Monthly Archives: April 2008

Quality/Cost Council Issues Its 1st Annual Report

Posted on April 23, 2008 by

The MA Health Care Quality and Cost Council today released its first Annual Report, which identifies specific strategies designed to improve health care quality while containing costs. Among the Council’s specific recommendations: · Reduce the annual rise of health care … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality, MA Health Reform | 1 Comment

AG Releases ’07 Hospital Community Benefit Reports

Posted on April 23, 2008 by

MA Attorney General Martha Coakley today released the 2007 Community Benefit Hospital Reports. Last year, Massachusetts hospitals provided over $271 million in community benefits programs to Massachusetts residents as part of this voluntary program. All non-profit acute care hospitals are … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Market, Public Health, Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities | 1 Comment

Why an Office of Health Equity?

Posted on April 23, 2008 by

In his FY09 budget plan, Gov. Patrick proposed creation of an Office of Health Equity to be located in the Executive Office of Health & Human Services. The House budget plan released last week did not include this item. We … Continue reading →

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

What Happens during a Stroke? Jill Bolte Taylor Tells All

Posted on April 22, 2008 by

An amazing change of pace from our normal fare: Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

A Potpourri of Health Care Innovations

Posted on April 21, 2008 by

Here’s something interesting: the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has started a: Health Care Innovations Exchange. In great detail, it describes innovations that work and, guess what, innovations that haven’t worked. There’s a lot in here worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | Leave a comment

Will More Physicians Cure the Physician Shortage? Maybe Not…

Posted on April 20, 2008 by

Important article in this past week’s New England Journal of Medicine on the physician shortage and what to do about it — “Physician Workforce Crisis? Wrong Diagnosis, Wrong Prescription” by Drs. David Goodman and Elliott Fisher from the Center for … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Market, Health Care Quality | 1 Comment

Sick Around the World — Must-See

Posted on April 20, 2008 by

Have you seen this past week’s Frontline documentary, “Sick Around the World: Can the US Learn Anything From the Rest of the World About How to Run a Health Care System”? If you haven’t, consider yourself urged to go the … Continue reading →

Posted in International health policy, US health policy | 3 Comments

Dept. of Who’s Getting Helped by Health Reform, II

Posted on April 19, 2008 by

Most of our stories of who has gotten helped by Chapter 58 have involved folks who have been able to enroll in Commonwealth Care or MassHealth. Here’s a story from someone who lives in Boston and has been helped because … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | Leave a comment

Dept. of Who’s Getting Helped by Health Reform I

Posted on April 19, 2008 by

Here’s the Story of the Week from HCFA’s Helpline — this story involves someone who got helped by Commonwealth Care: Frank is 43 years old and lives in the Gloucester area. Before CommCare he was uninsured. He broke his heel … Continue reading →

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Health Reform Progress Report

Posted on April 18, 2008 by

Every 60 days, EOHHS is required to submit a progress report to the legislature on health reform implementation. The latest report was just filed, and is available here. The reports are particularly valuable for providing updates on some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 1 Comment