News

CHRT's Newest Team Memebers

Please join us in welcoming our newest team members, who bring expertise in gerontology, sociology, and user experience

We’re excited to welcome our newest team members –Marissa Rurka, Erin Horne, and Vinusha Devarakonda. We’re happy to have them and looking forward to working with them. Marissa Rurka Marissa Rurka is a senior research and evaluation analyst at CHRT and a Ph.D. candidate in gerontology and sociology. Before joining CHRT, Marissa assisted with an evaluation of Minnesota’s value-based reimbursement …

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Toshiki Masaki and Dr. Amy McKenzie

New Board Members: Toshiki Masaki of the Asian and Pacific American Affairs Commission and Dr. Amy McKenzie of BCBSM

CHRT is delighted to welcome to its board of directors Toshiki Masaki, former chair of the State of Michigan Asian and Pacific American Affairs Commission, and Dr. Amy McKenzie, associate chief medical officer for provider engagement at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Amy McKenzie, MD, MBA is a board-certified family medicine physician with 13 years of experience in private …

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Elderly during the Covid 19 Pandemic

MLive: MLive quotes Jaque King and Robyn Rontal on how the pandemic is galvanizing shifts in how we care for the elderly

MLive’s Julie Mack quotes Jaque King, lead healthcare analyst at the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), and Robyn Rontal, CHRT’s policy analytics director, in “COVID-19 pandemic hit seniors hard. Could it lead to a rethinking of how we care for the elderly?” The article describes how the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light many chronic problems in the way our …

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A hospital bill on a blue table.

Detroit News: Detroit News quotes Terrisca Des Jardins on whether hospital price transparency provides meaningful information

In a Detroit News article by Karen Bouffard, Price shopping in Michigan proves difficult despite new rule for hospital costs, Terrisca Des Jardins, the executive director of the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), discusses the complexity of hospital price transparency. Since January 1, hospitals have been required to publish their discounted cash prices and the prices they have …

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Covid test strip reads positive

In The Media, PolitiFact: No evidence of transmission between COVID-19 patients in nursing homes

On March 12, 2021, PolitiFact reported on the criticism surrounding Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s nursing home COVID-19 policies. Clara Hendrickson and Kristen Jordan Shamus reported that under Gov. Whitmer’s administration’s policies, elderly patients with COVID-19 were released back to their long-term care facilities or to nursing home hubs designated for COVID-19 patients. The Michigan Republican Party has said that this …

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Cartoon of tangled web

Crain's Detroit Business, In The Media: Michigan’s mental health system is a complex web, not an easy system to navigate writes Crain’s Detroit citing CHRT

In “State of confusion: Michigan’s mental health system has many layers for those in need to navigate,” Chad Livengood of Crain’s Detroit describes Michigan’s complex and daunting mental health system. Livengood notes that the system is facing financial hardships due to its complexity, as well as the huge financial hit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic itself. COVID-19 has delayed state plans to …

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Female health care worker speaking with male patient

Bloomberg: Bloomberg cites CHRT’s nursing home policy research; argues that criticism of the Whitmer Administration is unfounded

In a Bloomberg News article, Republicans Seize on Nursing-Home Deaths to Weaken Democrats, David Welch and Gabrielle Coppola quote Marianne Udow-Phillips discussing the Center for Health and Research Transformation’s (CHRT) recent research on Michigan’s nursing-home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michigan Republicans have asked the state’s attorney general to investigate how Governor Gretchen Whitmer handled nursing home policy during the early stages …

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Clipboard holding paper that reads Special Enrollment Period

FOX 17, In The Media: Fox 17 Interviews CHRT Health Policy Analyst Ryan Bartholomew about special open enrollment period

From February 2020 to May 2020, there was a 46 percent increase in uninsured Michiganders due to residents losing their jobs during the early days of the pandemic. This means about 834,000 Michiganders newly found themselves without insurance. Via executive order, President Biden enabled the federal government to reopen the ACA  Health Insurance Marketplace for a special enrollment period from …

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Health Insurance paperwork with a pen

Special open enrollment period allows Michigan consumers to purchase 2021 health insurance on national ACA marketplace

On January 28th, President Biden signed an executive order to initiate a nationwide special enrollment period and reopen the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace. The Marketplace will reopen from February 15 – May 15, which will give consumers in Michigan (and in 35 other states that use the federal exchange) an additional opportunity to purchase 2021 health insurance coverage amidst the …

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Paperwork marked Policy

Webinar: CHRT Policy Analytics Director Robyn Rontal offers webinar on policy solutions to support family caregivers

In this hour-long webinar by Policy Analytics Director Robyn Rontal, viewers will learn about the current state of informal and family caregiving in the U.S., factors that impact caregiver stress, and a variety of policy solutions to support caregivers. Rontal discusses the prevalence of family caregiving and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on caregivers and families. She presents research …

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