The Health Policy Commission’s double-barreled attack on Mass General Brigham dominated the headlines earlier this week, but the truth is the commission — as influential as it is — is […]
Health Care
Posted inHealth Care
The Mass General Brigham debate goes on
THE HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION’S double-barreled attack on Mass General Brigham dominated the headlines earlier this week, but the truth is the commission — as influential as it is — is […]
Posted inHealth Care
Michelle Wu’s vax dilemma
MICHELLE WU is signaling that she won’t back down from a fight – but also would desperately like to avoid one. As she navigates the latest of the many big […]
Posted inHealth Care
HPC reins in Mass General Brigham
THE HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION took two decisive steps to rein in Mass General Brigham on Tuesday, ordering the largest and most prominent health care system in Massachusetts to develop a […]
Posted inOpinion
Why hospital ERs are filled beyond capacity
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, which has afflicted more than 68 million people and caused more than 850,000 deaths in the United States, continues to serve as a giant stress test for […]
Posted inOpinion
Make Mass. a leader in reproductive freedom
FORTY-NINE YEARS ago today, the United States Supreme Court issued its historic ruling in the case of Roe v. Wade, confirming that access to abortion is a right guaranteed by […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass General Brigham makes its case for expansion
IN AND AROUND Boston, the quality of our hospitals and the talent of our doctors, nurses, and medical personnel has never been in doubt. Rather, the question has always been […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nearly half of COVID hospitalizations called ‘incidental’
CLOSE TO HALF of the patients being hospitalized in Massachusetts for COVID-19 are incidental cases, meaning they tested positive for the virus while being treated primarily for other issues. The […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mass General Brigham backs real estate transfer fee
MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM, the state’s largest private employer, on Wednesday urged passage of legislation that would allow Massachusetts communities to assess fees on higher-end real estate transactions to support the […]
Posted inEducation, Health Care
Baker expands test-and-stay to early childhood centers
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER announced Wednesday that he is expanding the state’s test-and-stay program to early childhood centers, so that children exposed to COVID at daycare do not have to quarantine. The announcement […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker urges schools to adopt new testing regime
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is urging Massachusetts schools to adopt a new COVID testing regime that relies on at-home testing once a week. Currently, the state operates a pooled testing program […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Polls indicate mental health of children remains a concern
PARENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS have a front row seat to the burgeoning mental health crisis among children across the state. A series of polls from The MassINC Polling Group finds parents […]
Posted inOpinion
What Mass General Brigham cost analysis overlooks
MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM recently proposed a $2 billion expansion that would create two new outpatient clinics in Westborough and Woburn and expand a clinic in Westwood. As organizations that represent […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker, Democratic legislators clash on virus response
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER often says he and his political opponents will “agree to disagree.” That could have been the mantra of Tuesday’s oversight hearing of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker prioritizes rapid tests, buys 26m more
MASSACHUSETTS WILL GET 26 million rapid antigen tests over the next three months, which it will distribute primarily to K-12 schools and childcare facilities, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday. “Rapid […]
Posted inThe Download
News not as bleak as it appears on COVID front
The news seems particularly bleak on the COVID front, with case counts rising rapidly and hospitalizations hitting levels not seen since last winter’s surge. But amid the rising alarm over […]
Posted inHealth Care
News not as bleak as it appears on COVID front
THE NEWS seems particularly bleak on the COVID front, with case counts rising rapidly and hospitalizations hitting levels not seen since last winter’s surge. But amid the rising alarm over the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mariano eyes vaccine mandate for public access to State House
HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano said on Monday that lawmakers will likely require members of the public to show proof of vaccination if and when the State House reopens. Mariano made […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. offers QR code to prove COVID vaccine status
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION on Monday released a new technology that state residents can use voluntarily to provide digital proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status. A portal on a state-run website […]
Posted inNews Analysis
30-40% of COVID patients at MGH incidentally infected
This is another in a series of conversations between Dr. Jarone Lee, a frontline critical care and emergency physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, […]
Posted inOpinion
Information chaos in public health
SCROLLING THROUGH Facebook today, I came across a new website that helps people find and order in-stock home COVID tests on line. It’s updated to show current availability from a […]
Posted inThe Download
School struggles getting worse amid virus surge
Amid the surge of COVID-19 cases, Cambridge Public Schools closed Monday and Tuesday to test 3,500 students. Superintendent Victoria Greer wrote to families Tuesday that 157 of 362 pools tested […]
Posted inBy The Numbers, Health Care, News Analysis
Poll shows sharp divide in attitudes depending on vaccination status
WITH COVID CASES surging in Massachusetts and tests hard to come by, deciding what feels safe to do can be a moving target. But for one group at least, the […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
Wu eyes Long Island for Mass and Cass help
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RENOVATING BUILDINGS on Long Island and reintroducing treatment there for people dealing with substance use disorder and homelessness could be part of a medium- to long-term […]