2019 Press Releases

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• 11/14/2019 Office of Health Strategy and Comptroller Lembo Release 2019 Connecticut Self-Sufficiency Standard Report

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) and State Comptroller Kevin Lembo today released the 2019 Connecticut Self-Sufficiency Standard report. The report examines the costs of basic needs such as housing, food, transportation, childcare, and healthcare in each city and town in the state, then calculates what individuals and families must earn to provide these fundamental supports without any financial assistance.

• 10/30/2019 OHS Releases Annual Hospital and Health System Financial Status and Facility Fees Trend Report

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) today released two reports, the Annual Report on the Financial Status of Connecticut’s Short Term Acute Care Hospitals and Facility Fee Trends. The Financial Stability report aggregates information concerning the financial health of Connecticut’s 28 acute care hospitals and 16 health systems. It includes financial performance data for individual hospitals, identifies fiscal trends, and reports on hospital hiring. The Facility Fee report examines current revenues generated by facility fees, the medical procedures that generate those fees, and the four-year trend data.

• 10/18/2019 Office Of Health Strategy Issues Final Decision In Manchester Hospital/St Francis Hospital Certificate Of Need Application To Expand Cardiac Care

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) Executive Director Vicki Veltri today announced that a final decision has been rendered in the Manchester Hospital/St. Francis Hospital Certificate of Need application for the establishment of a diagnostic and emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty) program at Manchester Hospital. Regulators approved the creation of primary—or emergency—angioplasty and upheld the June 2019 denial of elective angioplasty services. In rendering its final decision, OHS examined the original application and public hearing record in addition to considering new information brought forth by the applicants during oral argument.

• 10/8/2019 OHS HealthscoreCT Gets a Cost Estimator for Medical Care

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS), joined by Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Senator Matt Lesser, co-chair, and Senator Kevin Kelly, ranking member, of the legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee, today launched the Healthscore CT cost estimator, a consumer tool that allows users to compare the cost of medical care at Connecticut hospitals and provider networks. The interactive website allows consumers and providers to search, sort, and filter by location, health measure, provider, network quality rating, and cost.

• 10/2/2019 Cost Feature

• 8/16/2019 OHS: Conditions Applied To Yale New Haven Hospital Primary Care Certificate of Need Approval

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) announced today that it has approved, with conditions to ensure healthcare access, the Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) Certificate of Need application to terminate outpatient primary care services. The New Haven Primary Care Consortium, a newly-established partnership between Yale New Haven Hospital, the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, and Fair Haven Community Health Center, will provide continued access to primary care services for the 25,000 residents currently served by YNHH. Cornell Scott-Hill Health and Fair Haven Community Health, both federally-qualified health centers, will lease new office space from YNHH at 150 Sargent Drive in New Haven, within two miles of the YNHH York Street and St. Raphael campuses.

• 8/15/2019 OHS Conditions Approval of Hartford Healthcare Certificate of Need Applications to Acquire St. Vincent's

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) Executive Director Vicki Veltri announced today that the Certificate of Need applications for SVMC Holdings, Inc., a newly formed subsidiary of Hartford HealthCare (HHC), to acquire St. Vincent’s Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Multispecialty Group has been approved with conditions to ensure continued access to high-quality and affordable healthcare.

• 8/13/2019 OHS Signs Joint Letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  The Office of Health Strategy signed a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar with the Connecticut State Medical Society and the Office of the Healthcare Advocate to oppose HHS' proposed rule that would discriminate against LGBTQ+ people seeking healthcare treatment.

• 8/7/2019 OHS: New Website Allows Consumers to Compare Healthcare Quality Ratings and Cost

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS), joined by Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, announced today that it has launched Healthscore CT, an online tool to help consumers, businesses, and healthcare providers compare the cost and quality of medical care at Connecticut hospitals and provider networks. The website has interactive tables and graphs that allow consumers to search, sort, and filter by entity, quality measure, health topic, and rating.

• 6/10/2019 OHS: Manchester Hospital Application for Cardiac Care Service Expansion Does Not Meet Statutory Criteria Required for Approval

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) announced today that the Certificate of Need application submitted by Manchester Hospital and St. Francis Hospital for the expansion of cardiac care services does not meet all of the criteria under Connecticut General Statutes § 19a-639 that are required for approval.

• 6/7/2019 OHS Approves Yale/Bridgeport Acquisition of Milford Hospital

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) Executive Director Vicki Veltri announced today that the Certificate of Need application for the Bridgeport Hospital—a Yale New Haven Health System facility—acquisition of Milford Hospital and Milford Health and Medical has been approved with conditions ensuring continued access to high-quality care and a cost cap on the merged Bridgeport/Milford entity.

• 5/29/2019 OHS: Health Enhancement Community Framework Approved

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) announced that the State Innovation Model Healthcare Innovation Steering Committee has approved the Health Enhancement Community (HEC) initiative proposed framework, a blueprint to build or expand ­collaborations across the state to improve healthy weight and physical fitness, advance child well-being, and strengthen health equity. Health Enhancement Communities will further residents’ health and well-being by addressing both clinical need and the social determinants that impact overall health.

• 4/23/2019 April 30, 2019: OHS Holds Public Hearing in Trumbull for Hartford Healthcare / St. Vincent Medical Certificate of Need Application

  (HARTFORD, CT) – On Tuesday afternoon, the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) will hold a public hearing in Trumbull for the Hartford Healthcare Certificate of Need applications to acquire St. Vincent’s Medical Center, St. Vincent’s Multispecialty Group.

• 4/12/2019 OHS Releases Healthcare Facilities and Services Plan

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Today, the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) released its 2018 Statewide Healthcare Facilities and Services Plan, a report that is prepared every two years by the Health Systems Planning Unit and identifies use trends related to hospital inpatient and emergency department care, preventable hospitalization, and outpatient surgical care.

• 4/5/2019 April 9, 2019: OHS Holds Public Hearing in West Hartford for Hebrew Home and Hospital Certificate of Need Application

  (HARTFORD, CT) – On Tuesday afternoon, the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) will hold a public hearing in West Hartford for the Hebrew Home and Hospital Certificate of Need application for termination of its Acute Care Unit and establishment of a 38-bed geriatric behavioral health facility.