SIM
Only 36% of CT physicians have any shared savings arrangements, correcting questionable SIM estimates from 2013 driving expansive policy
UConn’s new SIM survey of CT physicians found that currently only 36% of CT physicians participate in any shared savings or ACO program. There is no information on whether shared savings are a significant part of revenues in even the minority of physicians who are in this payment model. Not surprisingly, shared savings is slightly…
Read More20 independent advocates share concerns about SIM’s plans for Medicaid
Yesterday twenty independent consumers, advocates and providers sent a letter to the Lieutenant Governor expressing our grave concerns about the “current plans for widespread precipitous changes” in Medicaid’s payment model. The letter outlines concerns about re-imposing financial risk, this time on providers of care, that creates incentives to deny needed care. States with far more…
Read MoreHealth reform update – the power of price transparency, more SIM concerns
At an important Public Health Committee hearing Wednesday, Senate leaders from both parties testified together on a slate of seven bills that would make a great start to reforming health care in our state. Among other things the bills address facility fees, price variation that has no relation to quality, hospital consolidation oversight, EMR assistance…
Read MoreSIM bill hearing in Public Health next Wednesday
HB- 6938, AAC the Delivery of Quality Health Care and Modernization of Health Care Facilities, will have a public hearing next Wednesday March 11th at 10:30 at the LOB in Room 1D. SIM is planning to radically transform health care for every state resident, including moving 200,000 Medicaid members back into a financial risk model…
Read MoreAdvocates call on SIM to adopt state Code of Ethics
A letter was sent yesterday from independent consumer advocates to SIM leadership calling for SIM to follow CT’s Public Officials and State Employees Guide to the Code of Ethics, to protect the integrity of both SIM contracting and larger health reform efforts in our state. The advocates are asking for these protections now, before major…
Read MoreTroubling Medicaid, SIM updates
Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on eligibility, renewal changes and implementation with a very helpful primer on the process. There is no clear answer to why Medicaid membership has dropped by 34,232 since October, but the transition to MAGI income rules and renewal delays to protect consumers from lapses in coverage are probably part of…
Read MoreSIM & CAB update
Today’s SIM steering committee meeting has been cancelled. (BTW- the Medicaid Council meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed to next Friday, the 16th.) Tuesday’s SIM Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) meeting was frustrating. They were supposed to vote on an ethics resolution proposed last month, but delayed a vote yet again. (They sent it to…
Read MoreSIM update
CMMI announced Tuesday that Connecticut was among eleven states whose SIM application was approved. CT expects to receive $45 million over four years to support reform. The SIM Health IT Council will hold its first meeting today at 1pm at the LOB. Commissioner Bremby of DSS, which has been given responsibility for developing an Health…
Read MoreConsumer Advisory Board considers ethics policies
In today’s meeting, the Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) discussed proposed ethics standards to ensure that anyone who makes decisions about funding from SIM not benefit from that funding. According to Connecticut’s Public Officials and State Employees Guide to the Code of Ethics, a substantial conflict of interest exists when “a public official, his or her…
Read MoreMedicaid update – lots of success but a concerning turf battle
Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on new initiatives to rebalance care for long term supports and services. Through a impressive quilt of waivers, DSS has improved incentives for providers, expanded available services, reduced and eliminated waiting lists, and reduced costs allowing fragile people to remain in their homes avoiding costly and unwanted nursing home stays.…
Read More