Monday, February 21, 2011

Chaplaincy Testifies at Medicaid Redesign Hearing

To curb the projected $9 billion New York State budget gap created in part by enormous expenditures in state health care, Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a new task force named the “Medicaid Redesign Team” to assess the reform possibilities in the New York State Medicaid system.

Medicaid accounts for about one-third of all state spending, making it a key target area for cost-cutting and deficit reduction.

Established by executive order by the governor, the 27-member team is made up of a variety of health care professionals and members of advocacy organizations. Leading the team are Michael Dowling, president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, and Dennis Rivera, president of the labor union SEIU Healthcare. The team’s role in the reform process is two-fold: 1) to provide good ideas for how to lower costs and improve quality in New York’s Medicaid Program; 2) to evaluate ideas generated through stakeholder and staff engagement.

A total of 3,000 ideas were submitted to the New York State Health Department, both at public hearings and on the department’s website. These were narrowed down to 49 of the most promising items and submitted by the Health Department to the governor’s Medicaid Redesign Team.

Claire Altman, HealthCare Chaplaincy’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, testified at the February 22nd hearing and those suggestions are reflected in one of the recommended proposals covering long-term care. To read Claire’s full testimony, click here

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Study Finds Early Palliative Care Extends Life and Improves Quality of Life for Cancer Patients. Video: http://bit.ly/c2bVwH
U.S. State Department Profiles
HealthCare Chaplaincy’s Imam Yusuf Hasan http://bit.ly/aKmsTP spirituality
Hear what Anderson Cooper says about HealthCare Chaplaincy http://bit.ly/9vve0H
#hpm

Friday, February 18, 2011