Nearly three years ago, when hospitals across the state were competing to win the right to offer new or expanded cardiac catheterization services, the Maine Medical Assessment Foundation published an 18-page analysis that explained, first, what catheterization is and then what the likely effect on health care and health care costs would be if the number of such labs were increased. The report was written for the general public, with clear explanations and informative charts. It was the kind of useful document the independent foundation has been producing for 20 years, making complex and confusing subjects understandable for almost anyone willing to make a small effort.

The foundation no longer will publish such reports, however, because it is closing this week for lack of funds. That is a shame because its work has been among the few sources of independent research in Maine that allowed the public to better understand and participate in health-care issues. And it is a double shame because the amount of money the foundation needs – half its budget for office operations, about $500,000 – is small given the billions of dollars spent annually on health care in this state.

The foundation’s pioneering work in outcomes research put it at the front of an important change in the way care is considered. Outcomes research tries to identify the results of particular health care practices and interventions, including the ability to function and quality of life, in actual cases that include multiple illnesses and, in chronic conditions, where there is no definitive cure. An area where this work has been particularly helpful is in examining the widely varying rates of common operations – hysterectomy and hernia repair, etc. – where there is little or no difference in rates of illness.

In addition to keeping themselves informed, Maine health care providers have a strong interest in seeing the public stay informed or get better informed about the issues surrounding an industry with huge and rapidly growing costs. Two fine organizations, the Maine Hospital Association and the Maine Medical Association, might each seek to raise portions of the needed funding, with other health groups also taking on some of the responsibility. It would be an important public service and would provide another way for these organizations to work together.

With a couple of groups preparing to present major overhauls of Maine’s health care financing system to the Legislature, keeping knowledgeable people in positions to study the recommendations could make large differences in the quality of whatever changes are made. The cost to support the foundation is small compared with the potential savings.