科技部人工智能中心訪問團波士頓參訪 與玉山科協交流 (圖)

前排右起，科技部人工智慧技術暨全福健康照護聯合研究中心執行長
曾柏元，陽明醫學院楊教授，台大王偉仲教授，科技部人工智能照護
中心主持人傅立成。

                   (Boston Orange)科技部人工智慧技術暨全福健康照護聯合研究中心為加強台灣與波士頓的醫療影響技術交流，由中心主持人傅立成，執行長曾柏元，與台大應用數學科學研究所教授王偉仲，陽明醫學院楊教授等人組團，10月22日起，陸續拜會了哈佛大學醫學院生物醫藥資訊系，麻省總醫院臨床數據科學中心，Aetion公司，以及Marcus老化研究院等機構。21日晚和紐英倫玉山科技協會聯誼，加強和波士頓本地的聯繫。

Baker-Polito Administration Announces $1.8 Million from American Student Assistance for High Schools to Launch Innovation Pathways Programs

Baker-Polito Administration Announces $1.8 Million from American Student Assistance for High Schools to Launch Innovation Pathways Programs

Twenty-one high schools also received $354,000 in grants to develop new college and career pathway programs

LAWRENCE – Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito were joined by officials from American Student Assistance (ASA) today at Lawrence High School to announce the availability of $1.8 million in grants to help high schools across the Commonwealth develop programs that prepare students for college and careers. The Baker-Polito Administration also awarded grants to 21 Massachusetts high schools approved to develop Innovation Pathways programs aimed at giving students knowledge and internship experiences in growing industries in the Commonwealth. The grants totaled more than $354,000.

American Student Assistance, a national nonprofit based in Massachusetts that helps students find their path and plan for their future, chose to award the grant to the Governor’s Workforce Skills Cabinet to help fund college and career preparation programs, known as Innovation Pathways. This is the first time the organization has awarded a major grant to support college and career pathways in high schools.

“Innovation Pathways are designed to engage students who are trying to discover what the next steps in their future careers are and help them succeed through college-level courses and internships,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are proud to continue investing in these important programs and appreciate American Student Assistance’s support with this generous award, and are pleased that high schools across the Commonwealth will be able to give students better insight into the choices available to them.”

“Innovation Pathways builds strong partnerships created with local employers to give students exposure and experience in their chosen field of study,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “These new pathways give students a head start to succeed in Massachusetts’ high-tech economy, prepare them for their futures and create more opportunities for success.”

The announcement was made at Lawrence High School, which received $30,000 to create three new Innovation Pathways programs in the fields of health care and social assistance, information technology, and business and finance. Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera and Lawrence Superintendent Cynthia Paris joined the Governor and Lt. Governor, along with Secretary of Education James Peyser, for the event - one of nearly a thousand events held across the Commonwealth to celebrate the second annual statewide STEM Week, running from October 21 to October 25. The Baker-Polito Administration launched STEM Week in 2018, in partnership with the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council, aiming to inspire more students to consider careers involving science, technology, engineering and math.

Many of the Innovation Pathways programs at high schools are in STEM-related fields. Launched in 2017, Innovation Pathways give students experience in a specific high-demand industry through coursework and internships at local employers. Students earn college credits, at no cost to them, and gain insight as to whether the field is something they want to pursue in college or as a career. Industry sectors include manufacturing, information technology, environmental and life sciences, health care and social assistance and business and finance.

“When students have a sense of purpose they become more interested and engaged in their studies, able to easily see how it all fits into their future,” said Secretary of Education James Peyser. “As more students gain skills and knowledge in different fields of study, they will have a better sense of what courses to pursue in college or additional career training, increasing the likelihood of their success.” 

“We believe Massachusetts is way ahead of the curve in providing career exploration and skill building opportunities to all students – not just those in career and technical education programs. There is a true commitment from the Baker-Polito Administration to ensure all students across the Commonwealth have the skills they need to succeed in college and career. Innovation Pathways are an excellent way to provide these opportunities, and that is why ASA is so committed to their expansion,” said American Student Assistance CEO Jean Eddy. 

Across the Commonwealth, 26 high schools have designated Innovation Pathways, totaling 61 different programs. The 21 schools awarded grants today will be eligible for official designation from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Higher Education in spring 2020.

