The main objective of the Smokler Center for Health Policy Research is to contribute to the ongoing reform and development of Israel's national health services by offering objective data and independent analysis to improve the organization, delivery and financing of health services.

The Center's major thrusts include assisting the government in planning, implementing and evaluating its efforts to reform the health system, and helping health care providers and insurers in advancing their efforts to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

A distinguishing feature of the Center's program is its simultaneous engagement in system-wide, macro-level issues, on the one hand, with concerns for the adequacy of health services to vulnerable populations, on the other.  This unique synergy enables the Institute to conduct impact-oriented dialogues with the major institutions that set national health policy, and to provide them with information and insight into the needs of populations that often have difficulty making their voices heard among policymakers.

In the area of international cooperation, the Center is engaged in ongoing collaborative work with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international bodies.  It collects and analyzes the information on Israel for WHO's Health System Performance Evaluation initiative.  It is also preparing Israel’s report for the prestigious European Healthcare Observatory.