Center for Studying Health System Change

Emerging Market Trends

Since 1996, researchers have visited the 12 communities approximately every two to three years to conduct in-depth interviews with leaders of the local health system. HSC explores how the organization, financing and delivery of health care have been changing and the impact of these changes on people. Researchers interview representatives of local hospitals, health plans, physician organizations, safety net providers, employers, key government agencies, policy makers and consumer groups.

HSC has completed its seventh round of site visits and has published Community Reports from each site. In addition, HSC is in the process of publishing cross-site analyses on trends uncovered through the visits. The cross-site analyses are being published as HSC Issue Briefs, Research Briefs and peer-reviewed journal articles. Click here for more information on the site visits.

The 2010 CTS and resulting Community Reports were funded jointly by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute for Health Care Reform.

California Site Studies. As part of the California Health Care Almanac project, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) funded HSC to conduct interviews in six California communities in 2011-12 to assess how the organization, financing and delivery of health care are changing, including preparations for health reform. CHCF will publish regional market reports for each community and two cross-site analyses based on findings from the site studies. A previous round of California site studies was conducted by HSC researchers in 2008. More information can be found here.

2010 CTS Site Visit Products

Cross-Site Analyses

Issue Brief No. 138 - Small Employers and Self Insured Health Benefits: Too Small to Succeed?
Issue Brief No. 137 - Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Down but Not Out
Issue Brief No. 136 - Rising Hospital Employment of Physicians: Better Quality, Higher Costs?
Issue Brief No. 135 - Key Findings from HSC's 2010 Site Visits: Health Care Markets Weather Economic Downturn, Brace for Health Reform

Research Brief No. 25 - Local Public Hospitals: Changing with the Times
Research Brief No. 21 - A Long and Winding Road: Federally Qualified Health Centers, Community Variation and Prospects Under Reform

Journal Article - Health Plan-Provider Price Negotiations: Passing the Buck to Employers
Journal Article - Hospitals' Geographic Expansion in Quest of Well-Insured Patients: Will the Outcome be Better Care, More Cost, or Both?

Community Reports