Thoughtleaders give CT a C+ on health reform this year

In the latest survey, CT health care thought leaders give our state a C+ grade on health reform, down from last year’s survey. CT’s grade for effort also dropped to a B-/C+ in this survey. Higher marks go to the health insurance exchange, Medicaid, and patient-centered medical homes, as for last year. Payment reform/quality improvement…

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Governor orders delay, time to study CON approvals for massive hospital mergers

Yesterday Governor Malloy issued an Executive Order halting state Certificate of Need approvals for hospital mergers that would cover more than 20% of total CT hospital spending until Jan. 15, 2017. The delay will allow for a “fair and through” review of the CON process by a new taskforce. Concerns about the current CON process…

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SIM’s CCIP proposal for Medicaid reform – poor process drives weak plan

Public comments from the CT Health Policy Project raise deep concerns about SIM’s proposal for Medicaid reform requirements could undermine hard-won successes in the program and may not achieve the goals. The Community and Clinical Integration Plan (CCIP) is SIM’s plan for community-based resources to support Medicaid advanced networks that will be sharing in savings…

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Medicaid update – plans to “transition” 17,688 HUSKY parents off the program, serious SIM/CCIP problems jeopardize Medicaid redesign

Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting focused on implementation of last year’sbudget provision that will end coverage for 17,688 HUSKY parents on July 31stof this year. DSS reported on efforts to assure that people still eligible for Medicaid in other categories do not lose coverage. Of the 1,215 parents who lost coverage last year due to the…

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CT Medicare members have saved over $285 million on prescription drugs under the ACA; almost half a million received free preventive care last year

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) thousands of elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries in CT have saved millions of dollars on prescription drugs and free preventive care, according to new numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  The ACA includes discounts for Medicare Part D beneficiaries on their prescription drugs that increase…

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Fascinating Health Care Cabinet meeting on hospital markets, concentration, costs and the magic of VT

This week’s Health Care Cabinet meeting was fascinating. We first heard about the impact of hospital consolidations in CT. We heard a moving story about a Spanish-speaking woman suffering a mild stroke who had to be airlifted from Windham to Hartford because since Hartford Hospital’s acquisition of Windham Hospital, there is no longer a neurologist…

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New to the Book Club: Fighting for Life, by S. Josephine Baker, 1939

In the 1890s New York’s Lower East Side was the most densely populated square mile on the planet, with largely immigrant residents. A third of children born there died before their fifth birthday often due to epidemics of diarrhea, smallpox, typhus, child labor, poor sanitation, and other preventable conditions. But by 1911 the child death…

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Governor’s budget proposal – it could be way worse

Today the Governor announced his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year that starts July 1st. The very, very good news is that Medicaid is largely untouched – no new cuts to providers, no more people losing coverage, and minimal service limits (orthodontia). This is smart because current reforms in the program are working to…

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Two in three CT physicians had an electronic health record in 2014; well below US average

In 2014, only 67.5% of CT office-based physicians had a certified electronic health record (EHR) system according to a new CDC brief.Nationally 74.1% of office-based physicians had certified EHRs in 2014, up from 67.5% the year before. Only five other states had lower EHR participation levels. On the bright side, CT physicians who did have…

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