drugs
Webinar offers tools to improve prescribing
Download the slides and watch the webinar recording Connecticut, like other states, are struggling to improve appropriate prescribing while lowering costs. In Friday’s webinar, Greg Low, RPh, PhD, offered Mass General’s experience of what works to improve physician prescribing at their ACO. Greg is the Manager for Pharmacy Operations at Mass General Brigham Health Plan.…
Read MoreAnalysis: Governor’s healthcare budget is a mixed bag
In his new budget proposal, Gov. Ned Lamont and his administration have continued their commitment to making healthcare in Connecticut more affordable. They understand healthcare’s large and growing burden on state residents, employers, and taxpayers. They also understand the challenges, given Connecticut’s historically poor record on reforms. Some proposals make sense, and some are more…
Read MoreWebinar: Improved prescribing through education and reporting
Connecticut providers and payers are struggling to find ways to address prescription costs and the quality of prescribing. Hear how Mass General Hospital & Physicians Organization’s program improved prescribing quality and efficiency. The webinar is Friday, February 16th at 1pm. Register here. Greg Low, RPh, PhD recently transitioned to a new position as the Manager…
Read MoreCT 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 MoreNo evidence to justify price increases for eight of top 10 most costly drugs
ICER’s latest Unsupported Price Increase report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review finds that, last year, eight of the ten most costly drugs in the US that raised net prices well over the rate of general inflation, had no new clinical evidence of effectiveness to justify the increases. The increases on just these…
Read MoreAnalysis: Medicare is Negotiating Drug Prices — Why it Matters
This is historic. Pharma has been fighting Medicare drug price negotiation for decades because it’s the start of reining in their extreme prices. But it’s just a start. Don’t start spending your savings yet. Read more
Read MoreICER 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 MoreICER fair access report finds improvements but problems with transparency
ICER’s third annual Barriers to Fair Access report found that most prescription drug coverage policies met fair rules for patient access. This is an improvement over previous years suggesting that transparency and public sunlight works. But the report also found that policies needed more transparency and are too complex. Policies on which patients are eligible…
Read MoreCT Healthcare Explained — what’s next?
Hopefully, you’ve found our short Sunday Health Policy Minute emails informative and helpful. This is just the beginning of CT Healthcare Explained’s efforts to help make sense of our state’s unreasonably complex system. Hopefully, you’ve accessed the site resources including explainer videos, Basics, and Deeper Dives on the current seventeen topics. Consumers, policymakers, clinicians, students,…
Read MorePlans for CT opioid settlement far better than our tobacco history
Connecticut is using our $300 million settlement from opioid lawsuits far better than we did with the 1998 tobacco settlement and similarly to our surrounding states, according to a cross-state analysis of opioid settlement details from Vital Strategies. The report gives details on the uses of the funds, who decides, public reporting requirements, and a…
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