The issue of regional variation in the delivery of medical care is central to the national health reform debate. CHCF looks at variation research and identifies some areas ripe for further exploration.

This free website offers unbiased quality ratings of California's long term care providers — information to help consumers make better choices and to encourage providers to improve quality — plus helpful tools and resources.

Cesarean sections now account for 32% of births in California, raising the risk of complications and infections, and leading to higher costs for patients and society, according to recent research.

Health care data "liberation" has become a focus for many government and private-sector players. A Sacramento briefing examined how open access to data can improve the nation's health.

For community clinics, financial stability can vary tremendously. This study finds a continuing divide between "have" and "have not" clinics in California.

The business adage "what gets measured gets managed" applies in health care. Two projects focus on measuring and improving the patient experience in community clinics.

Despite a heightened focus on patient safety in recent years, and incremental gains being made, California still grapples with quality improvement.

For patients contemplating elective procedures in California, where they live matters. CHCF research finds rates for certain surgeries and other procedures vary dramatically across the state.

Despite the high volume of hip and knee replacement surgeries, data on device efficacy, optimal surgical technique, and patient outcomes are lacking. A statewide, voluntary registry aims to fill these gaps.

For patients contemplating elective procedures, where they live matters. This CHCF research finds practice patterns for certain surgeries and other procedures vary dramatically from place to place.

On hospital quality, what do consumers want? This report reviews their perceptions of clinical effectiveness, patient safety, and efficiency and whether consumers have a role in driving improvement.

To spur the adoption of quality improvement methods and the use of electronic data by community clinics and health centers and to improve care for low-income patients with diabetes, CHCF funded this $1.9-million, two-year initiative. An independent evaluation report is available.

Medi-Cal covers one in five Californians. How best to monitor the performance of the state's largest insurer? This report recommends a "dashboard" to manage the program and provide accountability.

Many California medical groups, IPAs, and safety-net organizations have been working on ways to improve the patient experience. The strategies and insights of a number of these ambulatory care organizations are described in this paper.

By improving patient flow, community clinics can facilitate better patient access as well as higher provider and patient satisfaction. A project to help over 40 California clinic teams achieve better patient flow is evaluated in this issue brief.