by Sandra Fenwick, President and COO on March 7, 2011
Sandra Fenwick, president and COO
With controlling health care costs high on the list of public policy priorities, Children’s Hospital Boston has been a leader in reducing costs in a way that continues to improve quality. A story in yesterday’s Boston Globe highlights some of our initiatives, including the fact that we voluntarily reduced our prices and rates to private insurers and to Medicaid-managed care programs by $90 million over the last year and a half. Importantly, the article also points out the fact that pediatric care is more expensive to deliver than adult care and that Children’s costs are closely aligned with those of other pediatric-only hospitals around the country; this is a message we’ve been trying to share in discussions with the government and payers in the last several years.
The initiatives described in the article—including working closely with insurers to reduce fees for high-volume appointments and tests, developing payment structures that reward quality and innovation, and an effort to have children with recurrent headaches seen in the most effective and cost-efficient setting—are only a few of the hundreds of projects underway across the hospital. This comprehensive, multi-pronged, data-driven continuous effort to improve quality and reduce unnecessary resource utilization has driven much of our thinking and planning in the last several years, and will continue to do so for many years to come. Full story »
by James Mandell, MD, CEO on March 25, 2010
Earlier this week, we shared on our Thrive blog some comments about the new health reform legislation by Judy Palfrey, MD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a long-time pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston.
Reactions to the post were both positive and negative when it was shared on our Facebook page, with some people wondering why we would share our “political” views. First let me say that I think it’s important to distinguish views about political candidates and political parties from “policy” views about things that are good or bad for children and the providers who care for them. I also think it’s important to recognize and give voice to the incredible breadth of knowledge and expertise we have here at Children’s. Dr. Palfrey has spent her entire career working on child advocacy issues and is nationally recognized on the subject, and we’re fortunate to be able to share her knowledgeable voice on our blog. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 22, 2010
Dr. Palfrey speaking during the Doctors for America event
Judy Palfrey, MD, made the following comments today at the Doctors for America event in honor of the impending passage of the nation’s health reform bill.
Good afternoon. I am Dr. Judy Palfrey, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). I have practiced pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital Boston for the past 35 years.
The AAP is a non-profit professional organization of 60,000 pediatric doctors who work tirelessly for children’s health and well-being. We are proud and honored to stand here today following last night’s historic vote on health reform! Full story »
by James Mandell, MD, CEO on March 16, 2010
A Boston Globe article this morning brought the cost of care here at Children’s Hospital Boston into question, saying, among other things, that “Children’s charges the highest fees for both outpatient and inpatient care.” It’s based on data by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) that we don’t feel accurately reflects the care that we provide.
While the writer, Liz Kowalczyk, did say that because about 30 percent of our patients are on Medicaid, we have to “make up the lost revenue from private insurers,” I don’t think she went far enough in explaining why our costs tend to be higher than other hospitals in the state. Full story »
by Claire McCarthy on December 29, 2009
Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Children’s Hospital Boston. Take a look at her blog archive and follow her on Twitter @drClaire.
From swine flu to obesity to dangerous plastics, many issues that affect children’s health garnered media attention in the year 2009. Here’s a rundown of the some of the biggest and most important stories:
H1N1
This is the story that caught the most attention—for good reason. Not only is the H1N1 influenza virus very contagious, it appears to particularly affect young people. H1N1 caused more pediatric hospitalizations and deaths than we usually see with the seasonal influenza virus, which is very scary for parents (and pediatricians!). The virus led to countless school closings—sometimes to control the spread, and sometimes because there weren’t enough teachers left to teach! Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on December 1, 2009
By Robert Troug, MD, executive director of Children’s Hospital Boston’s Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice and director of Clinical Ethics in the Division of Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School. 
Last week, I wrote a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine on recent guidelines for routine mammography screening published by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. In it I described why the concept of rationing, which has been a dirty word in the American health care debate, is actually essential if we are to develop a health care care system that makes sense, is affordable and delivers the best possible health care to all of our citizens.
In their guidelines, the Taskforce recommended that routine mammography screening for women should begin at age 50 rather than the previously recommended age 40. As I read the report and reviewed the data, I was drawn toward what seemed to be contradictory conclusions. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on November 8, 2009
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
Read why the days of jumping back into a game after a possible concussion are over. A new study shows that adult survivors of childhood cancer are much more likely to experience suicidal thoughts than their peers. Children’s expert Ellen Hanson, PhD, questions whether autism really is on the rise. An experimental heart valve saves a child with H1N1. Children’s has established and unprecedented partnership with the state’s largest health plans. The HealthMap team gives its weekly H1N1 update. Children’s Dennis Rosen, MD, questions whether sleeping late can keep your child slim and Joanne Cox, MD, answers parents’ questions about H1N1. Our resident mediatrician tackles the question of graphic violent and sexual images in the media and a teen guest blogger writes about teens and self-esteem.
by Judy Palfrey, MD, FAAP on October 22, 2009
Judy Palfrey, MD, FAAP, has been a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston since 1974. She is a general pediatrician and child advocate. She was chief of Children’s General Pediatrics Division from 1986 to 2008 and currently directs the Children’s International Pediatric Center.
Dr. Palfrey is the new president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which is the nation’s largest pediatric organization, with a membership of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists.
Here, she writes on the important issues discussed at last weekend’s annual AAP meeting, and she’ll be writing for Thrive regularly about issues important to health care providers, parents and children. Full story »
