Photographs by Frank Curran DAVID TORCHIANA, THE CEO OF PARTNERS HEALTHCARE, speaks very softly for a man who is 6-feet-6, weighs north of 200 pounds, and goes by the nickname of Torch. He is sitting one morning in early March at a table in an 11th floor conference room at the Prudential Center, where the […]
health care providers
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
About that hot dog
Thomas Farragher at the Boston Globe wrote a column recently about the struggle between hospital haves and have-nots. He likened struggling community hospitals such as Holyoke Medical Center to a push-cart vendor who sets the price of his hot dogs at 60 cents apiece even though they cost $1 to produce. Meanwhile, Massachusetts General and […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Value should determine a drug’s price
WHEN YOU LAST PURCHASED A VEHICLE, did you ask the dealership how much your car cost to manufacture? Chances are, you were more interested in the car’s durability and safety features – and you were willing to pay for higher quality. Look at the pharmaceutical sector, and a completely different set of logic is being […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
The legacy of community health centers
IT HAS BEEN 50 YEARS since the government health care program called Medicaid and the Community Health Center (CHC) movement began bringing quality health care to millions. Faced with high need and limited budgets, these federal programs in the War on Poverty became accidental incubators for health care innovation. As we acknowledge their anniversaries, and Massachusetts historic […]