Nearly 300,000 Massachusetts residents have obtained health insurance through the state's initiative that mandates all residents to get insurance unless the state determines it is unaffordable for them. The state's initiative is being watched across the nation as other states consider how to move forward in the absence of any federal solution to the growing number of uninsured.
Despite the state's reputation for top medical care, hospital patients in Massachusetts die at a higher rate than the national average, according to an analysis. A consumer advocacy group plans to send a letter to state health officialsdemanding that they take immediate action to improve care at hospitals with significantly high mortality rates.
Thanks to supplemental grants from the government and Kaiser Permanente, the Redwood Community Health Coalition, the largest nonprofit community health center network in California, has secured electronic medical record and practice management software for 10 centers operating 18 sites of care. Working with eClinicalWorks, a Westborough, MA-based, privately held company that specializes in ambulatory clinical systems, RCHC will be able to better ensure continuity of patient care, save money, and help the community by providing population health management data. Additionally, eClinicalWorks is providing RCHC a patient portal that will provide a secure way for patients to communicate with their doctors, make appointments online, view lab results, and enter further information about their conditions. In addition to those features, eClinicalWorks' Electronic Health Exchange tool will allow RCHC to enable the health centers to view and update electronic charts. A large part of RHCH's patient population are the working poor and uninsured, serving rural, suburban and urban communities with a population of roughly 1 million. For more information about the RCHC, visit its Web site at www.rchc.net.
St. Luke's Hospital will not lose its newborn intensive care unit but rather will see a change in services under a compromise proposal announced by executives of California Pacific Medical Center. The plan to shift the neonatal intensive care unit into a special care nursery represents a significant reduction in medical care, said St. Luke's medical staff who spoke at hearing before the San Francisco Health Commission.
Across the country, doctors, insurers and healthcare executives are donating much more to Democratic candidates than in past campaigns. Some say the trend is an indication that the industry is ready for major change to the healthcare system.