quality
New state health comparison tool shows challenges and opportunities for CT
In good news, CT is 11th best among states in the number of people who had no trouble finding a doctor in 2015 according to State Health Compare. But CT is also 17th worst among states in the percent of residents with high medical cost burdens. Depending on how you look at it, it may…
Read MoreAdvocates ask DSS yet again for a robust evaluation of risky experiment before expanding
Twenty-three independent advocates sent a letter today again urging the state to conduct common sense evaluation of the first wave of a risky new program before expanding the program, as promised. Advocates have learned that the planned evaluation will not be available until 2 months after the RFP for the second wave is finalized and released. In addition, current…
Read MoreCT hospital Medicare hospital-acquired condition penalties much higher than US average for third year in a row
Next year fourteen of Connecticut’s 31 hospitals will be penalized by Medicare for poor rates of potentially avoidable complications, according to an analysis by Kaiser Health News. While this is down from eighteen this year, it is almost three times higher than the US average. Seven Connecticut hospitals have been penalized under this program every…
Read MoreICD-10 holiday fun from STAT News
Holiday humor from STAT News includes a piece outlining ICD-10 medical codes for typical holiday health problems. If you’re looking for them, STAT has the codes for holiday injuries (contact with electric knife, struck by turkey), stress of waiting for Santa (behavioral insomnia of childhood, encounter for examination of eyes and vision with abnormal findings),…
Read MoreSeptember webquiz — C section rates in CT
Test your knowledge of C-Section rates in CT. Take the September CT Health Policy Webquiz.
Read MoreLots of hospital quality news, CT not excelling
In the last few days several sources have released hospital quality rankings and measures. The bottom line — CT’s hospitals have a lot of work to do. CMS released their long-awaited five star system for hospital ratings, but no CT hospitals received five stars. In fact, only one earned four stars (Backus), 17 received…
Read MoreTwenty-six advocates support DSS decision to evaluate Medicaid reform
Wednesday 26 independent consumer advocates wrote the Lieutenant Governor supporting DSS’s decision to evaluate outcomes after the first wave of 200,000+ members into the new Medicaid shared savings program, MQISSP. The advocates support DSS’s prudent plan to assess the impact, good and bad, and make revisions before moving more people into the untested program. Enlightened…
Read MoreCT second lowest in US in premature deaths, but also among most costly states
Second only to New Hampshire among states, Connecticut residents are avoiding premature deaths preventable with better health care. However, no Connecticut community ranked in the top 10% across health indicators in the Commonwealth Fund’s 2016 Local Health System Scorecard. While we do very well in Healthy Lives measures, we have a great deal of work…
Read MoreNew Haven Register Forum: ICER part of solution in addressing drug effectiveness, cost
From yesterday’s New Haven Register: The news is full of recent drug companies’ breathtaking price hikes. A new study by Reuters finds that prices for four of the top 10 U.S. drugs more than doubled since 2011, and prices for the other six rose more than 50 percent. These drugs treat common problems such as arthritis, asthma…
Read MorePalliative care webinar offers opportunities to improve life for seriously ill people — and save money
Today’s webinar with Dr. Diane Meier from the Center to Advance Palliative Care was moving as well as offering a very promising policy option for CT’s Medicaid program. Palliative care offers great potential to improve and extend the lives of people with serious illness, allowing them to get care at home if they wish, while…
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