooperative is structured with incentives aligned “to launch innovations and organize services in ways that make the most sense operationally and clinically.”

The case study, along other profiles looking at medical systems that have the attributes necessary for a high performing health care system, has been in the works for more than a year.  Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis notes recent interest on Capitol Hill in cooperative structures, pointing to Group Health as a “shining example” of the model, while also praising other integrated systems.

“As the nation looks at how to create better health care, medical systems like Group Health that have pioneered a different approach, can provide some of the answers,” said Group Health President and CEO Scott Armstrong. “Most important is setting up incentives that pay for quality care and keeping patients healthy rather than paying for the most care.”

Here are the six attributes The Commonwealth Fund has identified, as experienced at Group Health: (more…)

Acupuncture eases chronic low back pain in SPINE trial

June 2, 2009 — 12:46 pm

But penetrating skin and tailoring treatment may not be responsible for benefits

Seattle-Acupuncture can help people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities, according to the largest U.S. randomized trial of its kind, published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine. But the SPINE (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy) trial raises questions about how the ancient practice actually works.

Compared to the group that got usual care, results were similar for all three of the SPINE trial’s acupuncture groups: individualized, standardized, and simulated (without going through skin). Of the people who got any kind of acupuncture, an extra one in five were functioning significantly better at the end of the seven-week treatment-and an extra one in eight were still functioning better at one year. (more…)