Schwimmer Script Blog
Leadership for a Difficult Time and Beyond
State leaders are now talking and debating the appropriate ways to open the economy. Many Governors, including Gov. Murphy, are rightly working together — and recognizing that a virus does not stop at state borders. Clear and trustworthy communication from political leaders is essential right now. As our board chair, Suzanne M. Miller, Ph.D., writes…Read More…
Take Five Interview with Simon Nynens
Simon Nynens was recently appointed as chief executive officer of the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII). The Institute is an NJIT corporation focused on turning ideas into workable solutions and to help our state innovate. NJII is a member of the Quality Institute’s Leadership Council. How is NJII assisting patients and health care workers in…Read More…
Public Health Needs Long-Term Support
The time to purchase the fire extinguisher is not when the house is ablaze. But, we are now seeing the frightening ramifications of our failure to properly invest in our public health infrastructure. And our house is, indeed, ablaze. We’re experiencing critical shortages of personal protective equipment, medical equipment, and testing equipment. The supply chain…Read More…
States Must Borrow, and Share, Best Practices to Fight COVID-19
Many of our members are reaching out to us at the Quality Institute to share their concerns as the spread of COVID-19 shows no sign of slowing. We’re eager to learn about the issues you’re facing; we can provide resources and also connect you to the experts and officials who can help. We’re hearing that…Read More…
COVID-19 Tests Our Strengths — Highlights Our Weaknesses
Over the past few weeks, like most of you, I’ve been washing my hands consistently — trying not to touch my face — and keeping up on the news and public health directives surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19). To me, the global outbreak highlights several important health care issues. First, the virus shows, in real and…Read More…
Volume Matters When It Comes to Surgical Safety – New Leapfrog Report Out
As Regional Leader for The Leapfrog Group, an independent national health care watchdog organization, we are sharing the just-released report, Safety In Numbers: Hospital Performance on Leapfrog’s Surgical Volume Standard Based on Results of the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The report analyzes whether hospitals are performing a sufficient volume of high-risk surgeries to perform the…Read More…
Spotlight on Health Care Transparency
Last week in Burlington City, I stood in a family health center that was crowded with state health care leaders and others applauding as Governor Murphy officially created the new Office of Health Care Affordability and Transparency. As the Quality Institute, we have long called for an office that could align the health care related…Read More…
Exclusive Interview with Christin Deacon, Office of the Treasury
The Quality Institute’s origins go back to the New Jersey Payer Coalition, which was a group of union funds that were purchasing health care for their members but had no information about the quality or safety of the care. All they knew was that the costs were going up, and they had little to no…Read More…
Top Health Care Issues for New Jersey in 2020
As we move into the first year of a new decade, we want to highlight some pressing issues in health care, especially areas where the Quality Institute, together with our members, can make a real impact. Supporting Healthy Aging: As a state, we aren’t getting any younger. In 2010, people over the age of sixty…Read More…
2019: A Year of Collaborative Impact
As we move into a new decade, I want to reflect on our impact this past year and highlight the goals and challenges ahead. Looking back, we have achieved significant accomplishments and clearly our collective voices are being heard. Many of our Medicaid Policy Center recommendations have turned into public policy. For instance, the state…Read More…