Giving Compass' Take:

• Christensen Institute interviews the chief inspector at London, England's Care Quality Commission to explore how best to deliver high quality healthcare in an efficient manner, while still regulating it and keeping costs down. No easy task!

• Can the U.S. learn something from the UK's healthcare system? Innovation on both ends of the pond will be needed in order to ensure better access in the future, and NGOs can play a big role.

• For a look at how a recently-announced Amazon partnership could bring new ideas to the issues plaguing national healthcare, read this.

Advances in medical science and practice over the last century have led to vast improvements in population health and longevity. But the hospital-centric, acute care-focused model in which most healthcare is delivered, in the U.S. and other developed nations, has changed remarkably little in that time frame. Intensifying population health threats and ever-rising care prices demand that this too, however, must change, if we are to thrive in the 21st Century. And it is changing, through thousands of innovative healthcare programs, organizations and systems across the country.

In my work I often explore the impact of this change on healthcare providers and users. But it obviously affects healthcare regulators, too. So how do they learn what’s new, decide where to get involved, and how? To find out, I spoke with Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice at the Care Quality Commission, in London, England.

"At the most fundamental level, quality care is safe," says Field. "It’s effective and always improving, according to current, evidence based guidelines. And it’s compassionate, which means patients are treated with dignity and respect, and involved in decisions about their treatment.

"We define what we expect of good and outstanding care, publish ratings for each service we inspect, and require that providers display their ratings. This kind of transparency is very powerful because it enables the public to make better informed choices, and it helps providers improve. When we celebrate good and outstanding care, people see what’s possible, and providers may be inspired to change. "

Read the full interview with Steve Field about healthcare innovation by Rebecca Fogg at Christensen Institute.