New Jersey has lifted the state’s public health emergency, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. We’re re-opening our state just as the earliest signs of spring are beginning to emerge. It’s a time to share our gratitude to those who pushed themselves above and beyond to protect us — and those who…Read More…

We held our annual Leapfrog Quality Briefing last week. In advance of the event, we asked every hospital CEO or senior quality officer to identify their quality and safety team members so we could recognize and celebrate them. The 293 hospital professionals we honored have been working throughout the pandemic, have modified protocols as needed,…Read More…

By Kate Shamszad, MS, MPH, Director of the Quality Institute’s Medicaid Policy Center (MPC)   At the Quality Institute, we support alternative payment models that move away from fee-for-service and toward better coordinated care that pays for better quality and outcomes. Most of the existing alternative payment models focus on chronic conditions or a specific…Read More…

I celebrated the New Year with my family at my childhood home in Southern California. My parents, both in their 80s, still live in the house where I grew up, which is not designed for older adults with multiple health issues. My visit home was wonderful, but also highlighted — in a real and concrete…Read More…

    I hope you were able join our virtual Winter Conference yesterday. The topic was Primary Care as a Common Good – The Prescription for a Healthier and More Equitable Health Care System. Our speakers, including keynote Dr. Shawna Hudson, spoke about the value of high-quality primary care, how that is defined, and how…Read More…

The past 21 months, perhaps more than any time in memory, have taught us the importance of relationships and collaboration. At the Quality Institute, we value our relationships with our members and others committed to our mission to advance health care safety, quality, and affordability for everyone. Much work remains ahead, especially in our efforts…Read More…

Just recently, while waiting in my ob-gyn’s exam room, I noticed heartfelt, pink posters which said, “Are you concerned about your thinning lips? Fine lines around your eyes?” Honesty, I was there for health care, but when it was mentioned, should I be concerned?   At home, the marketing continued. I received not just one,…Read More…

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades come out next week. Those grades are based, in part, on information from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Once again, we have a 100 percent participation rate on the Survey by New Jersey hospitals. Our state’s hospitals show their commitment to quality, safety, and transparency every time they complete the Survey….Read More…

Most of us have had at least one telehealth visit since the beginning of the pandemic. And for the majority of us, it was our first telehealth visit. Across the country, and the Northeast in particular, telehealth saw an unprecedented spike due to stay at home orders and limitations on PPE. At the Quality Institute,…Read More…

Now is the time to come together and commit to making high quality primary care the foundation of our health care system. This will be a change for New Jersey, but it’s a long overdue positive and important change that we can define and design together.   Depending on our age, health status, and our…Read More…