Search results for: cost cap
CSG-ERC offers Medicaid reform resources for state policymakers, including underservice protections
Medicaid is now the largest coverage program in the nation, consuming over a quarter of state budgets, and that share is rising at an unsustainable rate. State Medicaid programs are working on reforms to shift from a system that rewards volume with no regard to quality to a better system that builds value. Next week…
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…
Read MoreUpdate – Palliative Care Webinar time change
Due to an unavoidable conflict, the time for the webinar: The Potential of Palliative Care for People with Serious Illness by the MAPOC Complex Care Committee will be an hour later than originally scheduled. The webinar will still be on May 9th but will be at 10:30 am. All registered participants should have received an…
Read MoreConnecticut’s Medicaid redesign update– Pros and Cons
Connecticut’s Medicaid program has earned national recognition for combining improved access to high quality care with an impressive record of cost control. Shifting the program from a financial risk payment model to care coordination through person-centered medical homes (PCMHs) four years ago is widely credited with that success. Last year the administration began developing…
Read MoreHealth Care Cabinet considers Oregon and Maryland’s reforms
At this month’s Health Care Cabinet meeting, we heard about health reforms in Oregon and Maryland with a focus on how/if their successful strategies could be applied in Connecticut. Oregon consolidated state health purchasing under one new state agency, implemented an ambitious Medicaid waiver with a total annual cap on cost increases, assistance for PCMH…
Read MoreGovernor’s latest budget cuts even more HUSKY parents
Yesterday the Governor released his counter-proposal for the next biennial budget. The proposal cuts the remaining working parents above 138% of the federal poverty level, the eligibility level for all adults, in the HUSKY program. Last year the Governor and legislature agreed to cut parents to 155%. Due to federal law allowing time for transition,…
Read MoreNortheastern physicians lowest paid in US
According to Medscape’s 2016 Physician Compensation Survey, at $266,000 physicians from Northeastern states have the lowest incomes in the US. Medscape reports that uneven distribution between physicians and patients drives compensation levels. Just over half (52%) of US physicians believe that their compensation is fair. Specialists tend to make more than primary care doctors; highest…
Read MoreCEPAC meeting affirms the value of outpatient palliative care, but more research is needed
At yesterday’s meeting in Hartford, CEPAC took a deep dive into the clinical and cost effectiveness of palliative care delivered in outpatient settings. From CEPAC’s report, “Palliative care is a management approach that provides symptom relief and comfort care to patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses, with the goal of improving quality of life for both patients…
Read MoreConnecticut scores well in health care quality, but near the middle in disparities
The latest National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report from HHS finds significant improvement in access to health care across groups in 2014, likely due to the Affordable Care Act. Released earlier this month, the annual report tracks over 250 measures of quality and disparities in health care. Along with other northeastern states, Connecticut performed well…
Read MoreGood news on CCIP – SIM’s plan for Medicaid
As recommended by independent advocates and others at from the Care Management Committee, DSS and SIM have agreed to make SIM’s Community and Clinical Integration Program (CCIP) optional for Medicaid provider networks, at least for the first year. Advocates and others on the committee were concerned that the plan was too prescriptive, very expensive, and…
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