By Edie Sonn Measuring outcomes in meaningful and consistent ways; giving providers incentives to improve; holding them accountable for their results. Comparing providers against their peers as well as against their own historical trend. Rewarding low-performers who improve, without penalizing high-performers that dont have as far to go. Making sense of a bewildering tangle of expectations and requirements. Thats the landscape of health care accountability, right? Yes, and its also the landscape of school accountability. Every single balancing act described above that lies at the heart of every discussion we have about paying for value in health care echoes the…
News - Part 16
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Wellness and weight loss programs that target adults may come decades too late. Secrets to curbing the obesity epidemic and reversing skyrocketing diabetes rates may be hidden in the womb. Ironically, babies starved of nutrients for a variety of reasons in utero may grow up to have defective metabolic and organ systems that crave calories and can cause obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Researchers have found that a striking 25 to 63 percent of adult diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease (cases) can be attributed to the effects of low birth weight. (Click here to…
By Emily King What comes to mind when you think of the term Young Invincible? You might picture a twenty-something, perhaps unemployed or underemployed. Maybe living in a parents basement, consuming an above-average amount of Ramen noodles. This twenty-something chooses not to purchase health insurance, the thinking goes, because getting sick is not something he or she can even picture a perceived invincibility and there are plenty of more fun things to buy. Findings from the 2011 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) suggest that last sentence isnt true for most young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 in…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Colorados health exchange is supposed to debut in just six months, but having the technology ready by Oct. 1 may be an impossible task. Critical problems threaten the system, ranging from a lack of coordination with the states technology office and historic problems with state IT systems to poor oversight by exchange managers and contractors and the potential for serious conflicts of interest among those charged with creating the complex multi-million dollar exchange system. Among the challenges are: The inability of health exchange managers to work directly with tech experts at Colorados Office of Information Technology…
By Stephanie Wasserman We know that childhood vaccines are a safe, easy, and cost-effective way to help prevent disease and keep children healthy as they grow. Research shows that children who are vaccinated experience fewer doctor visits, hospitalizations and premature deaths. But, unfortunately, many kids dont have access to routine vaccinations. Thats why the Colorado Childrens Immunization Coalition (CCIC) comprised of over 300 doctors, researchers, public health experts, parents, and business leaders is supporting Senate Bill 222, which would help keep Colorado kids healthy by providing better access to vaccines. CCIC was formed in 1991 to raise awareness and improve…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Its not quite time to hang the Mission Accomplished banner, but managers of the long-disastrous Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) say they are well on their way to fixing it. While Kristin Russell, Colorados secretary of technology and chief information officer, is barred from overseeing IT at Colorados health exchange, she vowed that CBMS will work and will connect seamlessly with the exchange system by Oct. 1. Thats the target date for the exchange to open to customers. (Click here to read about tech troubles that could hobble the $66 million health exchange system.) We will…
By Vicki Cowart Over the past decade as president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, I have heard countless stories from parents who struggle having the talk with their teens. Through the work of PPRMs Responsible Sex Education Institute, I also hear stories from teachers and principals about wanting more support to equip students with appropriate information about sexual health. And from the many teens our educators speak to on a weekly and daily basis, we know that teens are curious they want real answers and real information about sexual health and whats going on with their…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Health insurance companies in Colorado can no longer discriminate against people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Colorado is the third state to prohibit discrimination in health coverage. California and Oregon have barred the practice along with the District of Columbia. The federal Affordable Care Act calls for equity in LGBT health care, but very few states have taken action thus far to codify these rights. Colorados Division of Insurance issued a bulletin last week that outlines the new rules. It states that health plans in Colorado can no longer: Charge LGBT people higher rates…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Colorado is flunking when it comes to childrens health and its time to mount an aggressive turnaround campaign. That was one of the key lessons from the release last week of the annual Colorado Health Report Card. Were not growing our own healthy children. Our child obesity rate remains in the middle of the pack, said Anne Warhover, president and CEO of the Colorado Health Foundation, which releases the report card each spring. Thats where the foundation is really going to emphasize more and more of our work in trying to prevent childhood obesity. It leads…
By Gretchen Hammer In 2012, Colorado welcomed roughly 1,800 refugees as new residents of our state. Mirroring national trends, in recent years the majority of refugees who settle in Colorado are Bhutanese, Burmese, from Iraq and Iran, and from African countries including Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia. The path to Colorado is not smooth for many of these individuals and families. Many have spent years living in camps or moving from place to place to escape danger and suffering. By definition, refugees are persons who have fled their home country due to a well-founded fear…