“Massachusetts is home to one of the world’s leading innovation economies, and programs like Innovation Pathways make that critical connection between employers and promising talent, setting the stage for rewarding careers that help propel our economy and Commonwealth forward,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy.

“The Workforce Skills Cabinet is grateful to ASA for our work together over the last year. We are aligned on vision and mission to transform education in ways that leverage real world work experience as part of the learning process,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta. “Our work with ASA to invest in schools and build Innovation Pathways for students is one of the most important strategies to build our future workforce in the Commonwealth.”

Schools that apply for designation for an Innovation Pathways are required to follow five design principles:

• Equitable access for all students
• Guided academic pathway, which, in the case of Innovation Pathways, must relate to one of five specified broad industry sectors
• Enhanced student supports
• Relevant connections to career
• Deep partnerships between high schools and employers or workforce development boards

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates STEM Week with New Automation Robotics Mechatronics at Montachusetts Regional Vocational Technical School

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates STEM Week with New Automation Robotics Mechatronics at Montachusetts Regional Vocational Technical School

For high resolution and additional photos, click here.

FITCHBURG – Lt. Governor Karyn Polito visited Montachusett Regional Technical Vocational School to help the school officially open its new automation robotics mechatronics lab (A.R.M), which will prepare students and adult learners interested in careers in advanced manufacturing and automation. Monty Tech received a $500,000 Skills Capital Grant from the Baker-Polito Administration last spring to purchase the equipment. School officials decided to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony today as part of STEM Week, a statewide initiative aimed at encouraging more young people to consider studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Students in the electrical, engineering, and computer design courses will learn skills that could lead to careers in manufacturing and robotics as automation technicians, manufacturing production technicians, mold-makers, drafters and CNC machinists. The lab will also teach adult learners in off school hours. 

“We are proud to increase access to high-quality career education for students by strengthening vocational schools and creating opportunities for students across the Commonwealth to explore STEM fields,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “STEM Week is just one more way to draw attention to the diversity of careers that are growing here in Massachusetts so students consider these fields as part of their future.”

“With these Skills Capital Grants, our aim is to create more opportunities for students to be successful by providing more training, knowledge and experience in developing industries,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “In order to keep up with Massachusetts’ thriving economy, we need to have trained, skilled workers to meet businesses’ needs for new talent.”

Strengthening STEM education in the Commonwealth’s K-12 schools and deepening the STEM workforce pipeline is a priority of the Baker-Polito Administration. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito co-chairs the STEM Advisory Council along with Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III and Jeffrey Leiden, chief executive officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The STEM Advisory Council is appointed by the Governor and includes education and business leaders in STEM industries that work to promote STEM education, partnerships among industries and schools and internships for students.

The Baker-Polito Administration awards Skills Capital Grants to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with industry, as well as align curriculum and credentials with businesses’ demand, to maximize hiring opportunities in each region of the state. The goal of the grants is to update capital equipment at educational institutions that create career pathways for young people and adults.

“When young people have a sense of purpose to their studies, they become interested, engaged students who are capable of great things. Skills Capital Grants give more students opportunities for applied learning experiences so they develop real world skills and knowledge in STEM-related fields,” said Secretary of Education James Peyser.

Monty Tech has received more than $1.4 million in Skills Capital Grants since 2016. In total, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded nearly $65 million to more than 230 educational institutions across the Commonwealth.

“Since 2016, thanks to the Baker-Polito Administration and support from our state legislature, Monty Tech has received almost $1.5 million in Skills Capital grants, allowing us to make much-needed large equipment updates, and expand seven of our technical programs,” said Superintendent Sheila Harrity. “These equipment upgrades are directly in line with industry standards and expectations and will provide the most current training for our students in both the high school and continuing education programs. These grants have provided Monty Tech with unique opportunities to partner with local businesses to improve training for all students."

