Schwimmer Script Blog
Maternity Action Plan (MAP) Work Advances in 2024
The Quality Institute’s longstanding work to improve maternal and infant health (MIH) outcomes in our state accelerates in 2024 with new virtual and in-person work sessions and a collaborative focus on improving access to doula care. We’ll continue to advance our Maternity Action Plan (MAP), which provides a path forward to address New Jersey’s…Read More…
Winter Conference: Innovation and Planning Needed as New Jersey’s Population Ages
In New Jersey, more than 1.5 million people are over the age of 65, or about 17 percent of our population. The percentage is expected to continue rising. Most people in this age group want to stay in their communities as they get older — close to families, friends, and other connections in their lives….Read More…
Waiting on Action to Save New Jersey’s Small Employer Health Insurance Market
It’s Open Enrollment season, and, as a small employer, I’m once again turning to my broker and hearing the bad news on premium increases and limited choices for health insurance coverage in New Jersey’s Small Employer market. While there has been great energy and focus on subsidies and ways to drive competition in the…Read More…
Join Our Call for an Integrated Facility License for Physical and Behavioral Health Care
Last week we sent a letter to New Jersey’s Acting Health Commissioner, Kaitlan Baston, M.D., urging her to move forward expeditiously with proposing regulations creating an integrated facility license that permits provision of physical and behavioral health care services in the same setting by the licensee. The integrated facility license and regulations are critical to…Read More…
NJ Saving Money and Improving Transparency — Perfect Together
For years, the Quality Institute has urged New Jersey to follow the lead of California’s Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and other large employers using Reference Based Pricing to shift care to lower cost providers and settings. One part of these designs is identifying common procedures and screenings that can be done safely in lower…Read More…
Quality Institute’s Work to Address Maternal Mental Health Approved for Use Nationwide
At the Quality Institute, we’re excited to report that the maternity-specific scenarios we created and piloted for Mental Health First Aid training have been approved for use around the country by The National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Last year, we brought together mental health experts, maternal health professionals, and people with lived experiences to develop…Read More…
Improving Health Care Is About Complexity — and Courage
On a recent walk, I listened to my new favorite health policy podcast, Tradeoffs, by journalist Dan Gorenstein. Through engaging interviews and deep dives, Gorenstein demystifies the complicated and costly world of health care. Think The Big Short, but for health care topics. Episodes range from States’ Uphill Battle to Stop Runaway Health Care…Read More…
Making Contraceptive Care More Accessible for All
At the Quality Institute, we believe everyone has the right to make safe, well-informed decisions about their reproductive health. For years, New Jersey has been a leader in supporting access to contraception and reproductive health care. But more must be done to not only increase awareness of these rights, but to make access more equitable….Read More…
Momentous Gift and Collaboration Will Advance Geriatric Care and Research in New Jersey
As a Trustee of Parker Health Group, it gives me great pride to share news about the organization’s recent charitable gift and collaboration with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Parker will give $18.8 million to the medical school to support research and education focused on senior care. Parker is a member of the Quality…Read More…