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The HPC is currently accepting applications for:
- Associate Counsel, Legal Department
- 2019 Summer Fellowship Program
- HPC Internship Program
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Public Meeting Livestream
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| Did you miss a public meeting? The HPC records all public sessions and broadcasts them live on our YouTube Channel, where you can view recordings of past meetings. |
Be sure to
visit our website
and follow us on Twitter to get the most timely information.
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2018 was an extremely busy and successful year here at the Health Policy Commission, including 26 public meetings, 29 total publications, 5 online issues of DataPoints, $17 million distributed among 45 grants, the launch of a new grant program, and the HPC's 6th Annual Health Care Cost Trends Hearing.
We look forward to continuing and expanding on this work in 2019.
This winter, the HPC will release the 2018 Cost Trends Report (findings, as presented at a past Board meeting, are available here). The full 2019 public meeting schedule is located below.
In addition, we are thrilled to announce that we are now accepting applications for our 2019 Fellowship Program, now in its fifth year.
Thank you for your continued engagement in our work to ensure a more efficient and effective health care system in Massachusetts.
Regards,
David Seltz
Executive Director
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2019 Summer Fellowship Program
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We are now accepting applications for our annual Summer Fellowship Program! The posting is available
here, and the deadline to apply is
February 8, 2019. Please share this opportunity with your networks.
The Fellowship Program has the dual purpose of helping to achieve the Commonwealth's health care cost containment goals while simultaneously providing hands-on educational opportunities to the next generation of health policy leaders. Each year, the Fellowship Program affords students the opportunity to engage in a ten-week, stand-alone policy or research project with one of the HPC's six departments. Fellows are encouraged to manage their own time to ensure they meet outlined project benchmarks, present key presentations, and meet deliverable deadlines.
Applicants must currently be enrolled full-time in a Master's, PhD, law, or medical program. All applicants must have prior internship or fellowship experience and strong written and oral communication skills.
Fellows will be expected to work full time for ten weeks spanning from June 3, 2019 to August 16, 2019, and will be paid $20/hour, for a total payment of up to $7,500. A full summary of fellows and projects from last summer's Fellowship Program can be found here.
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HPC DataPoints Continues to Gain State and National Attention with a New Issue
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Trends in Behavioral Health Internal Appeals and External Reviews
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Last month, the
HPC released its
ninth issue of DataPoints
, examining trends in internal appeals and external reviews pursued by health insurance consumers from 2014 to 2017. This new research found that a significant number of consumers obtained coverage for medically necessary care through an internal appeal with their health plans or through the
Office of Patient Protection's (OPP)
external, independent review process, highlighting the importance of these processes in protecting consumers across the Commonwealth. The findings will be featured in OPP's upcoming 2017 Annual Report, scheduled for release in early 2019.
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The HPC identified notable trends in appeals related to behavioral health (BH) care that warrant further examination. Despite the increase in the total number of internal appeals filed between 2014 and 2017, there was a decrease in both the total number of appeals related to coverage of BH treatment, and the percentage of appeals related to BH treatment compared to medical/surgical treatment. Fewer appeals could suggest that policy changes promoting access to BH care, including mental health parity and other state and federal laws, may be favorably affecting consumers' access to BH services. During the same time period, the HPC found that consumers who filed internal appeals with their health plan related to medical/surgical treatment received a favorable decision nearly twice as often as th
ose consumers who filed appeals related to BH treatment.
Stay tuned for more from
HPC DataPoints in the coming months. As you read through
DataPoints
, we encourage you to engage with the interactive graphics by hovering your mouse over different data points to obtain additional information. The graphics display best within Internet Explorer.
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2019 Public Meeting Schedule
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Board meetings are held at 12:00 PM unless otherwise indicated. On Committee meeting days, Market Oversight and Transparency (MOAT) meets at 9:30 AM and is immediately followed by Care Delivery Transformation (CDT) at 11:00 AM. All public meetings are held at the HPC's offices at 50 Milk Street in Boston, unless otherwise indicated.
2019 Board Meetings
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Wednesday, Mar. 13 (Benchmark Hearing)
Wednesday, May 1 (1:00 PM)
Wednesday, Jul. 24
Wednesday, Sep. 11
Wednesday, Dec. 11
Committee Meetings
Wednesday, Feb. 27
Wednesday, Jun. 5
Wednesday, Oct. 2
Wednesday, Nov. 20
Annual Health Care Cost Trends Hearing - Suffolk University Law School
Day 1 - Tuesday, Oct. 22
Day 2 - Wednesday, Oct. 23
Please note that these dates are subject to change over the course of the year, and more meetings may be added. Please check our
website for the most up-to-date information. A printable version of the 2019 calendar is available
here.
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