State News

The Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin health system implemented an AI-driven virtual triage tool that has, so far, redirected 30% of patients who initially sought high-cost forms of care to lower, condition-appropriate forms of care, according to Healthcare IT News. The system introduced this tool to better meet the needs of patients and staff, and report that 70% of people who engaged with the online assistant completed a full interview. 

Just days before changes were set to go into effect, UnitedHealthcare will no longer drop Alabama hospitals from its coverage plans for Mississippi Medicaid clients, according to News 5, WKRG. Earlier in 2019, the largest Medicaid provider in Mississippi, UnitedHealthcare, announced they were going to drop Alabama hospitals from its coverage plans in January 1, 2020, which would have affected hundreds of Medicaid members in South Mississippi who regularly go to Mobile, Alabama, for treatment. 

D.C.’s Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation released a report including more than 42 recommendations to address the District’s healthcare delivery needs, according to the Office of the Mayor. The commission, which focuses on addressing current stresses in the D.C.’s healthcare system, is divided into six committees that examine and provide recommendations on: equitable geographic distribution of acute, urgent, and specialty care; overcrowding in emergency departments and the general reliance on inpatient hospital care; discharge planning and transitions of care; access to critical and urgent care services, specifically maternal, behavioral, and emergency services; allied healthcare professionals and workforce development; and value-based purchasing of healthcare services.

The Nevada Governor announced the appointment of 11 members and an executive director to the Patient Protection Commission (PPC), according to the Governor’s office. The PPC, which was signed into law this past legislative session, will take a comprehensive look at the state of healthcare in Nevada and identify areas for improvement to ensure every Nevadan has access to affordable and quality healthcare.

The Nevada Governor announced the appointment of 11 members and an executive director to the Patient Protection Commission (PPC), reports The Official State of Nevada Website. The PPC, which was created by Senate Bill 544 and signed into law this past legislative session, will take a comprehensive look at the state of health care in Nevada and identify areas for improvement to ensure every Nevadan has access to affordable and quality health care. Under the direction of the Chair and Executive Director, the PPC will begin meeting in early 2020.

The South Carolina Medical Association (SCMA) has approved resolutions to support three reforms that they believe would expand the quantity and quality of healthcare in the state, according to the Heartland Institute. The reforms include working to repeal the state's Certificate of Need (CON) laws, develop ways to exempt physicians from having to sign "no compete" stipulations as a condition of employment, and amend the state's tax code to allow a limited tax deduction for doctors who work with charities to provide free care to patients. 

A partnership between Brown University, the Rhode Island Department of Health and the federally funded Advance Clinical and Translational Research (Advance-CTR) now have access to the state’s all-payer claims database (APCD).. The primary goals of the APCD partnership is to use big data to benefit residents of Rhode Island, and the nation, by figuring out how to minimize waste, improve healthcare and train the next generation of healthcare scholars to be proficient in a data-driven world — all while properly safeguarding patients’ personal information.

The New Mexico Human Services Department (NMHSD) funded a report called The Uninsured in New Mexico released by the Urban Institute that finds 187,000 New Mexicans (10.5 percent) under age 65 are uninsured. Over half of the uninsured are already eligible for coverage options available, such as Medicaid or an Exchange plan. The administration is coordinating with the health insurance exchange, beWellNM, and developing targeted outreach and enrollment efforts to reach those New Mexicans and get them covered. For those that remain uninsured or underinsured, the administration is developing options that will help more hardworking New Mexicans get health insurance that works for their family’s budget.

This year, Nevada Health Link, a website that helps people without health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid find coverage, will now be primarily operated by a state agency instead of the federal government, reports KRNV. Because of issues early on with the Nevada Health Link website, they had to completely rely on healthcare.gov. However, the federal government started charging states to use healthcare.gov and eventually, the charges would have outweighed Nevada's budget. The shift may help cut costs for those already covered and significantly expand coverage to those who have never had health insurance before. As the only health insurance resource that provides subsidized insurance, Nevada Health Link could help more than 77,000 people receive affordable healthcare for the first time ever.