States Look to Improve Health Care Quality and Efficiency Through National Health Care Reform Opportunities

There is a recognized need for reform to the nation’s health care delivery system. The national health care reform act (“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”) offers states opportunities to transform health care delivery, with a number of provisions supporting systemic improvements. A recent report by the National Academy for State Health Policy examines specific health care reform act provisions that support state system improvement goals and profiles efforts in 10 states: Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The report highlights the opportunities and challenges that federal health care reform will bring and offers suggestions for how state and national leaders can streamline implementation.