Monthly Archives: August 2010

Mass.gov/NationalHealthReform open for business (and consumers)

Posted on August 31, 2010 by

EOHHS has set up a new website to be the central source of official information on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Massachusetts: mass.gov/NationalHealthReform. The site includes grant and demonstration opportunities, letters of intent, an implementation timeline and … Continue reading →

Posted in National Health Reform | 1 Comment

QCC Committee on Payment Reform Legislation Meets Tomorrow

Posted on August 31, 2010 by

The Quality and Cost Council’s newest committee, the Committee on the Status of Payment Reform Legislation, is holding its first meeting tomorrow, September 1, 10:30-11:30am at 1 Ashburton Place, 21st floor (download agenda (pdf)). HCFA is one of a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare Cost Control | Leave a comment

Depression in Preschoolers – Food For Thought

Posted on August 30, 2010 by

Compartmentalization of mental health within the medical profession and stigma related to mental illness has meant that definitions and diagnosis are often difficult to nail down. Not too long ago, mental health was thought to be inapplicable to adolescents because … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Mental Health | Leave a comment

The Dental Voice for Mental Health

Posted on August 29, 2010 by

In 2008, Lisa Knapp Stillman shared her personal story of caring for her twenty-four year old son with severe mental illness (SMI). Of all of the struggles she has faced, she emphasized the effect of his illness on his oral … Continue reading →

Posted in Oral Health | 2 Comments

What Will Happen if Cerberus’s Gamble Goes Bust?

Posted on August 29, 2010 by

Last Sunday’s Boston Globe lead editorial echoes many of the concerns of consumers across the Commonwealth who are questioning the proposed sale of the Caritas Christi hospital chain to the Wall Street private equity firm Cerberus. While acknowledging that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Market | 1 Comment

Back To School – And Back To Talking Bullying

Posted on August 26, 2010 by

Last January, Massachusetts’, and the world’s, attention was drawn to South Hadley when tragic events made the issue of bullying a front page story. The legislature acted quickly, passing and enacting new legislation designed to address the issue. Earlier this … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Mental Health | 1 Comment

New York Law, MA Pilot on End-of-Life Care

Posted on August 26, 2010 by

As described in a NY Times article Tuesday, Governor Paterson of New York last week signed into law a bill requiring physicians treating patients with terminal illnesses to offer to share information with them or their representatives about end-of-life care … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | 1 Comment

Per ACA, NAIC OKs MLR. Next, MA?

Posted on August 26, 2010 by

Apparently, it’s in the blogger code to preface all discussion on the formerly-arcane issue of health insurers’ “medical loss ratio” (MLR) with a comment on the term. It does always strike me as odd that, from an insurer’s accounting point … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Market, National Health Reform | 3 Comments

New! Improved! CommonHealth Blog Extreme Makeover

Posted on August 26, 2010 by

Check out the new and improved CommonHealth blog, from WBUR. In the early days of health reform, CommonHealth was an important forum for serious and off-the-wall debates about the issues facing state health policy. Reporter Martha Bebinger opened it up … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | Leave a comment

Public Reporting of Mortality Measures – Not Dead Yet?

Posted on August 26, 2010 by

As we reported last week, the Quality and Cost Council accepted the recommendation of an expert panel that there should not be public reporting of a hospital-wide mortality measure for now. The presentation that was given to the Council from … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | Leave a comment