Maternal Health Awareness Day was earlier this week, providing us with an excellent time to update you on the work we are doing with others to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place in the nation to give birth and raise a baby.   As many of you know, the Quality Institute released…Read More…

We just ended our 25th anniversary celebration and are energized for the next quarter of a century. We’re moving forward with you, our members, and trusted partners to advance the priorities we all share. Today I’m outlining some specific goals for 2023 that build on our work to make health care safer and more accessible…Read More…

In partnership with you, our members, we will end 2022 with significant impact and achievements.   We brought together many of you to craft recommendations and policy change in the areas of primary care, including maternal infant health, small employer health insurance, and the health care workforce. Please read our reports on these issues, which…Read More…

I’ve been thinking about community these days, and what makes a community a good place to live. There are the essentials such as clean air and water and, also important, good schools and open space. Yet community is also about the familiar — faces, places, signs, smells, and sounds. Maybe your favorite bagel shop, pizza place,…Read More…

Last year, I was in California visiting family and stopped into a CVS. Waiting in line, I noticed a sign saying you could see a pharmacist for a consultation and prescription for birth control there without a doctor’s prescription. The cost was $39.   I was intrigued, then impressed, that California streamlined access to birth…Read More…

As the elections approach, and the focus is mostly on national races, we should remember how much of an impact our local leaders can have in our communities. Every day we see how dedicated mayors and public health officials are making a difference in the health and wellness of their communities.   Mayors throughout New…Read More…

Health insurance coverage continues to be unaffordable for many. Those eligible for Medicaid or who receive generous subsidies through the Individual market are largely shielded from these costs. And many who have employers that cover most of their premiums also are protected, though they may still have large out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance….Read More…

In January of 2017, the Quality Institute, in partnership with the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, released a poll examining New Jersey residents’ experience with telehealth. We saw telehealth as a valuable way to extend access to care, and we wanted to know what people in New Jersey thought about this care and how…Read More…

At our 25th Anniversary celebration last week, David Knowlton, a founder of the Quality Institute, called many of our early leaders, “disrupters.” As he spoke, I nodded my head in agreement. And I thought of how so many of those disrupters today work inside the health care system, some in powerful positions. They’re bringing much…Read More…

At the Quality Institute, we trace our roots to the New Jersey Health Care Payers Coalition, which purchased benefits for their union members and were frustrated over the lack of transparency on price and quality. Were they paying higher prices for care at hospitals with low quality? There was no way to know. Coalition leaders…Read More…