Posts by Ellen Andrews
CT News Junkie Op-ED – learning from mistakes in HIT
A new opinion piece in CT News Junkie focuses on the need for CT to develop a functional health information system, that respects consumers’ privacy, is crucial to patient safety, improving quality, controlling costs and thoughtful reform. The merciful demise this year of HITE-CT, a quasi-public entity charged by the state with doing just that,…
Read MoreSIM update
CMMI announced Tuesday that Connecticut was among eleven states whose SIM application was approved. CT expects to receive $45 million over four years to support reform. The SIM Health IT Council will hold its first meeting today at 1pm at the LOB. Commissioner Bremby of DSS, which has been given responsibility for developing an Health…
Read MoreMedicaid update
The Medicaid Council workgroup developing quality measures to use in reforming Medicaid’s payment system has held a couple of meetings – one very constructive, the first not so much. The first meeting was hastily called, dominated by SIM representatives, and contentious. However, the comforting bottom line from that meeting was that DSS will make the…
Read MoreCT fourth healthiest state
In this year’s report, America’s Health Rankingsfinds CT residents are healthier than residents of all but three other states, up from 7th in the last two years. Our strengths include a very low smoking rate, low teen birth rate, and a high rate of dental visits. Our challenges are a very troubling high rate of…
Read MoreConsumer Advisory Board considers ethics policies
In today’s meeting, the Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) discussed proposed ethics standards to ensure that anyone who makes decisions about funding from SIM not benefit from that funding. According to Connecticut’s Public Officials and State Employees Guide to the Code of Ethics, a substantial conflict of interest exists when “a public official, his or her…
Read MoreCT hospitals made $597 million profit last year
A new analysis of CT’s 29 acute care hospital finances by C-HIT found that while operating profits were down last year to $333.6 million from $513.6 m last year, overall profits were still $597 million due to an increase in investment and other income. The annual OHCA report found that just under half (48%) of…
Read MoreFDA Advisory Committee recommends streamlining approval for tools to fight super bugs
Yesterday the FDA anti-infective drug advisory committee recommended streamlining approval processes for antibiotics that target super bugs. Decades of overtreatment have escalated bacterial resistance to known drugs – super bugs. CDC estimates that 2 million Americans are infected and 23,000 die of infections by antibiotic-resistant bugs annually. The answers are better hygiene, especially in hospitals…
Read MoreDecember CT Health Policy Webquiz: health disparities in CT
Test your knowledge about health disparities in CT. Take the December CT Health Policy Webquiz.
Read MoreProvider consolidation, facility fee forum testimony
At 2:30 today at the Legislative Office Building, the Office of State Comptroller will hold a forum and public hearing on increasing consolidation in CT’s health care system and the growing impact of facility fee charges. Invited speakers include hospitals and insurers. At 4pm the public will have a chance to comment. TheCT Health Policy…
Read MoreCT health reform progress meter down slightly to 29.8%
CT’s progress toward health reform is officially stuck. The meter moved down slightly to 29.8% this month. A very wise advocate summed up the frustration remarking that we have a pattern in CT health care reform of taking one step forward and then two steps back. Again Medicaid accounted for most of the progress including…
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