Massachusetts health care reform

Season Health Announces Partnership with Steward Health Care Network, Providing Food-as-Medicine Programs to Address Hypertension and Nutrition Insecurity

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
ACO, Incidence, Cardiovascular disease, Massachusetts health care reform, Steward, Food, Risk, Hypertension, Patient, Health equity, Medicaid, Partnership, Pharmaceutical industry

Austin, TX, March 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Season Health, the leading food-as-medicine platform designed to address chronic condition management at scale, today announced a partnership with Steward Health Care Network, the largest physician-led private for-profit health care network in the United States.

Key Points: 
  • Austin, TX, March 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Season Health, the leading food-as-medicine platform designed to address chronic condition management at scale, today announced a partnership with Steward Health Care Network, the largest physician-led private for-profit health care network in the United States.
  • The partnership includes two comprehensive programs in Massachusetts: the first is focused on patients with hypertension and the second supports Medicaid patients with chronic conditions who are experiencing nutrition insecurity.
  • “This partnership with Season reflects our commitment to meeting the nutrition needs of our members and addressing health equity for our members across Massachusetts,” said Jennie Vital, Director, Medicaid ACO at Steward.
  • “Season's evidence-based programs ensure that clinical care and medically-tailored food are both affordable and accessible, supporting improved outcomes for our members.”

Amanda Cassel Kraft Joins Commonwealth Care Alliance as Chief Operating Officer

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024
Health, Practice Management, Health Technology, Other Health, Health Insurance, Managed Care, General Health, Pharmacy, Mental health, Assistant, Commonwealth, Federation, Massachusetts health care reform, Stanford University, Safety, Harvard Kennedy School, Policy, Health equity, Medicaid, CCA, Management

Commonwealth Care Alliance® (CCA), a mission-driven healthcare services organization that offers health plans and care delivery programs designed for individuals with the most significant needs, welcomes longstanding Massachusetts health policy leader Amanda Cassel Kraft as its Chief Operating Officer.

Key Points: 
  • Commonwealth Care Alliance® (CCA), a mission-driven healthcare services organization that offers health plans and care delivery programs designed for individuals with the most significant needs, welcomes longstanding Massachusetts health policy leader Amanda Cassel Kraft as its Chief Operating Officer.
  • A senior leader at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) for more than a decade, Cassel Kraft was an architect of the groundbreaking MassHealth 1115 waiver and shepherded major reforms to advance health equity and care delivery for millions of people across the state.
  • In her new role at CCA, Cassel Kraft will lead the organization’s core business and IT operations, including claims administration, member services and the enterprise project management office, to meet the medical, social, and behavioral health needs of its members in Massachusetts and across the country.
  • She lives with her husband and two kids in Belmont, Massachusetts.

Commonwealth Care Alliance® Announces Three New Leaders Across Clinical Health Plan Division

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
General Health, Health Insurance, Health, Other Health, Senior, Public policy, Assessment, Policy, Massachusetts health care reform, University, Bailey, Public affairs, LICSW, CCA, Innovation, Government, Public, Social work, Public health, Health policy, MPH, Mental health, LTSS, Syracuse University

Commonwealth Care Alliance® (CCA), a mission-driven healthcare services organization that offers health plans and care delivery programs designed for individuals with the most significant needs, has appointed three new leaders to its Clinical Health Plan division.

Key Points: 
  • Commonwealth Care Alliance® (CCA), a mission-driven healthcare services organization that offers health plans and care delivery programs designed for individuals with the most significant needs, has appointed three new leaders to its Clinical Health Plan division.
  • The organization has hired Emily Bailey, LICSW, as Senior Vice President of Performance, Operations, & Innovation, and promoted Josh Ruminski as Senior Vice President of Health Plan Clinical Care and expanded the role of Whitney Moyer, naming her Vice President of Clinical Provider Integration.
  • Before his promotion to Senior Vice President of Health Plan Clinical Care, Ruminski served as Vice President of Member Onboarding & Assessment at CCA.
  • Whitney Moyer is a public health and health policy leader with over 10 years of experience supporting populations requiring complex care and long-term services and supports (LTSS).

