Friday, January 12, 2007
Hospital groups offering reforms Associations seeking to pre-empt Spitzer's ideas, shift focus of cuts
Jay Gallagher Democrat & Chronicle
"January 12, 2007) — ALBANY — With Gov. Eliot Spitzer expected to outline his ideas on how to wring billions of dollars out of the health care system within the next week, the state's two major hospital associations have presented their own plans on how to reform the system.
The associations, some of whose members already face closings and consolidations ordered by a state commission last year, want to steer further cuts away from their members
Here are some changes in the health care system advocated by the state Healthcare Association:
Provide universal health insurance coverage for children and cutting the total number of uninsured in half by 2010.
Require insurers to pay provider claims "responsibly."
Mandate closer state oversight of building of outpatient facilities.
Restructure long-term care to better support expansion of home- and community-based services.
Restructure Medicaid payments to promote the use of primary care.
Move to a standardized quality measurement system to better indicate the performance of providers.
Invest more in physician, nursing and staff recruitment, retention and training.
Develop coordinated chronic-care management programs to improve and more efficiently deliver care to people with chronic health conditions.
"January 12, 2007) — ALBANY — With Gov. Eliot Spitzer expected to outline his ideas on how to wring billions of dollars out of the health care system within the next week, the state's two major hospital associations have presented their own plans on how to reform the system.
The associations, some of whose members already face closings and consolidations ordered by a state commission last year, want to steer further cuts away from their members
Here are some changes in the health care system advocated by the state Healthcare Association:
Provide universal health insurance coverage for children and cutting the total number of uninsured in half by 2010.
Require insurers to pay provider claims "responsibly."
Mandate closer state oversight of building of outpatient facilities.
Restructure long-term care to better support expansion of home- and community-based services.
Restructure Medicaid payments to promote the use of primary care.
Move to a standardized quality measurement system to better indicate the performance of providers.
Invest more in physician, nursing and staff recruitment, retention and training.
Develop coordinated chronic-care management programs to improve and more efficiently deliver care to people with chronic health conditions.
For the rest of this well written article....click here.........andy
