Archive for April 2016
New to the Book Club — Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America
Sometimes raw and even offensive, in Hand to MouthLinda Tirado describes for middle class readers what it is like to live in working class America. Tirado is an educated white married mother of two who needs two jobs, in addition to her husband’s two jobs, to make ends meet. She describes in vivid detail why…
Read MoreNortheastern physicians lowest paid in US
According to Medscape’s 2016 Physician Compensation Survey, at $266,000 physicians from Northeastern states have the lowest incomes in the US. Medscape reports that uneven distribution between physicians and patients drives compensation levels. Just over half (52%) of US physicians believe that their compensation is fair. Specialists tend to make more than primary care doctors; highest…
Read MoreApril web quiz: Medicare disparities in CT
Test your knowledge of Medicare disparities in CT. Take the April CT Health Policy Webquiz.
Read MoreApprops budget restores many health and human service cuts
The budget approved by the Appropriations Committee yesterday restores many of the health and human services cuts in the Governor’s proposed budget. Long supported by advocates and financial analysts, the Appropriations Committee also proposed de-collapsing the massive Medicaid line item. The Committee’s budget separates out payments to hospitals and community health centers, giving more transparency…
Read MoreCT Health Reform Dashboard update: mixed Medicaid progress, a few good signs elsewhere
Both good and bad news for consumers in planned Medicaid reforms influenced CT Health Reform Dashboard this month. In good news, DSS and SIM agreed to make the well-intentioned but poorly-designed CCIP program optional for Medicaid networks applying to participate in shared savings. A Wall Street Journal article reported on the success of CT’s Medicaid…
Read MoreApril Health Affairs features CT state employee VBID plan results
An evaluation of CT’s state employee Health Enhancement Program (HEP) published in Health Affairs found improved access to primary care, reductions in ED use, but has not produced savings. HEP is an early adopter of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model, linking consumer costs to the value of care. Implemented in 2011, HEP encourages preventive…
Read MoreCON taskforce members appointed
Governor Malloy has announced the appointmentsto the Certificate of Need Taskforce. The taskforce was created in a February Executive Order halting mergers and takeovers of large hospital systems for one year to allow a review of CON rules and process. Consolidation in Connecticut’s hospital market has raisedsignificant concerns about the lack of competition, rising prices…
Read MoreCEPAC meeting affirms the value of outpatient palliative care, but more research is needed
At yesterday’s meeting in Hartford, CEPAC took a deep dive into the clinical and cost effectiveness of palliative care delivered in outpatient settings. From CEPAC’s report, “Palliative care is a management approach that provides symptom relief and comfort care to patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses, with the goal of improving quality of life for both patients…
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