- Illinois: After state officials in 2010 began issuing food stamps more evenly throughout the month—rather than issuing all the stamps at the start of the month—theft from Chicago groceries dropped by more than 30 percent, according to new research from Miami University and Purdue University. The researchers hypothesized shoplifting declined following the new policy because of "consumption smoothing"—the financial stabilization of having the same amount of benefits week-to-week, rather than receiving all the benefits at the start of the month and running out before the end of the month (Chinoy, "Wonkblog," Washington Post, 7/13).
- Maryland: The board of directors for University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) has approved UMMC to enter an affiliation agreement with Dimensions Health, a health system in Prince George's County. Under the agreement, which the organizations hope to finish by the end of the year, UMMC will become the only corporate member of Dimensions (Ellison, Becker's Hospital Review, 7/13).
- Minnesota: Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, Minnesota, has named its current COO Michael Phelps as president and CEO. He succeeds Robert Stevens, who plans to stay with the organization until his retirement on Dec. 31 to smooth the transition. Phelps has served in multiple other leadership roles during his 13 years with the hospital, including VP of diversified services and chief administrative officer (Vaidya, Becker's Hospital Review, 7/13).
3 steps to prioritize population health interventions
Explore three steps you can take to establish each patient’s current and future risk level, the root causes of the patient’s health risks, and which interventions would make the biggest impact.