Health

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the state’s largest health insurer, announced plans to encourage primary care doctors to coordinate patient care and compensate them for activities that improve health but don’t require office visits. The announcement is the latest endorsement of efforts to change the way primary care providers are paid. Earlier this week, […]

Aetna announced Monday that it will launch a patient-centered medical home program in Connecticut and New Jersey to reward primary care physicians who more actively coordinate and manage their patients’ care. Doctors who meet certain requirements will be eligible to get a quarterly care coordination payment for each Aetna patient they treat, although Aetna Medicare […]

The state has a massive need for more home care workers, but the lack of clear standards for the jobs makes it difficult for the work force development system to create training programs, an education and work force expert said Friday. “The work force system is set up to provide training based on the acquisition […]

The parent companies of St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford and Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs announced plans to form an affiliation Monday, becoming the latest in a series of hospital partnerships across the state. The agreement between the companies, which requires regulatory approval, would bring capital and access to clinical services […]

Community Health Center Inc., which has sites across the state, on Friday launched an internal telemedicine program aimed at expanding access to specialized care for patients with hepatitis C and HIV. The program is based on Project ECHO, a model developed at the University of New Mexico that allows primary care providers to consult with […]

The state Office of the Healthcare Advocate announced Wednesday that it saved consumers $11.46 million and handled 5,515 cases last year, double the savings and more than twice the caseload of the previous year. The office helps consumers address managed care insurance issues. The savings figure represents the costs of health care services, procedures and […]

Nineteen percent of doctors responding to a survey said their practices are already limiting appointments for patients with Medicare and the military health plan TRICARE, and nearly three-quarters said their practices would make changes to access for patients with the plans if a looming cut to the programs’ payment rates takes effect in March. The […]

Key legislators have cast doubt on an effort by the state Department of Social Services to restrict eligibility and benefits in a Medicaid program that had been growing at higher-than-expected levels. In an October “concept paper” sent to federal authorities, DSS officials outlined ways to limit eligibility and scale back benefits in the Medicaid Low-Income […]

The operator of a Wethersfield nursing home has notified 145 workers that their jobs will be eliminated as it awaits word on a request to close the facility. The notices also come amid a contract fight between the operator, HealthBridge Management, and the union representing workers at Wethersfield Health Care Center and five other HealthBridge […]

A child previously known to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families dies a horrible death.  A prominent public figure rushes to scapegoat efforts to keep families together.  Connecticut is putting too much emphasis on family preservation, the public figure claims. Of course I’m talking about – 1995.  The child was “Baby Emily” and the […]