Primary Care Investments Are Top of Mind for Many New England States

Representatives from state agencies in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont met earlier this month to hear and discuss reports from multi-state workgroups related to Certificate of Need reform and hospital regulatory issues,  improving the value of community benefits reports, data-sharing opportunites, and primary care investments.

The meeting was sponsored by the Milbank Memorial Fund, the National Academy for State Health Policy, and the New England States Consortium Systems Organization (NESCSO), a non-profit corporation organized by six New England Health and Human Services agencies and the University of Massachusetts Medical School that seeks to foster communication and collaboration between its members. Read about the recent Fund/NESCSO meeting.

Launched in 2017, the Primary Care Investments Workgroup included representatives from four of the NESCSO states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The group’s main goal was to explore opportunities for improving primary care by comparing each state’s strategies and activities. During meetings over the past year, the group engaged in discussions about each state’s approach to primary care investments, including the state’s policy environments and data capabilities, and potential opportunities for collaboration.