With plans to tie hospitals’ Medicare payments to patient satisfaction beginning next year, some hospitals are seeking advice from The Walt Disney Co., Phil Galewitz reports for Kasier Health News. At least 25 hospitals have signed multi-year consulting agreements with the entertainment giant, and some are sending employees to Disney World for a firsthand look […]
Hospitals take lessons from the “happiest place on earth”
Posted inHealth, Money
Disability insurance program a target in debt talks
Health care spending is a target in every debt-reduction package that’s being talked about in Washington these days. One program that’s currently in the bulls-eye: the so-called CLASS Act, or Community Living Assistance Services and Supports. It was created under federal health reform to increase health care options for people with disabilities, seen as a […]
Posted inNews
Social media in the statehouse
It wasn’t that long ago that state officials were leery of using social media to connect with the public, Mary Mahling reports at Stateline.org, but those days are over, at least in governors’ offices. A survey of gubernatorial websites indicates that all 50 state chief executives–or, to be precise, their staffs–use at least one social […]
Posted inNews
Once derided as ‘scalpers,’ ticket broker now backed by state
A business that once operated on the edges of legality has arrived: Not only did Gov. Dannel P. Malloy welcome the opening Thursday of a ticket broker’s new headquarters in South Windsor, he came with about $8 million in state aid to help create or retain at least 500 jobs. TicketNetwork, an online brokerage whose […]
Posted inNews
New stem cell research covers bad knees to schizophrenia
Antibiotics, antivirals and other drugs have helped countless people, but for some, they can also cause liver damage. There’s no way to tell who’s susceptible until after it happens, and until recently, scientists trying to develop ways to find out sooner faced significant obstacles. For one thing, taking liver cells from a person for research […]
Posted inNews
Shoppers, businesses struggle to adapt to sales tax changes
Connecticut shoppers might need to bring cheat sheets with them for the rest of the summer as they struggle to adjust to nearly two dozen changes in state sales tax law that took effect this month. And while some of those sales tax changes – such as raising the base rate from 6 to 6.35 […]
Posted inNews
House Republican transportation plan cuts funding to states
WASHINGTON–Memo from Washington to state transportation chiefs: Be careful what you wish for. Transportation officials in Connecticut and other states have long lamented Congress’s inability to pass a new, long-term transportation plan that details federal spending levels and outlines national priorities. Critics say the lack of such a roadmap hampers state planning and creates uncertainty […]
Posted inNews
Roberti uses connections, money to make mark in 5th CD
He is young and without experience in elected office, but family connections in the film business and national politics have helped Dan Roberti get noticed as the early fund-raising leader among Democrats seeking the open seat in 5th Congressional District. The challenge now for Roberti, whose competition includes the speaker of the state House of […]
Posted inEducation
Members named to new Board of Regents
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has named the first six members of the new Board of Regents that will govern the state’s community colleges, online university and the Connecticut State University System. “This is a new chapter in higher education in the state of Connecticut, one that streamlines administration and focuses more attention on student achievement […]
Posted inMoney
Droney’s nomination to appeals court advances
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved Christopher Droney’s nomination for a seat on the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday. Droney, currently a U.S. District judge in Hartford, won a quick endorsement from the panel in a voice vote Thursday morning. There was no debate and no “nay” votes on Droney’s bid to move […]
Posted inNews
Budget cuts eliminating beds for substance abuse treatment
MIDDLETOWN–So far, in his 25-year career as a state employee providing addiction treatment services, Ken Kroll has worked at two facilities that have since closed their substance abuse programs. Connecticut Valley Hospital, where he works now, has also cut back. And on Sept. 1, it will eliminate 20 detoxification beds and 60 rehabilitation beds for […]
Posted inNews
More layoff notices issued as concession talks proceed
Though Gov. Dannel P. Malloy remains optimistic that a concession agreement again will be presented to state employee unions, the administration is proceeding with layoff plans, having notified over 1,850 employees to date, a top administration official said Wednesday. Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy’s senior adviser, also said the governor anticipates talks begun this week to clarify […]
Posted inNews
Senate committee hears testimony on repealing DOMA
WASHINGTON–The Senate waded into the emotionally and politically-charged issue of gay marriage Wednesday, with the first-ever hearing on repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee heard deeply personal testimony from gay and lesbian witnesses, including a widower from Connecticut, about how that federal law has undermined their financial […]
Posted inNews
Critics say Malloy stretched his fiscal promises with new budget plan
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s new budget-balancing plan tested several of his political promises, shifting spending onto the state’s credit card, ordering fare increases that one transit advocate called a “hidden tax hike,” and using a one-time subsidy savings from last year’s budget to cover ongoing costs in the current one. Malloy’s budget chief, Office of […]