Schwimmer Script Blog
Happy National Botox Day, From Your Trusted Physician
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…
We Need Better Data to Address Health Care Inequities
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…
Time to Support, Not Constrain, Telehealth
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…
Foundational Change to Primary Care is Needed Now
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…
COYL Became Essential Part of Public Health Pandemic Response
During the first week of March 2020, our Conversation of Your Life (COYL) county task forces were preparing community events leading up to National Healthcare Decisions Day, organized to inspire community members and health care professionals to learn more about advance care planning. But then word of people dying across the globe from a novel…Read More…
Delivering on the Promise to Improve Maternal Health
Five years ago, the Quality Institute, in partnership with many of our members, increased our focus on Maternal Infant Health. We were driven by our concern over New Jersey’s high rate of Caesarean section deliveries, high rate of maternal morbidity and mortality, and the disparities based on race. Since then, much has changed, and I…Read More…
It’s Time to Elevate Oral Health in New Jersey and Nationally
Oral health is a window into overall health. Poor oral health is associated with higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary infections. Oral health also is linked to pregnancy complications such as low-birth weight and premature birth. Moreover, studies have shown that regular dental treatments for those with chronic conditions such as diabetes lowers…Read More…
Must-Read Report Finds Racial Disparities in Patient Safety and Outlines Strategies to Address
A new research report conducted by the Urban Institute and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has found that Black adult patients experience significantly higher rates of hospital acquired infections and injuries than white adult patients of the same age group, gender, with similar insurance coverage — within the same hospital. The report is an…Read More…
The Post-Pandemic Budget We Need Right Now
Budgets, like tax codes, are not just fiscal documents with numbers. A budget reflects who has power, whose voice is heard, what needs are met. After the traumatic year we’ve been through, it’s good to see that we have money to spend to begin healing our State. When it comes to health care spending, it…Read More…
Bringing About the Action Plan for a Healthier State
We released our Emerging from COVID-19 Action Plan for a Healthier State in early May. Since then, many of you have reached out to discuss next steps. The Action Plan forms the strategic focus of our work at the Quality Institute, and we will continue sharing our efforts to further these far-reaching consensus recommendations. In…Read More…