Massachusetts Nurses Association Statement Regarding Healey-Driscoll Administration Reports on Maternal Child Health Access

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Legislature, DPH, Attention, Health, Licensure, Substance abuse, Travel, Nursing, MNA, BIPOC, Risk, Birthing center, Bed, Patient, Multimedia, Holyoke Medical Center, City, Report, Child, Mother, Child care, Public health, UMass Memorial Health, Mental health, Massachusetts health care reform, Diabetes, National Nurses United, News, Workplace, Commonwealth, Legislation, Public, Transport, Birth control

CANTON, Mass., Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) is hereby submitting its response to two reports released today by the Healey administration addressing the issue of maternal child health access: one addressing access to labor, delivery and postpartum care statewide; and the other addressing similar issues for Northern Worcester County following the controversial, and widely opposed closure of the Birthing Center at Leominster Hospital, the 11th such closure in the last decade. 

Key Points: 
  • We are encouraged to see recommendations for a thorough review of access in Northern Worcester County, but believe this should be extended to all regions of the state that have lost access to inpatient maternal health services.
  • The MNA has already filed legislation (S.1450/H.2251) that would establish such a process, but the DPH and the administration can implement this process without legislative action right now.
  • The problem of access to maternal child health services is multifaceted, and we agree that increased reimbursement for these services is necessary, and for some providers serving marginalized communities, funding support from the state may be warranted.
  • Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

TUFTS HEALTH UNIFY TO REBRAND AS TUFTS HEALTH ONE CARE

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Unify, TTY, ID, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Disability, Medicare, Tufts Health Plan, Massachusetts health care reform, Postcard, Health insurance, Medicaid

CANTON, Mass., Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Point32Health, the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, today announced that its Tufts Health Unify product, available to Massachusetts residents ages 21-64 who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, will change its name to Tufts Health One Care effective January 1, 2024. 

Key Points: 
  • CANTON, Mass., Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Point32Health, the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, today announced that its Tufts Health Unify product, available to Massachusetts residents ages 21-64 who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, will change its name to Tufts Health One Care effective January 1, 2024.
  • "We will continue to be the same health plan that our members have come to know, as well as provide the customer service they deserve."
  • Tufts Health Unify is a health plan that contracts with both Medicare and Medicaid (MassHealth) to provide benefits of both programs to enrollees.
  • Tufts Health Plan complies with applicable Federal civil rights law and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity，

Ilant Health Launches to Bring Value-Based Care to Obesity Treatment

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Alternative Medicine, Health, Hospitals, Surgery, Other Health, Managed Care, General Health, Well, Massachusetts health care reform, Bias, Obesity, MD, CSO, Former, Home, Aetna, Patient, McKinsey & Company, HITRUST, Alan Howard (nutritionist), PPD, Bariatric surgery, McKesson Corporation, CFO, Amwell (company), Molina Healthcare, Physician, Organizational founder, Nursing, Pharmaceutical industry, W2, Biotechnology

Ilant Health, a company purpose-built to partner with employers and government payors to improve obesity treatment through holistic, integrated, and value-based care, launches out of stealth today with $3M in funding.

Key Points: 
  • Ilant Health, a company purpose-built to partner with employers and government payors to improve obesity treatment through holistic, integrated, and value-based care, launches out of stealth today with $3M in funding.
  • Acting as the single front door across obesity treatment modalities, Ilant supports employers and health plans in managing the cost, quality, and experience of obesity treatment and supports members through holistic, individualized, evidence-based and integrated care, replacing what today is often a fragmented, expensive, and broad-brush approach to obesity treatment.
  • “Obesity is incredibly complex - it’s a medical problem, a health equity problem, a bias problem, and a cost problem,” Onitskansky said.
  • We’re seeing increasing discussions of obesity - even as the biases and the stigma associated with obesity remain incredibly high.

CSG Government Solutions Selected by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services to Support Procurement of a Pharmacy Claims Management Solution

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Massachusetts health care reform, Government, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Pharmacy, Health care, Commonwealth, Medicaid, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, CSG, Medicare, Management, Health

CHICAGO, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that it has been selected by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to provide planning and procurement support for MassHealth's replacement of its Electronic Pharmacy Claims Management Solution.

