providers
Patients asked to leave medical practice after filing complaints for excessive billing
Two Hartford Medical Group patients have been told they are no longer welcome at the practice for complaining about fees charged to them above the payments by their insurers for routine physicals, which are 100% covered. Three complaints have been filed with the Attorney General’s office for excessive and unjustified billing; one patient was told…
Read MoreCT hospitals left out of Medicare bonuses
No CT hospitals are among hospitals nationally receiving Medicare bonuses under the new national health reform act. The bonuses were designed to equalize payments between high and low cost hospitals – none of CT’s 30 hospitals qualified as lower cost. The provision was prompted by research led by Dartmouth Atlas showing no link between high…
Read MoreAre hospitals more dangerous in July?
Anyone who has worked around hospitals has heard the warning to stay away in July when new residents start. But is it true? The Wall Street Journal examines the evidence, which is mixed. The bottom line is that it’s always wise to be an informed consumer. For tips on making your hospital stay safer and…
Read MoreFewer physicians accepting visits from drug reps in the office
The Wall Street Journal blog reports on a new survey of US physicians that found the number who are “rep-accessible”, or willing to meet with drug company sales rep.s in the office, is down 18% from last year. However, still 58% of doctors take meetings with at least 70% of the reps who call and…
Read MoreApril Webquiz – CT preventable hospitalizations
Test your knowledge of CT hospitalizations that could have been prevented with access to primary care. Take the April CT Health Policy Webquiz.
Read MoreNew plan for Dempsey hospital
The Governor and UConn unveiled their newest plan to revive John Dempsey Hospital at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. The $352 million plan will be funded with $100 million from national health reform, assuming it passes, and by re-directing $227 million from already-approved projects elsewhere. The cost is down from previous plans costing $430…
Read MoreHow do shared doctor visits work?
Shared medical appointments have been described as an important innovation to improve access to better quality care, especially for chronically ill patients. Proponents claim that shared appointments provide faster access to care, more time with the doctor, support from other patients facing the same illness, better patient and provider satisfaction, and improved efficiency. A video…
Read MoreNew resource for CT physicians on quality of care
eHealthCT together with a long list of partners is providing physicians with quality measures for their practices across payers through a new iniative, CT Health Quality Cooperative (CHQC). CHQC is the first of its kind tool in Connecticut and one of only a handful nationally to aggregate data across health plans and Medicare to provide…
Read MoreMiddlesex Hospital has an online ER clock
If you need an emergency room in the Middletown area, you can now go online to see what the waiting time is at Middlesex Hospital’s three ERs. As the volume of ER patients rises across the state, wait times have grown to average four hours according to the Courant. Patients in Middletown can now reduce…
Read MoreMore on the challenges and promise of primary care
Today’s NY Times features an article on a summer immersion program linking University of Washington medical students back into rural and underserved communities. The video is the best part. Students experience the frustrations of caring for people without adequate coverage, without the resources they need to be well, all in a few minutes for each…
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