The December issue of Health Affairs is a “variety” issue, featuring research and commentary on everything from the U.S. nursing shortage, to payment reform in China, to coverage of male circumcision. Editor-in-Chief Susan Dentzer opens the issue by noting that among the mixed-bag of content, one unifying theme exists: “How noble a purpose it can be to reform health care, and how difficult it is to do.” The issue truly provides an intriguing assortment of content on the current issues in health care, showcasing the interdisciplinary nature of our field of health services research. With the release of this issue, Health Affairs also announced that the editors are seeking abstracts for an upcoming theme issue on the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The theme issue will be published in conjunction with the World AIDS Meeting in July 2012. The following AcademyHealth members were published in the December issue of Health Affairs: Requiem For The CLASS Act Howard Gleckman How The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Can Best Influence Real-World Health Care Decision Making Alan Garber How Comparative Effectiveness Research Can Help Advance ‘Personalized Medicine’ In Cancer Treatment David Veenstra, Louis Garrison Can Coverage Be Rescinded When Negative Trail Results Threaten A Popular Procedure? The Ongoing Saga Of Vertebroplasty Steven Pearson Registered Nurse Supply Grows Faster Than Projected Amid Surge In New Entrants Ages 23-26 Peter Buerhaus The Relative Geographic Immobility Of New Registered Nurses Calls For New Strategies To Augment That Workforce Christine T. Kovner, Carol S. Brewer US Cardiologist Workforce From 1995 To 2007: Modest Growth, Lasting Geographic Maldistribution Especially In Rural Areas Joseph S. Ross, Susannah Bernheim, Harlan M. Krumholz Clinical Decision Support Systems Could Be Modified To Reduce ‘Alert Fatigue’ While Still Minimizing The Risk of Litigation Aaron S. Kesselheim False Claims Act Prosecution Did Not Deter Off-Label Drug Use In The Case of Neurontin Aaron S. Kesselheim, David M. Studdert Risk-Sharing Arrangements That Link Payment For Drugs To Health Outcomes Are Proving Hard To Implement Peter J. Neumann Improving Coverage For Children Under Health Reform Will Require Maintaining Current Eligibility Standards for Medicaid And CHIP Genevieve M. Kenney Ohio Study Shows That Insurance Coverage Is Critical For Children With Special Health Care Needs As They Transition To Adulthood Anthony Goudie, Adam C. Carle An Experiment In Payment Reform For Doctors In Rural China Reduced Some Unnecessary Care But Did Not Lower Total Costs William Hsiao New 2011 Survey Of Patients With Complex Care Needs In Eleven Countries Finds That Care Is Often Poorly Coordinated Cathy Schoen, Robin Osborn, Michelle Doty Letters High Physician Fees: The Author Replies Miriam J. Laugesen Health Affairs is an official journal of AcademyHealth.