Developed to disseminate medical and cultural information on immigrant and refugee groups for health care professionals, the EthnoMed website was developed as a joint project initiated by the University of Washington Health Sciences Library and the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The ethnic groups covered on the site include Cambodians, Chinese, Eritrean, Hispanic, Oromo, Somali, and...

Released in November, 2000, this 51-page report "set out to identify plan-level practices that contribute to a positive experience for plan members." Using data from the Medicare Managed Care Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey, the study examines nine plans with "different patterns of performance operating in five geographic markets." Not surprisingly, the study found that patients rated...

Published on June 21, this year's annual report from the World Health Organization (WHO) represents the first ever analysis of the world's health systems. "Using five performance indicators to measure health systems in 191 member states, it finds that France provides the best overall health care followed among major countries by Italy, Spain, Oman, Austria and Japan." The US, though it spends a...