Secure Clinical Data Exchange Comes to Connecticut

Authors: Jenn Searls, Executive Director, Connie and Renee Broadbent, VP, Information Technology, Southern New England Healthcare It was every adult child’s worst nightmare – a frantic drive to the Emergency Department with mom getting worse by the minute. For Brenda, the stress was just beginning. Upon arrival, the staff asked Brenda for a list of […]

Virtual Health

Author: William G. Rabitaille, MD, FACP Director of Safety Net Clinics: Gengras and Burgdorf Clinics, Trinity Health Of New England Virtual health…or telehealth…or telemedicine…they’re all variations on the same thing: A clinician is in one area and a patient is in a totally different area, yet they are communicating about health.  Not surprisingly, virtual healthcare […]

Social Work Month 2021

March marks National Social Work Month. The social work movement began in the late 1800’s, with the first class offered at Columbia University in 1898. The social work profession stems from raising awareness and addressing social injustices impacting community members. Their work began with individuals experiencing abuse and neglect and evolved to working with individuals […]

Diagnostic Imaging and Healthcare 3.0

Today, healthcare in the United States encompasses a disproportionate amount of the economy, hovering just below 20% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  It has been immune to rational market forces that would ultimately drive competition and value in any other industry.  No other country in the world has faced such high cost and low return as measured […]

The Value of Bundled Payments in the Value-Based Healthcare Transformation

At 17.7% of GDP, healthcare costs in the United States hold the dubious distinction of being the most expensive among the 37 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, significantly more than Switzerland (12.3%) and France (11.3%), the second and third highest spenders.  But wait, you say: “you get what you pay for”.  Not […]

Prevention & Disease Management are Game Changers in APM Quality Performance

When itemizing quality measures across numerous Alternative Payment Model (APM) contracts, you are likely to end up with a plethora of metrics and even more variations in their definitions, scoring calculations, target thresholds, and impact on financial performance. To improve quality and prioritize this work for primary care providers, we look for measures that are […]

Open Collaboration is Key with Post-Acute Partners During the COVID Crisis

Like many hospitals in the region and around the county found, Phase I of the COVID-19 pandemic strained hospitals. They faced surge capacity and the inability to admit or readmit patients to skilled nursing facilities (SNF). Simultaneously, skilled nursing facilities were charged with protecting seniors – the most vulnerable population affected by the virus. SNFs […]

Lessons Learned from the Pandemic: Creating Sustainable Change to our Healthcare System

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed both the best and the worst of our nation’s healthcare system. On the positive side, we saw our healthcare heroes selflessly care for patients at significant personal risk and much well-deserved public appreciation for the service they provide each day. Alternatively, the pandemic has highlighted the fragility and fragmentation of […]