Overview of Initiatives Selection:

The following case summaries of diverse three programs measuring health outcomes include a private initiative, three non-profit research institutions. In addition, these selected synopses represent a geographic cross-section.

GKEN initiatives are organized into four categories: government, for-profit, traditional non-profit, and business-driven non-profit. Cases are selected to fulfill GKEN’s founding principles representing:

• Private policy/action (that which can be done by organizations without governmental action) over direct influence of public policy
• Established and early-stage programs
• Developed and developing nations
• Evidence based best practices and effective emerging better practices
• Focused on wellness
• Measurable outcomes
• Patient/consumer focus

Listing of Initiatives

The Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH), a business coalition of 50 purchasers, seeks to improve the quality and availability of health care while moderating cost. Since 1989, PBGH has worked with state and national organizations to promote health care measurement, trend moderation, and system accountability through public reporting of data. PBGH seeks to 1) increase the availability and usability of quality and economic efficiency performance information for all levels of care: health plans, hospitals, medical groups and individual physicians and 2) identify high impact methods to improve performance and create market demand for adoption by plans and providers through effective value purchasing and consumer engagement efforts. Click here to read the full synopsis.

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) initiated an extensive study assessing the productivity of global health systems’ treatment of chronic diseases. The project looked at four common diseases and measured success rates across countries. The three systems studied in this analysis were: the United Kingdom, United States and Germany; and the diseases included diabetes, gall stones, breast cancer and lung cancer. Researchers established common inputs for treatments, measured success rates, identified major sources of differences in outcomes, and realized policy implications. Click here to read the full synopsis.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is funded in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the State of Washington. IHME monitors global health conditions and health systems, as well as evaluates interventions, initiatives, and reforms. IHME provides high quality and timely information on health so policymakers, researchers, donors, practitioners, local decision-makers, and others can better allocate limited resources to achieve optimal results. The Institute uses quantitative analysis and other analysis techniques to investigate: Health Outcomes; Health Services; Resource Inputs; Decision Analytics; and Evaluations. Click here to read the full synopsis.

This research study investigated methods of estimating disease incidence rates – using nonparametric estimates (those which are not based on the assumption that incidents rates will fall under a “normal distribution” curve). Click here to read the full synopsis.