Schwimmer Script Blog
A Story of Empathy and Kindness at the End of a Life
Think medical success stories and you may envision life-saving heroics in a trauma center. Or a brilliant diagnosis of a patient’s rare illness. Or maybe a laboratory researcher who finds a new cancer treatment. All valid successes. But recently I was reminded that success in health care can take more modest forms. Last week the…Read More…
Keeping Competition in the ACA Marketplace
Oscar Health Insurance just announced plans to withdraw from the Affordable Care Act marketplace in New Jersey next year. The company joins UnitedHealthcare, also exiting the marketplace in 2017. Aetna, meanwhile, has scrapped plans to provide coverage here next year. Are the exits a sign the ACA is failing? And what can we do to…Read More…
As Other States Explore Medicaid Innovations, What Can New Jersey Learn?
In New Jersey, Medicaid covers one in five residents and accounts for about 20 percent of the state’s budget. We know our state needs to explore innovations to contain costs while also improving care for beneficiaries. At the Quality Institute, our Medicaid 2.0 initiative, with support from The Nicholson Foundation, is working to create a…Read More…
Time to Stop the Surprises
When an issue slips off the front pages and legislation drops off the radar, people may think the problem has been solved. Not so with surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers. If you’ve gotten one of these surprise bills, you know. At the Quality Institute, we have not stopped advocating for a solution while hearing…Read More…
Don’t Let Turf Battles Destroy The Potential of Telemedicine
The other day I was clicking around a new health website by a company called Lemonaid Health. The site allows consumers to connect remotely with a health care provider for very specific reasons, such as obtaining birth control or treating seven ailments, including urinary tract infections, sinus infections, flu and acid reflux. The fee is…Read More…
Success of Payment Reform Hinges on Population Health
The federal government is pushing the health care system, and physicians in particular, to move to an outcome-based payment system, but they can’t succeed alone. Real success will hinge upon how quickly our country can embrace and support Population Health. We must realize that the dollars we spend today on prevention, nutrition, early childhood development…Read More…
Quality Institute’s Wellness Director Goes Global
As Dave Knowlton and I were transitioning the leadership of the Quality Institute, he wisely wanted me to build my own team. One of my first hires was Janan Dave, who I brought to the Institute to lead our Mayors Wellness Campaign. She has been with the Quality Institute for two years now and under…Read More…
Healthy Communities Create Healthy Citizens
The best medicine — and the best way to build healthy communities — is not always a drug or diagnostic test. What if doctors could write prescriptions for healthy cooking classes? Or send patients for long walks in local gardens? What if community leaders could help corner stores sell fresh fruits and vegetables? No one…Read More…
Change in Health Care is Coming — Are New Jersey Doctors Ready for the Revolution?
The leader of the nation’s most important health care payer joined us at our Spring Conference last week and showed us the future — a future with fundamental changes in the way we pay for and deliver health care. Sean Cavanaugh was our keynote speaker. He is Director of the Center for Medicare at CMS and…Read More…
In NJ, Hospital Data Transparency Reaches High Levels, But Not High Enough Yet
People come to hospitals for care at their most vulnerable moments. They literally put their lives in the hands of health care institutions — the emergency department physicians or the ICU nurses or the operating room surgeons. For years patients made decisions about where to seek treatment without any real information about whether one hospital…Read More…