Health

Connecticut’s long-term services and supports for seniors and people with disabilities ranked 11th in the nation in a scorecard of states released Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation. Connecticut led the nation in limiting staff turnover in nursing homes; the state’s 18.7 percent turnover rate less than half the median rate of […]

The Virginia case, brought by state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, was considered one of the highest profile health law challenges to the health law. In its opinion, issued today, the appellate court ruled that the state does not have standing to challenge the law’s individual mandate because it lacks “a personal stake.” It also concluded that Liberty University’s challenge […]

Eastern Connecticut Health Network, the parent company of Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals, announced Tuesday that it will terminate its contract with UnitedHealthcare and Oxford Health Plans as of Oct. 15. At that point, the hospitals would be out of the insurers’ networks, and patients covered by those plans would face out-of-network rates if […]

As of Monday afternoon, 86 public drinking water systems were subject to a boil water advisory, down from 144 on Friday, according to the state Department of Public Health. They are: Woodlawn Apartments, LLC, Ashford Mar-Lea Park Apts, Ashford Elmwood Court LLC, Bethel Sunset Apartments, Bolton 168 Boston Turnpike, Bolton Brooklyn Manor, Brooklyn Longview Estates, […]

Ninety-one public drinking water systems are under a boil water advisory, according to the state Department of Public Health. The number has been updated from earlier in the day. Some large public water supply systems lost power capabilities as a result of tropical storm Irene, but emergency power capabilities prevented an interruption in their water […]

New London’s Lawrence & Memorial Hospital announced Wednesday that it is exploring a possible merger or affiliation with The Westerly Hospital of Rhode Island, becoming the latest in a series of hospitals to consider joining forces. The two hospitals have signed an exclusive, nonbinding letter of intent to explore a possible alliance, allowing them to […]

Two of the nations’ top health care economists have condensed many of the causes and challenges of America’s rising health care costs into one 29-page paper with a snappy title: “Aspirin, Angioplasty, and Proton Beam Therapy: The Economics of Smarter Health Care Spending.” Harvard’s Katherine Baicker and Amitabh Chandra presented the paper last week at […]

With people using portable generators in the wake of tropical storm Irene, the Connecticut Poison Control Center has been receiving calls about carbon monoxide poisoning. Portable generators produce carbon monoxide, and the poison control center, part of the UConn Health Center, has issued safety advice about the generators and food safety. “CO cannot be seen, […]

Monday’s meeting of the Connecticut Health Care Exchange has been canceled because of concerns about the effects of Hurricane Irene. The meeting would have been the first of the board that will oversee the marketplace for individuals and small businesses to buy health care coverage, part of federal health reform. The board will meet Thursday, […]

The first thing East Coasters did when the ground began to shake this afternoon was not duck under their desks, but to turn to their smart phones. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt from Durham to Toronto was immediately documented through social media like Facebook and Twitter. It was an interesting coincidence for Stacy […]

States are trying every which way to reduce unnecessary ER visits by Medicaid patients, with the various initiatives all aimed at bringing down the skyrocketing costs of that joint state-federal health program for the poor and disabled, according to a Kaiser Health News story. But those efforts are being frustrated “by hospitals’ aggressive marketing of […]

Waterbury Hospital announced Tuesday that it would join a joint venture between St. Mary’s Hospital and a private Texas hospital group, moving forward with long-contemplated plans to merge the city’s two hospitals. Under the planned joint venture, which must receive regulatory approval, both hospitals would be replaced by a new medical center, an investment of […]