We will try to separate tricksterism from legitimate value-adding research, and examine whether this kind of adaptivity will prove a boon or bane for society, in general, and for the healthcare field, in particular. Founded in 1995, the Center conducts a wide range of research focused on tracking changes in the health care system. Its most significant project is the Community Tracking Study, which gathers and analyzes a wide range of data on a random sample of 60 communities. Conducted on a biennial cycle, the study focuses on changes in the organization of financing and delivery of care and how these changes affect people. It gathers data through large surveys of households, physicians, and employers and through community site visits.
Complementary studies analyze secondary data to track elements of change at the national level.
The Center, which is affiliated with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., is funded entirely by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Commission was charged with advising the Congress on physician payment in the Medicare program and a range of other issues in federal health policy. Widely regarded as highly influential, the Commission developed the Medicare physician payment reform proposal that was enacted by the Congress in 1989 and has since been implemented. Subsequently, the Congress broadened the Commission's responsibilities to include a range of issues relevant to Medicare and Medicaid and to the health care system as a whole. Dr. Ginsburg was a Senior Economist at RAND and served as Deputy Assistant Director at the Congressional Budget Office, with responsibilities for health policy and income security policy.