Schwimmer Script Blog
New CMS Model Provides New Jersey with Opportunity to Elevate Primary Care
At the Quality Institute, we have long championed alternative payment models that support high-quality and comprehensive primary care. We have another opportunity to improve the health of our state now that the CMS Innovation Center has selected New Jersey to participate in a potentially transformative model of care. New Jersey is one of just…Read More…
Medicaid Payment Parity in Primary Care Improves Health Outcomes and Equity
For primary care, the state’s Medicaid program pays doctors, nurses, and midwives about half the rate that Medicare pays. The policy of paying half as much for the same service is inequitable and reduces access to high quality primary care for more than two million of our state’s residents. These lower reimbursement rates are…Read More…
Quality Institute Membership Gathers to Advance Greater Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care
At our Spring All Council Conference last week, we brought together leaders working to integrate mental health and primary care. Integrating care has always been a goal for the Quality Institute, and the need is even greater now with the post-pandemic demand for mental health services in addition to people catching up on unmet physical…Read More…
First-in-the-Nation Mental Health First Aid Training Customized for Perinatal Community Health Care Workers
At the Quality Institute, several of our staff members are trained trainers in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), which is sometimes dubbed “CPR for mental health.” We’ve been training people throughout the state to recognize and help those experiencing a mental health crisis. Attendees range from police and fire officials to teachers, school staff, and…Read More…
Addressing Mental Health Through More Holistic Care
Mental health is an essential part of our overall wellbeing. When someone is unable to function at their full capability due to stress, anxiety, or other cognitive conditions, it impacts their health, relationships, ability to perform a job, to take care of others … every aspect of their lives. Unfortunately, our existing health systems…Read More…
Conversation of Your Life (COYL) Observes Healthcare Decisions Day
Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16th of each year. The day exists to raise awareness around the importance of having conversations and planning if you have a serious illness or medical emergency and can’t speak for yourself about your preferences for life-sustaining care. At the Quality Institute, we’re using the occasion to kick off…Read More…
Break Down Barriers to Integrating Primary and Mental Health Care
We all need to care for both our physical and mental health. Unfortunately, our health care system puts up payment, licensing, and other regulatory barriers to delivering and receiving whole person care. Many of these barriers are rooted in the destructive stigma that still surrounds mental health. These barriers lead to fragmented care and poorer…Read More…
Rallying Support for ASCs to Particpate in Leapfrog
In the coming weeks, we’ll be reaching out to insurers and large employer purchasers of health care in New Jersey asking them to join our call for transparency among Ambulatory Surgery Centers, or ASCs. In New Jersey, 100 percent of acute care hospitals participate in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Their commitment to transparency around safety…Read More…
Unlocking Local Data to Improve Community Health
This year, more than 40 New Jersey cities and towns submitted “Healthy Town” applications to the Mayors Wellness Campaign (MWC), a program run by the Quality Institute in partnership with the NJ League of Municipalities. In their applications, the towns shared the creative ways they are promoting health and wellness — such as community farms, food…Read More…
NJ.com Opinion Piece
Today, I am sharing my guest essay which was published yesterday in NJ.com. The essay focuses on the challenges that small businesses face when purchasing health benefits insurance for their employees. The state’s Small Employer Health Insurance market needs to be modernized and strengthened to preserve it. Time is of the essence, as plan design…Read More…