American Health Planning Association

The American Health Planning Association is a non-profit membership organization committed to health policies and the creation of health service systems that promote quality, assure equal access, and advocate reasonable costs.Through its newsletter, web site, educational endeavors, and research projects, AHPA supports its members and the healthcare community.

Health Reform Planning Tool for State and Local Health Departments (CDC)

The Georgia Health Policy Center has released "Leading Through Health System Change: A Public Health Opportunity," a new tool to help public health organizations adapt to the changing health-care environment. The tool's interactive website can be used to examine the basics of health reform, apply adaptive thinking to questions of health system change, and create a simple implementation plan to increase opportunities for improving population health. The tool was created through a cooperative agreement with CDC and the National Network of Public Health Institutes.

The tool is available at https://acaplanningtool.com/ghpc/app/

National Directory
State Certificate of Need Programs
Health Planning Agencies

The Twenty-Third Edition of the Directory
Traditional Print or Electronic. (More..)

CON Matrix & Map Book
The CON matrix identifies facilities, services & equipment subject to regualtion in each states with a CON program. The Map Book illustrates the geographics distribution of CON coverage. CON Matrix CON Mapbook

CON Websites & Contacts
Links to websites for Certificate of Need and Health Care Reform programs by state:
Certificate of Need Health Reform

Ahpa Interactive

An interactive gateway for discussions realted to health planning & policy. To participate, just email your question(s) and all registered members of the list serve will receive your inquiry.

The email address to access the discussion list is:ahpa-interactive@ahpanet.org
Not a member? No problem. Anyone can participate. Heres how...

Shrinking Demand and Excess Capacity Challenge Hospitals (Modern Healthcare)
New Hospitals Reflect Major Changes in the Delivery of Healthcare (NPR)
More Expensive Hospital Emergency Care Does Yield Better Results (Science Daily)
Health Care Records Make Fertile Filed for Cyber Crime (US News)
Anthem hack compromises information for 80 million customers and employees (Fierce Health)

Five things you need to know about the Anthem hack (Christian Science Monitor)
Anthem Information Sheet (Anthem)

Drastic changes in how doctors might be paid: Half of provider payments in five years would be tied to quality of care (Washington Post)
Rural and Independent Hospitals: Going it Alone or Teaming Up? (H & HN Daily)
Health insurers watch profits soar as they dump small business customers [Opinion] (Center for Public Integrity)
Task Force Sets Sights on Quality and sustainabilty/Three Changes Needed to Scale Public, Private ACOs (Firece Health)/(Healthcare Payer News)
Safety of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Questioned (Kaiser Health News)
The Leapfrog Group Lists Its Top Hospitals for 2014 (The Leapfrog Group)
Problems Noted in Philadelphia’s Closure of Maternity Units (ScienceDaily)
Regional Variation in Cancer Imaging Not Related to Overuse (Medscape)
AHA wants more changes to MSSP anti-ickback rules (Fierce Health)
Cost still a barrier to health care (Gallop)
New Medicaid Rule for Nursing Home Alternatives (Stateline)
Isolated Rural Hospitals Are Closing (USA Today)
Worker OUt of Pocket Expenses have Doubled in 5 Years (Forbes)
The Affordable Care Act Neglects Rural Hospitals (Kaiser Health News)
Bernard Tyson on the 'Kaiserfication' of America (Forbes)
Report: Medicaid enrollees experience limited access to care (Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
Highmark decisions nudge insurer into national spotlight (Pittsburgh Business)
Hospital Mergers Receive the Scrutiny of the FTC (NY Times)
Hospitals must consolidate, merge to manage population health (Fierce HealthFinance)
CMS Reverses Decision: Will Release Data on Hospital Acquired Conditions (USA TODAY)
A Shrinking Health System Closes Many Rural Hospitals (Reuters)
Insures hope to protect profits by defeating California intiative: Proposition 45 (Center for Public Integrity)
Maryland approves smaller rate hikes for CareFirst, Lowers rates for three others (Washington Post)
Hospitals Reconsider Charity For Patients Who Decline Health Coverage (Kaiser Health News)
Three Governors tout benefits of Medicaid expansion (Washington Post)
U.S. Senator : For-profit hospitals drive up care costs; Claims they cherry-pick services (Fierce Health)

Senator Murphy's (annoucement); (full report)

Maryland’s Innovative Hospital Regulatory Practices Succeed Beyond Expectations (Business Insider)
State Hospital Funding in Maryland Incentivizes Prevention and Cost Reduction (Baltimore Sun)
ER Closures Raise Death Rates At Nearby Hospitals (Kaiser Health News)
Maryland hospitals must trim readmissions by nearly 7% or miss out on revenue boost (Baltimore Business Journal)
Rural ERs face serious hurdle (Albany Herald)
Community hospitals on front line of Medicaid battle (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
CT Attorney General George Jepsen: Hospitals not clearly informing patients of ‘facility’ fees (New Haven Register)

Full Report

Hospital-dependent patients drive up readmissions, costs (NYTimes Well Blog)
Why walk-in healthcare is a fast growing profit center for retail chains (Washington Post)
Connecticut Considers New For-Profit Hospital Regulations (The Hartford Courant)
New Report Addresses the Funding for Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) (The Commonwealth Fund)
Surgical Mortality Rates in Hospitals Reflect the Socioeconomic Status of the Communities They Serve (Reuters)
iVantage Health Analytics Names America’s Best Healthcare Cities (iVantage Health Analytics)

Archive of Selected Older News Articles
Links to a collection of selected new items highlighted in past years