If you know where to look, “better, safer, lower-cost care is within reach”—in the US, a quartet of health-policy superstars writes in the New York Times. The four doctors reviewed 306 government-defined regions of the country and found 74 that boasted low or declining Medicare costs and above-average care, according to federal measures. Bills now circulating aim to protect such communities.
The experts then spoke to health care providers from the regions to see what they're doing right. They don't all get there the same way, but "most of these regions are providing excellent care for all patients while being far more successful than others at not overusing or misusing health care resources," the docs found. Now, they argue, it's time to take a close look at these communities and “pursue ways for the nation to follow their lead.”
(More health care stories.)