Schwimmer Script Blog
Quality Institute Unveils Plan to Improve End-of-Life Care in New Jersey
My father-in-law is 92 and my mother in-law is 86. Both are active and healthy. Not long ago, our Conversation of Your Life (COYL) program sponsored an event near their home in Fort Lee and I asked them to join me. We had dinner first and my mother-in-law, who has a keen sense of humor,…Read More…
A Tale of Two Gymnasiums
Last week I traveled to the gymnasium at the Woodbridge Community Center to see Gov. Phil Murphy sign legislation to protect consumers from surprise out-of-network billing. During the bill signing, Murphy recalled a campaign-season dinner with Sen. Joseph Vitale at the nearby Reo Diner, where Murphy promised to sign an out-of-network bill if the legislature…Read More…
Changing the Culture Around End-of-Life Care
I hope you all can join us June 12 for our Conversation of Your Life (“COYL”) Breakfast, which will highlight the innovative efforts taking place in New Jersey communities to change the culture around end-of-life care discussions. Leaders in our COYL program will talk about the truly interesting ways they are facilitating these conversations. Here…Read More…
Leveraging Purchasing Power To Drive Change
We’re sharing our exclusive interview here with Carole Johnson, New Jersey’s new Commissioner of Human Services, as she outlines her vision to strengthen the state’s Medicaid program for today — and tomorrow. At the Quality Institute, we often talk about the power of purchasers to drive innovation to improve quality and reduce costs. As we move…Read More…
Measuring the Impact of Payment Reform
At the Quality Institute, we believe payment reform can drive quality and reduce costs — and help make sure we only pay for health care that’s truly valuable to patients. We’re working hard with our partners to collect data and measure quality as we drive alternative payment models that move us away from fee-for-service. Are our…Read More…
A Toolkit You Can Use to Advance Population Health
If you saw the advertisement on late night TV, you would not believe the claims. Improve your cardio vascular system! Alleviate depression! Improve your skin! Lose weight! Strengthen your bones! I’m talking about exercise — with benefits that are wide-ranging and scientifically proven. If exercise were a pill, it would be a blockbuster. But while we…Read More…
Time for New Jersey To Save Its Health Insurance Markets
In the committee rooms of the State House, New Jersey recently started saving its health insurance markets. Since 1994, New Jersey has required insurers to cover essential benefits and to be open to all, despite health status. The ACA took our model, added the individual mandate, and provided subsidies to help low-income people afford premiums….Read More…
Seeing What’s Possible in Health Care — Up Close
In my job, I don’t just get to envision the possible in health care. I get to see the possible in action. As we look at how to improve health and health care in the Garden State, you, our members, often provide creative and powerful examples. A favorite part of my job is the bird’s…Read More…
In Patient Safety Journey, The Goal is ‘Chasing Zero’
At our recent Quality Breakfast, we recognized the ten New Jersey hospitals that received the Leapfrog 2017 Top Hospital designation. There was a common theme among the hospital leaders who spoke on our panel: The safety grade is not the goal. The goal is “chasing zero.” Work toward creating a culture of safety, they said, and…Read More…
In Maternal Health, Simple Change is Powerful
A glamorous Serena Williams landed on the cover of the February issue of Vogue, holding her newborn daughter and wearing a fire engine red gown. Inside the issue, along with the story of her celebrity friendships and tennis ambitions, Williams described the six horrifying days that followed the birth of her child. The day after…Read More…