Schwimmer Script Blog
‘Strong Start’ for Babies is Smart Way To Invest in Medicaid
The best ways to improve health care do not always require new drugs, sophisticated technology or money. Common sense and compassion, as well as an understanding of human nature, can help us advance health and change lives. One such effort in New Jersey is making a powerful difference in the lives of mothers and babies…Read More…
Promoting Wellness Promotes Unity
Too often I find myself frustrated and disheartened by the intolerance and hateful speech that has emerged from our current political landscape. I’m provided with relief, however, every Sunday when I meet my friend Leslie on the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath, where dozens of people of varying ages, ethnicities, and races are brought together…Read More…
States Can Support Claims Data Transparency Despite Supreme Court Decisions
The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a blow against the efforts by states to track health care quality and costs. States need data from all payers in their states to monitor the success of their policy reforms. That data comes from the All-Payer Claims Database, or APCD, which are large, state-run databases that collect claims…Read More…
Inject Sanity Into Health Care Record Keeping and Measurement
Perhaps you’ve heard some version of the saying: You can’t manage what you can’t measure. We need clearly defined measures to gauge the steps toward improvement and objective criteria to determine if we have achieved true progress. In health care we’ve seen how gathering measurements can advance care. Take hospital- acquired infections. By using defined…Read More…
Moving the Affordable Care Act Forward
The Affordable Care Act is becoming less affordable. Premiums are rising and so are deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. Costs are increasing for both employers and consumers. And last year national health expenditures jumped 5.3 percent. (In 2013 the jump was 2.9 percent.) The nation’s health care bill is not growing as fast as it did…Read More…
New Era, New Challenges at Quality Institute
By Linda J. Schwimmer, JD I know you are accustomed to seeing Dave Knowlton’s views in this space as he shared his singular insight surrounding health care with all of you for the past several years. As I take over the reins at the Quality Institute — and Dave enjoys his much-deserved retirement — I hope you…Read More…
It Takes a Village to Support the ‘Conversation of a Lifetime’
One of the Quality Institute’s most innovative and exciting initiatives is Conversation of a Lifetime, a part of our Mayors Wellness Campaign. I’ve asked our Director of Community Health, Janan Dave, to take over my blog today to report on this effort. Janan has been engaging New Jersey mayors to encourage important end-of-life discussions among…Read More…
Health Policy Becomes Personal for Quality Institute Vice-President
Today I am turning over my blog to Linda Schwimmer, Vice President of the Quality Institute. Linda recently had a personal experience that sheds light on flaws in our healthcare system. I asked her to share her story with us. The summer evening was warm and breezy as my husband and I rode bikes around…Read More…
360 Course Provides Health Care Executives with Vital Insight
I just finished teaching in the Health Care Policy 360 program and, as usual, I feel invigorated. The four-day course explains the real-world impact of emerging health trends to senior level executives in health care industries. It’s a joint venture between the Quality Institute and the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations. I…Read More…
Quality Institute’s ‘Big Data’ Conference Creates Big Goals
I would like to use this space to tell you about our highly successful conference, “Big Data and Health: Implications for New Jersey’s Health Care System.” The line-up of speakers included the top minds in the field: health economists, technology innovators, medical practitioners, academic researchers, policy experts and government officials. Also impressive was our audience,…Read More…