Second of two parts. Read the first part here. IF TUFTS MEDICINE is going to turn around financially, clearly there are short-term issues for management focus, but there are also intermediate and long-term ones as well, some of which may require state intervention. For me, there is no question that Tufts Medicine’s survival and vibrancy […]
Health Care
Posted inOpinion
Tufts Medicine facing existential challenges
First of two parts. Read part two here. I’M WORRIED about Tufts Medicine. The latest news, that its current financial woes could trigger violations of bond covenants by late September, raises the possibility that key services could be shut down, employees laid off, and assets sold. Tufts may even have to partner up with some health system […]
Posted inOpinion
Drugs extending my life, but Boston institute disagrees
WHEN I WAS diagnosed 6 years ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease as most people know it—it was a shock to my system, both figuratively and literally. No one wants to learn they have an incurable disease. For people living with ALS, our best hope is that the life sciences field will […]
Posted inOpinion
New mothers shouldn’t suffer in silence
USUALLY THE BIRTH of a child is anticipated with wonder and joy. When something goes wrong, our expectations shatter into jagged pieces that cut deep. How could this happen? That was the question when Duxbury mother Lindsay Clancy allegedly took the life of her children during a postpartum episode. It was the question again when […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass General Brigham says cost cutting on track
MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM, the state’s largest and most expensive health care system, says it is on track to meet the cost savings target it agreed to as part of a first-of-its-kind agreement with the state’s Health Policy Commission. The hospital system in September 2022 agreed to pare back its costs by $176.3 million over the […]
Posted inHealth, Health Care, Opinion
House budget plan would make Mass. health care more affordable
MASSACHUSETTS’ HEALTH CARE is the best in the nation, yet care is still out of reach for too many residents. From doctors visits to life-saving medications, too many people can’t access vital services when they need them. Fortunately, a proposal by the House is being considered now in the budget conference committee that would provide critical […]
Posted inOpinion
The transit crisis for doctors in training
By 6 a.m. that Friday, hour 25 of a long call shift in the hospital, a routine restlessness had set in. Yet, I found solace knowing that I helped patients in distress overnight. Shortly after 9 a.m., I was done with my patient care tasks – so close to embracing sleep and yet so far. […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Somerville makes push for mobile drug consumption site
SOMERVILLE is making strides toward being the first city or town in Massachusetts to open a supervised drug consumption site, an initiative that advocates say has shown promise internationally in combating overdoses. “If we have this tool that works, then nobody needs to die,” said Sarah Evans, the division director of drug policy at the […]
Posted inHealth Care
DiZoglio’s MassHealth audit disputed by Healey administration
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSHEALTH ERRANTLY paid more than $84 million related to care for residents who were living in other states, Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office concluded in a new report that the executive branch criticized as “overly broad” and “misleading.” State law requires members of MassHealth, which combines Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance […]
Posted inHealth Care
Medicaid redetermination process off to fast start
A TOP STATE OFFICIAL says 9,000 residents have transferred from MassHealth to the Massachusetts Health Connector since April as part of the post-COVID Medicaid redetermination process. “That’s a little bit more than we were even expecting for this time,” said Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, on The Codcast. “The topline […]