Schwimmer Script Blog
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…
Nicholson Foundation Changed Lives by Strengthening Systems
I invite you all to read our Take Five with Jan Nicholson, President of The Nicholson Foundation. The organization plans to commit its last grants next year and close its office in Newark at the end of 2021. The Foundation will leave a legacy that cannot be easily measured — certainly not in brick and…Read More…
Health Care Community Must Have A Greater Role In Medical Marijuana Policy
Medical marijuana is a multi-faceted issue. It’s now legal for a range of medical conditions under the recently expanded New Jersey state law, but continues to be illegal under federal law. Health care facilities are unsure what to do when, say, a cancer patient, clearly benefiting from using marijuana at home, is admitted. Can they…Read More…
How to Advance an Unbiased Approach to Care
Today, I am turning this space over to Kate Shamszad, MS, MPH, who is a Senior Program Officer at the Quality Institute’s Medicaid Policy Center. Kate led a workshop yesterday at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital on Reflective Supervision, which is a way for clinicians to examine their own biases and improve care for patients….Read More…
We Need More Information on Surgical Safety in Outpatient Departments, Ambulatory Centers
Add your voice to the conversation and share your comments about this topics on NJSpotlight.com. New survey is a good start toward helping consumers determine which facilities are most committed to safety and quality. At the Quality Institute, we have long called for greater transparency on quality at outpatient surgery settings, including hospital outpatient departments…Read More…
Any Opioid Settlements Should Be Handled Better Than Those N.J. Got from Big Tobacco
Please consider commenting and adding your voice to the conversation on NJ.com. As New Jersey and other states consider settlements with Purdue Pharma and other pharmaceutical companies for their aggressive and misleading marketing of opioids, how our state handled another crisis provides a cautionary tale — one that we ignore at our own peril. Just…Read More…
At the Quality Institute, Change and New Opportunities Ahead
As summer days give way to the renewed energy of fall, I am excited to share some changes here at the Quality Institute, as well as many new opportunities for our members and partners to work with us between now and the end of the year. First, Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A., has joined our board….Read More…