Oak Hill President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Simon is Executive Lead of the Medicaid Innovation Working Group for the Connecticut Health Council. He spoke with MetroHartford Alliance Content Manager Nan Price about healthcare innovation, how healthcare reform impacts Connecticut, and the important role of The Council.

NAN PRICE: Healthcare throughout the country is constantly innovating. How can Connecticut stay on track?

BARRY SIMON: It’s a great question. What’s happening in other parts of the country does impact or predict the way things are going. Hospitals in the Hartford Region are a part of these larger networks and have national partnerships that are bringing in best practices right here into the Hartford Region.

For instance, Oak Hill is an Easterseals affiliate. Through that, we receive information from a national network of providers. Other states have gone to what’s called “managed Medicaid services” for long-term services and supports. I can look to states that have already implemented that strategy to predict how things are going to be happening here in Connecticut.

Read the entire interview on the Connecticut Health Council website.