Key Points: 
  • CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that it has been selected by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to provide planning and procurement support for MassHealth's replacement of its Electronic Pharmacy Claims Management Solution.
  • CHICAGO, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- CSG Government Solutions, a national leader in government program modernization, today announced that it has been selected by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to provide planning and procurement support for MassHealth's replacement of its Electronic Pharmacy Claims Management Solution.
  • CSG is helping develop a procurement plan for the Commonwealth's next generation system pharmacy solution that enhances program performance.
  • "CSG is applying our national Pharmacy and Medicaid enterprise system expertise to help assure the Commonwealth achieves its pharmacy solution goals."

Nurses, Advocates to Testify in Favor of Legislation To Prevent Workplace Violence Against Health Care Workers at Oct. 4th State House Hearing

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Verbal abuse, National Nurses United, Concussion, State, Emergency Nurses Association, Statehouse, MNA, Legislature, United States Army Nurse Corps, Violence, Health care, WBUR, Hospital, Workplace, Fear, Multimedia, Holy Family Hospital, Oklahoma Hospital Association, GAO, Workplace violence, Patient, Implement, Risk, Hearing, Massachusetts health care reform, ICU, Commonwealth, Massachusetts General Hospital, Safety, Legislation, Nursing

BOSTON, Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lawmakers will hold a hearing at the State House on Wednesday, Oct. 4 on legislation that would require hospitals to design and implement policies and procedures to prevent what has been characterized as an epidemic of violence against frontline nurses and other direct care staff in Massachusetts healthcare facilities.

Key Points: 
  • The bill also requires the creation of an in-house crisis response team to support victims of workplace violence.
  • More than 80% of emergency department nurses have been the victim of workplace violence, according to the Emergency Nurses Association.
  • 76% of nurses in direct care at a teaching hospital said workplace violence and abuse is a serious problem.
  • 79% of nurses in direct care at a community hospital said workplace violence and abuse is a serious problem.

Concert Health Announces Collaboration to Scale Quality Behavioral Health Care at Mass General Brigham

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Hospitals, Health, Practice Management, Mental Health, ACO, Medicaid, Depression, Pediatrics, Anxiety, Massachusetts health care reform, Commonwealth Fund, Medicare, PCP, Patient, Mass General Brigham, Annual report, Safety, Health insurance, Mass

Concert Health, a leading behavioral health medical group, today announced a collaboration with Mass General Brigham, an integrated academic health care system, to expand behavioral health services delivered through primary care.

Key Points: 
  • Concert Health, a leading behavioral health medical group, today announced a collaboration with Mass General Brigham, an integrated academic health care system, to expand behavioral health services delivered through primary care.
  • The launch program will be rolled out in Mass General Brigham’s primary care facilities throughout Massachusetts, giving more than 400 primary care providers and their patients access to Concert Health’s behavioral health services.
  • Concert Health was built to enable primary care with comprehensive behavioral health services, at scale.
  • The Concert Health and Mass General Brigham collaboration will help further expand the safety net for integrated care and make essential behavioral health services available to all health plan patients, including those on Medicaid.

PointClickCare Expands its Network throughout Massachusetts, Improving Interoperability Between Healthcare Entities

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Nursing, Mental Health, Health, Hospitals, Health Technology, Health Insurance, SBP, Communication, Medical Affairs Bureau, Partnership, Senior, Policy, BH, Mental health, Intelligence, General number field sieve, Ontario Hospital Association, Ambulatory care, Hospital, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Patient, Automation, FACEP, Massachusetts health care reform, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Ecosystem, Commonwealth, SVP, MHA, Caregiver, Accountable care organization, MD

“Investment in technology is an important way of improving coordination of patient care,” said Valerie Fleishman , Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association.

Key Points: 
  • “Investment in technology is an important way of improving coordination of patient care,” said Valerie Fleishman , Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association.
  • As a strong investment in patient-centric technology, PointClickCare will be added to MHA’s Strategic Business Partner (SBP) program.
  • Specifically, the collaboration will provide participating Massachusetts hospitals and health systems with real‐time insights to support high-risk patients across the healthcare continuum.
  • To learn more about how PointClickCare is improving care collaboration, visit our website here .