A 21st Century Roadmap for Advancing Health

A 21st Century Roadmap for Advancing America's Health: The Path from Peril to Progress

on May 06, 2010

The Commission on U.S. Federal Leadership in Health and Medicine's second report, A 21st Century Roadmap for Advancing America's Health: The Path from Peril to Progress (May 2010) marks the passage of recent landmark health reform legislation and proposes a series of recommendations to make America the healthiest nation in the world.  The Commission’s recommendations reach beyond health insurance reform to address four pillars of a 21st century health care system for our nation, which include investing in research, strengthening public health and prevention, re-engineering the delivery system, and promoting global health. The report builds on actions proposed in the Commission's first report, New Horizons for A Healthy America.

Co-chaired by Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, MD, MPA, Director of CSPC’s Health and Medicine Program, and Denis Cortese, MD, Emeritus President and CEO of Mayo Clinic and Director of the Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program at Arizona State University, the Commission’s membership is comprised of health leaders from government and the private sector including Nobel laureates, former Cabinet secretaries, NIH Directors, and leading members of the health policy community, academia, research, and media. Many of the Commission's recommendations from its reports have been addressed in  health reform legislation and in new Administration initiatives. A 21st Century Roadmap for Advancing America's Health provides a bold, integrated, and comprehensive vision for innovative strategies to put health back into our nation's health care system.

You can download a copy of this publication here.

With the historic passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, signed into law on March 23, 2010 and March 30, 2010 respectively, the United States has begun the process of forming a firm and ample base to build a modern health care system that is more efficient, equitable, and effective for all Americans.
Successfully navigating this transformation is essential because America’s health system is in crisis today, threatening the health of its citizens, economy and national security. The United States spent 17.3% of GDP on health in 20091 but ranks only 49th on life expectancy worldwide,2 patients receive the correct treatment just 55% of the time,3 and significant variability exists in the quality of care delivered across our country.


Another commission recommendation facilitated by health IT includes the establishment of a center analogous to the Federal Aviation Administration, to report, monitor and reduce the more than 1.6 million injuries and 100,000 deaths that occur annually due to medical errors.