The CEO of Fort Hudson Health System, Inc., has been awarded the highest honor for excellence in senior care leadership by a statewide association of senior care providers.
Andrew Cruikshank as presented with the 2018 Lawrence E. Larson Memorial Award of Honor from LeadingAge New York on May 24 in Saratoga Springs.
LeadingAge New York represents more than 450 nonprofit senior care organizations from across the state.
The state Department of Health has launched the NYS Health Connector, a web-based application that allows quick access to a wide range of health information—such as the costs of various medical procedures and the frequency those procedures are performed at hospitals—empowering consumers to make more informed health care decisions.
The new website, which also features health care service and utilization data, is a rich resource for policymakers and researchers interested in identifying needs and resources in communities throughout the state as well, officials said.
“It is critical for patients to be active participants in their healthcare decisions, and we are proud to announce that the NYS Health Connector can help them reach that goal,” said state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “We have consolidated and made accessible multiple sources of data that will help New Yorkers achieve better health, better care and lower costs.”
NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace,reported in May that more than 4.3 million New Yorkers enrolled in health plans during its fifth open enrollment period that ran from Nov. 1, 2017 through Jan. 31.
“We worked hard to get the message out that the Marketplace is ‘open for business,’ and that the health plans offered through NY State of Health provide New Yorkers with the protection and security of health insurance,” said NY State of Health Executive Director Donna Frescatore. “This year, consumers had a choice of health plans at prices that were, in many cases, the same or lower than last year.”
Despite being a year marked by concerns about the continuation of the Affordable Care Act, consumer demand for coverage in New York remains strong, she said.
NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, today released detailed demographic data on the more than 3.6 million New Yorkers who enrolled in a health plan through the close of the fourth open enrollment period on Jan. 31.
Approximately 18 percent of the state’s population (nearly one in five New Yorkers) enrolled in a health plan through NY State of Health as of the end of the 2017 open enrollment period, officials said. The success of NY State of Health has resulted in a significant drop in the state’s uninsured rate, from 10 to 5 percent between 2013 and 2016, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“New York State has been a national leader in enrolling people in high quality, affordable health insurance since its inception,” said state Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “The latest numbers offer further proof that the Marketplace is vital to the state’s health care system, providing consumers with the health coverage they need.”
“This past open enrollment period was our busiest yet, demonstrating that New Yorkers want and need affordable health insurance coverage,” said Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health. “Enrollment increased in every corner of the state, showing that we’re successfully reaching consumers and meeting consumer demands.”
NY State of Health 2017 Open Enrollment Report Highlights include:
• 3.6 Million New Yorkers Enrolled
• The 18 percent of the state’s population enrolled as of Jan. 31 represents a net increase of nearly 800,000 since January 2016, when 2.8 million people were enrolled.
Approximately $1.4 million has been awarded by the AHI Performing Provider System (AHI PPS) to partner organizations in the Glens Falls region to undertake innovative health care projects.
Innovation grant funding, part of the state’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program’s efforts to fundamentally restructure the Medicaid system, will support the implementation of five progressive projects involving Glens Falls Hospital, Hudson Headwaters Health Network, Fort Hudson Health System, the Open Door Mission, and Warren-Washington Association for Mental Health, officials said.
All told, more than $3.9 million was awarded to 10 organizations in five North Country regions (St. Lawrence County, Saranac Lake/Essex County, Fulton County, Plattsburgh, and Glens Falls).
“Each of the awarded Innovation Grant projects in the Glens Falls region align with the overarching DSRIP goal of population health and an integrated delivery system,” said Margaret M. Vosburgh, CEO of Adirondack Health Institute.
Officials said many of the projects in the five-region PPS focus on improving behavioral health outcomes through a wide range of initiatives, including the establishment of a program to increase access to psychiatric providers via live, face-to-face, interactive telepsychiatry services in the Glens Falls region.
A new concept in preventive health care was unveiled at Albany Medical Center in May.
The only program of its kind in the region, the Executive Health Program was designed to allow busy business executives to tap into Albany Med’s extensive medical expertise, but with the personal attention and setting more reminiscent of a fine hotel than a hospital, officials said.
The program is housed in a newly constructed suite at Albany Med.
“The Executive Health Program was developed for individuals whose time is at a premium but understand the importance of being proactive about their health,” said Kevin Leyden, senior vice president for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Albany Medical Center. “It offers access to an outstanding team of health care professionals who can diagnose and evaluate medical problems and formulate preventive strategies.”
According to Dr. Nathan Mitkoff, medical director of the program, it provides “a comprehensive health evaluation, including a cardiac stress test, blood test and uranalysis, history and physical, and discussion of results. Optional services are also available, depending on the patient’s needs. Best of all, tests can be completed in several hours and most results shared during the appointment, which lasts about two hours—again respectful of our patient’s limited time.”
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