Monthly Archives: October 2007

Consumer Advice to David Ortiz: How to Protect Yourself from Infections

Posted on October 31, 2007 by

One of our Consumer Health Quality Council members, Linda Klein, took it upon herself to send a hand-written letter to David Ortiz informing him of ways to protect himself from infection when he undergoes knee surgery. Dear Mr. Ortiz, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | 2 Comments

Quality and Cost Council to Hold Dialogues on Race/Ethnicity Data Collection

Posted on October 31, 2007 by

On Friday, November 16th, (2:30pm-430 pm), the Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council will start a series of dialogues related to collection of race and ethnicity data from Massachusetts health insurers. Once collected, the data will be measured and … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform, Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities | Leave a comment

Mandating Prescription Drug Coverage Discussion at WBUR

Posted on October 29, 2007 by

WBUR’s Commonhealth Blog has an interesting back-and-forth on the issue of requiring prescription drug coverage as part of “MCC” — the minimum creditable coverage standards that specify what complies with the individual mandate. See it here The original post is … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 3 Comments

Consumer Empowerment, Education, and Quality of Care

Posted on October 29, 2007 by

Jim Conway, Senior VP at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and chairman of the new Partnership for Healthcare Excellence, as well as a member of the advisory committee to HCFA’s quality initiative, had an op-ed in today’s Boston Globe … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | 1 Comment

Insurance Partnership Enrollment Up nearly 5K

Posted on October 28, 2007 by

Mark Hollmer in the Boston Business Journal reports that enrollment in the state’s Insurance Partnership program has grown from 13,500 to 18,000 over the past year. The number of participating employers rose from 5,200 to 6,400. This is good news … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Market, MA Health Reform | Leave a comment

Observations on the Connector Board’s Second Retreat

Posted on October 27, 2007 by

First, the Connector board and staff make up an impressive and confidence inspiring group. They are wrestling with unprecedented challenges never tackled by anyone in the United States, and doing so openly, candidly, and smartly. Second, particular kudos to Board … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 1 Comment

Reader’s Guide to the Connector Retreat

Posted on October 27, 2007 by

Here are identities of key individuals and definitions of key programs mentioned in the previous five postings: 1. Melissa Boudreault, Connector Staff 2. Nonnie Burnes, Connector Board Member and Commission of State Division of Insurance, ex officio 3. Bob Carey, … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 1 Comment

Liveblogging from Connector Retreat V

Posted on October 27, 2007 by

CommCare Options: 12:39pm Holland: To be decided by Board in February. CommCare copay options. No discretion in Plan Type 1, set in statute. We do for other plan types. Possible increases for Plan Type II: PCPs from $5 to $10; … Continue reading →

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Live Blogging from Connector Retreat IV

Posted on October 27, 2007 by

12:10pm: Public Policy Options for Sustaining Mass. Health Reform Kingsdale: Unfortunate reality is that health cost trend is already set for 2008. Lord: Hard to keep up with so many things. What stands out for me is the slide showing … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 3 Comments

Live Blogging from Connector Retreat III

Posted on October 27, 2007 by

10:40am COMMCARE BUDGET ANALYSIS Patrick Holland. Goals – understand cost of CommCare to state – 2007 we’re on budget, and 2008 is challenging to estimate due to uncertain number of uninsured, but higher than budget. Key demographics: enrollees are younger … Continue reading →

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