CT again among healthiest states overall, but with big areas of concern

Connecticut ranked 4th healthiest among states in this year’s America’s Health Ranking, from the United Health Foundation. We were the best state in climate policies, childhood immunizations, and adult dental visits. But we were in the bottom on other indicators. Connecticut is in a very healthy region of the US, with New Hampshire (#1), Massachusetts…

Read More

CT Medicaid Primary Care Redesign: What the Evidence Says Part 4: Better, Safer Options

Download the full report with sources Connecticut Medicaid is considering reforms to primary care delivery and payment. The CT Health Policy Project is collecting evidence from other states and programs to help inform that planning. Part 1 focused on Connecting with community services to improve health. Part 2 explored primary care payment reform, especially value-based…

Read More

Book Club: Healthy Voices, Unhealthy Silence: Advocacy and Health Policy for the Poor

It was difficult to read Healthy Voices, Unhealthy Silence by Colleen Grogan and Michael Gusmano; thankfully it is short. It explores Connecticut’s adoption of managed care for Medicaid in 1996. The picture it paints is not flattering. Published in 2007, I’m embarrassed that I hadn’t seen this book before now. The authors track the implementation…

Read More

ICER seeking nominations for New England evidence review council

The Institute for Economic and Clinical Review (ICER) is seeking nominations for new members to the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC). In my time on the New England CEPAC, it was an exciting dive into learning new things with a team of exceptional experts and colleagues from across the region.…

Read More

CT health systems ranked poorly by their nurses

Connecticut health systems underperform in an analysis of nurses’ satisfaction with their employers by MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Only four health systems covering Connecticut had enough data to be included in the study – Hartford Healthcare, Yale-New Haven Health, Trinity, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Nurses working at Yale-New Haven and…

Read More

Book Club: We’ve Got You Covered

I wasn’t looking forward to reading yet another book promoting yet another idea to solve America’s broken healthcare system. But it’s my job, so I dove into We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care by Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstin. I’m a convert now – mostly. The first half of the book is the…

Read More

Op-Ed: The Charts That Scare Health Insurance Watchdogs

Self-insured small group plans sound innocuous but they’re not – and they are growing quickly. The plans save money for some small businesses, but they have serious risks. It’s kind of complicated but stay with me. I’ll walk you through it; there will be no numbers. Read more

Read More

Speaker Series #4 — Healthcare for people with developmental disabilities — Reports from other states

Following up on the first webinars  on healthcare access for people with developmental disabilities, the fourth webinar in the Fall Series will focus on Reports From Other States including Colorado, Maine, and Rhode Island. It will be Tuesday, October 31st. The Fall speaker series is sponsored by the CT Council on Developmental Disabilities and UCEDD.…

Read More

CT Medicaid primary care redesign: Payment reform

Download the full report with sources Connecticut Medicaid is considering reforms to primary care delivery and payment. The CT Health Policy Project is collecting evidence from other states and programs to help inform that planning. Part 1 focused on Connecting with community services to improve health. A major part of DSS’s planning for reform is…

Read More

Healthcare for CT residents with developmental disabilities — Webinar #3

Following up on the first webinars  on healthcare access for people with developmental disabilities, the third webinar in the Fall Series will focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access to Healthcare. It will be Tuesday, October 17th. The Fall speaker series is sponsored by the CT Council on Developmental Disabilities and UCEDD. Register here for…

Read More