SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass., June 16, 2010 – The President of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, Lynn Nicholas, gave a 90 minute presentation to some Harrington administration and board members on Tuesday, June 15. Her presentation, entitled “The Journey from Volume to Value in Massachusetts” offered regional and statewide statistics and trends in healthcare reform.
Nicholas focused on the universal coverage plan, saying three years in, there has actually been some success, with only 2.7 percent of residents still uninsured. For those who have health insurance, 35 percent are through private pay (benefits offered through employers). She also mentioned the plan has dramatically reduced racial and ethnic disparities.
“In the future,” Nicholas said, “the community hospitals – which might do several things very well – might find it hard to try and compete 1 on 1 with larger hospitals that also do many things really well, too,” she said.
According to Nicholas, quality and patient safety measures will become one of the most important healthcare trends in the coming years.
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