The Quality Institute’s origins go back to the New Jersey Payer Coalition, which was a group of union funds that were purchasing health care for their members but had no information about the quality or safety of the care. All they knew was that the costs were going up, and they had little to no control or insight into what they were purchasing. A lot has changed in the past twenty years. We have more information on safety and quality, but still not enough on prices. That is why the Quality Institute continues to work with purchasers, including the New Jersey Office of the Treasury, to push for greater price transparency and benefit designs that lead people to the care that is more valuable and effective for them.
In this exclusive Take Five interview, you’ll hear from Christin Deacon, Director of Health Benefit Operations and Policy and Planning at the New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits, Department of Treasury about the State’s work to date and future plans to exercise its sizable purchasing power on behalf over 800,000 people that it covers and the New Jersey taxpayers.