Last year, for the third time, the Foundation engaged the Center for Effective Philanthropy to conduct a confidential, nationally normed survey of our grantees to find out how we are doing as a foundation. We strongly believe in feedback--both giving it and taking it, and making it safe to do…
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There are no more Marcus Welbys. The days when a single physician could deliver the majority of care for a sick older person are long gone. Today, health care providers recognize the reality that older patients present a wide and complex variety of needs that often traverse the boundaries between…
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Right now, most of our staff is attending the American Geriatrics Society meeting in Maryland just outside Washington, DC. We are looking forward to four days jam-packed with information about nearly everything related to geriatrics. We are also looking forward to many of our friends and grantees gaining the recognition…
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Last week the Foundation sponsored something of a coming out party for the Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions (AIMS) Center at the University of Washington School of Medicine. AIMS is dedicated to helping health systems implement evidence-based collaborative care programs for mental health or substance abuse problems. Like a human…
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We have heard the stories before—ideas scrawled on a cocktail napkin, a gathering of inspired folks around a bowl of chips. These are the birthplaces of great ideas. We have retold the anecdotes of how a small group of committed leaders put their heads together and thought big--really big. They…
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“Everything old is new again” can be said with a sneer and imply that the same failed proposal is being offered once again--as in, “Accountable Care Organizations are just 90s-era managed care warmed over.” Or it can be said with joy and a wonder that the value of prior work…
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The mission of the John A. Hartford Foundation is to improve the health of older Americans, which we feel is a critical element of an equitable and ethical society. As I’ve written many times and in many ways, older adults get lower quality health care than other age groups despite…
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I love Isamu Noguchi. I have spent hours at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, NY, looking at the large outdoor pieces at Storm King Art Center. I find his sculptures to be powerful, graceful, and inspiring. Recently, I have discovered yet another reason to adore his work…
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It felt different this year. For the second time, John A. Hartford Foundation staff and our communications partners, SCP, attended the annual conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists. We once again sponsored the meeting and exhibited materials from our grantees. We talked to reporters about the critical need…
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The last several weeks have been extraordinarily busy ones for policy proposals relevant to health care for older Americans. First, on March 31st, the long awaited proposed rule for the "Medicare shared savings program" authorized under section 3022 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was announced by Dr…
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