Posts by Ellen Andrews
CT Health Policy Project comments on DSS proposal for Medicaid person-centered medical homes
To implement the administration’s directive to develop person/patient-centered medical homes for every Medicaid consumer, DSS has proposed a payment model very different from other successful state programs. CTHPP has submitted comments on the proposal including concerns about reliance on retrospective enhanced fee-for-service and P4P payments, the lack of risk adjustment, opaque incentives, and a weak…
Read MoreNew Census numbers on uninsured – no progress
The number of uninsured CT residents remained essentially unchanged from 2009 to 2010, according to new Census numbers; however that number is up 54% from 1999. CT’s unemployment rate rose from 8.3% in 2009 to 9.1% last year. One in nine (11%) state residents remained without coverage in 2010. Six percent of children had no…
Read MoreStudy finds new brain stent actually associated with More strokes, approval process faulted – CEPAC webinar
A study of the effectiveness of a brain stent, designed to reduce strokes, instead caused so many more strokes in patients (14.7%) than a control group (5.8%) that the study was quickly halted. The expensive stents had been approved by the FDA under a humanitarian exemption from usual safety reviews. The stent has been implanted…
Read MoreUninsured Cincinnati man dies of untreated tooth decay
Kyle Willis, an unemployed, uninsured 24-year old father, died Tuesday of an infection in his wisdom tooth. He couldn’t afford to have the tooth removed, but went to an ER when his face began to swell and the pain grew. He was prescribed an antibiotic and a pain killer. He could only afford to fill…
Read MoreSeptember CT health policy quiz – CT health care quality
Test your knowledge of health care quality in CT. Take the September CT Health Policy Webquiz.
Read MoreNC employers buying into Medicaid patient-centered medical home system, CT NASW job posting
NC’s Medicaid patient-centered medical home network is so successful that large employers, including state employees, in the state are buying in for their workers. Bucking the private HMO-style managed care trend of other states in Medicaid, NC has had impressive improvements with a community-based PCMH network in improving access to and quality of care while…
Read MoreComparative effectiveness council webinar
New technologies and treatments are a significant driver of skyrocketing health costs and the resulting overtreatment is harming our health. Join us for a webinar September 30th at 1pm with The New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (CEPAC) to learn more about comparative effectiveness research and how it is being evaluated and applied in…
Read MoreHealth Insurance Exchange Board meeting moved
Monday’s scheduled meeting of the new CT Health Insurance Exchange Board has been moved to Sept. 15th at 9am in Room 1A of the LOB.
Read MoreExceptional example of medical homes in a safety net clinic
A New England Journal of Medicine article highlights the success of Clinica Family Health Services, a safety net clinic serving a largely low income, Latino population near Denver. Half of Clinica’s patients are uninsured. Over the last thirteen years, Clinica has implemented both the chronic care and PCMH models of care. Important lessons include the…
Read MoreInsurance Exchange Board members dominated by insurance interests, no consumer representatives
Members of CT Health Insurance Exchange Board were announced last evening. Despite federal law calling for a majority of members to represent consumers, there are no consumer advocate voting members. (Thankfully Vicki Veltri, State Health Care Advocate, will sit at the table but cannot vote.) In addition, three members have long ties to insurance companies…
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