quality
WalletHub – CT third worst state for doctors
According to WalletHub’s latest rankings, Connecticut ranks 49th among states and DC for physician practice. Nationally, physician is the highest paying job but new doctors leave medical school with $194,000 in student debt on average. As we all may be relying on physicians and other healthcare providers during this crisis, remember that March 30th is…
Read MoreCommunity health center quality behind the rest of Medicaid
Download the report The good news is that Medicaid health outcome quality measures generally improved in all practice setting from 2016 through 2018. Unfortunately, community health centers (FQHCs) are not doing as well as their counterparts, either other Patient-Centered Medical Home practices (PCMHs), or non-PCMH practices in serving Medicaid members. This data comes from CHNCT’s…
Read MoreCongressional move to rein in innovations that harm people, Connecticut advocates’ SIM concerns addressed in DC
A new bill in Congress, proposed by both Democrats and Republicans, would place controls on federal grants for payment and delivery reform projects. The Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act was introduced last week to “increase transparency and accountability within the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)”. CMMI is the federal agency…
Read MoreIs CT healthy or not? Different rankings with different messages
Health rankings are all about definitions and what you measure — an important lesson with broad implications. A new health ranking of US cities by Wallet Hub is not great news for Connecticut. Of America’s 174 most populous cities, Bridgeport is #88 and New Haven is #98. Five cities in surrounding states are healthier than…
Read MoreCT hospital quality still lacking
New Medicare hospital quality ratings find little change from last year’s report. Almost half of Connecticut hospitals received three stars out of five, about the same as last year. Quality ratings didn’t change for half of Connecticut hospitals. This confirms a long history of underperformance by Connecticut hospitals. We did have one five-star hospital (Sharon)…
Read MoreEvidence that children with private or Medicaid coverage both at risk of low-value care
A new study finds that both Medicaid and privately insured children frequently receive healthcare services that do not improve health. There has been an assumption that because providers are paid less by Medicaid, they have no incentive to provide unnecessary services. The study, published in Pediatrics, analyzed records from almost 7 million American children in…
Read MoreNew report explains CT health disparities
Babies of black mothers in Connecticut are over four times more likely to die in their first year than babies born to white mothers, according to a new report from the CT Health Foundation. Black state residents die at 1.2 times the rate of whites. Overall Connecticut residents are among the healthiest in the nation,…
Read MorePCMH (no Plus) program continues to grow and improve care
At MAPOC’s Care Management Committee meeting Wednesday, the state provided the latest numbers from the successful Person-Centered Medical Home program. PCMHs are primary care practices that coordinate care for patients, offer expanded hours, and address population health needs. The program continues to grow, adding 52 primary care providers and seven new sites of care in…
Read MoreFive healthcare issues to follow in 2020
What Connecticut can do in an election year, with a tight budget, in an unsettled economy, and Washington in gridlock Download the details ACOs and provider financial risk Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are large and growing systems that touch every aspect of healthcare. They make money by reducing their patients’ care costs. Unlike insurers, ACOs…
Read MoreGood and bad news on childhood obesity in CT; What we can do about it
According to a new report, 11.5% of children ages 10 to 17 in our state are obese. That is far too high and rising, but that ranks us 44th among states. At 27.4% we are also 44th among states for adult obesity. The obesity rate of Connecticut 2 to 4 year-olds enrolled in WIC (yes,…
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