波士頓華人投資俱樂部秋季創投峰會(圖片)

波士頓華人投資俱樂部(BCIC)創辦人易敏(左起)，布蘭
岱斯大學國際商學院院長Kathryn Graddy，EGI合夥人
許恒源。(周菊子攝)

布蘭岱斯大學國際商學院院長Kathryn Graddy以數據展示
國際學生變化。(周菊子攝)

亞裔反家庭暴力小組絲路籌款會(圖片)

陳五福: 5G改變網路業模式 未來商機無限

陳五福透過網路從台灣發言。(周菊子攝自會場)

(Boston Orange 周菊子屋本市報導) 紐英崙中華資訊網路協會(NECINA) 10月19日在屋本市舉辦”5G科技會議”。創會會長陳五福直言，5G科技將帶動網路科技模式大轉變，但礙於需要數量很多的基地台(baseband)支持，發展速度恐難一縱登天，倒是針對特定需求的5G網路，將有無數商機。

陳五福為5G寫詩。(周菊子攝)

5G是下一代的蜂窩網路，從2019年開始，世界各地似乎都在推出5G服務，人們也都期待5G會比4G快很多，平均下載速度應該可以達到每秒1GB的數據量。但是，包括近如委瑞森(Verizon)在羅德島州推出的5G電話服務，5G技術還並沒有讓一般人感受到傳聞中的速度閃快，延遲率低，數據處理量超大等的神奇。

紐英崙中華資訊網路協會(NECINA)陳五福坦率表示，在一個有限範圍內，5G技術可容許人工智能發揮得更極致，諸如無人駕駛等大數據實時運算，機器深度學習等，都可完美實現，但要達到走遍世界每個角落，都有5G網路覆蓋，恐怕還要一段時間，因此也給人更多機會揣摩5G商機。

許基康(右一)出席會議。(周菊子攝)

             陳五福指出，20年前，在網路業經歷模式轉換，從電路切換(circuit switching)轉成封包交換(packet switching)時，一群網路業的企業家創辦了紐英崙中華資訊網路協會。那時候，在電腦計算通訊業方面，波士頓尤其是世界的科技中心，諸如瀑布(Cascade)，梧桐(Sycamore)和箭點(Arrowpoint)等一系列通訊系統公司，都是在波士頓成功創辦、上市。網協可以很驕傲地說，諸如吳錦城，許基康等許多網協會員，都是這些創新公司的核心骨幹。
                陳五福透露，3G就是在這波通訊網路科技熱潮中發展出來，載送移動數據的。那時候，他和3名來自中國大陸，從美國拿到學位的博士，在德州奧斯汀創辦了CWill公司，為中國研發出TD-SCDMA(時分同步碼分多址)的3G技術。TD-SCDMA後來成為國際的三大3G標準之一，也為”華為”成長為今日的4G，5G重鎮，打下基礎。

Brian Clark以圖片展示，每一種新技術出現，都需要花一段時間，
才被市場接受。(周菊子攝)

             陳五福認為，經過這麼多年的科技進展，網路業正踏入另一個模式轉換期，包括運算速度，儲存容量，網路可用性，智慧物聯網(IOTs)，安全，以及虛擬的運算，儲存，網路和終端設備等等。但最重要的是，具有大數據機器學習能力的人工智能取代了很大一部分的人腦功能，勢將比取代人力的工業革命，更具顛覆性。

             陳五福開玩笑的說，他希望會取代人類靈魂的新科技，永遠不會出現，否則上帝造人的神祕，就會被打碎了。

PTC副總裁陶東斌(右)和M/C創投合夥人Brian Clark(左)談
”5G趨勢及投資景觀”。(周菊子攝)

             由於5G不但能夠量化品質，還能在服務層次協議(SLA)上，提供毫秒或更細粒度(granularity)延遲的新參數，陳五福認為，很多新應用程式會出現。那些資訊或數據即時與否對營運成敗具關鍵影響的行業，更需要這技術。

             至於4G和5G技術的主要性能區別有3項，高比特率，可量化的延遲，大量的終端設備支援。

            例如高比特率支持更快的服務，因此減少了下載視頻或數據的時間。

             可量化的延遲，是5G後才有，對工業4.0的自動駕駛應用程式等實時應用程式非常關鍵的功能。

大量終端設備，在支援規模越來越大，數量越來越多的智慧物聯網上，非常關鍵。

5G話題惹人矚目。(周菊子攝)

             要支持這些多元功能，5G架構必須有極大改變。由於數據量高，信號傳輸縮短距離的物理原理，使得基地台數量大增。為了避免成本失控，基地台功能必須分成幾個層次，以允許分享極有價值的基地台處理資源。

             陳五福認為在可預見的未來，人們都不應該期待同質性的5G網路，因為成本高到不可能也不實際。反之，慢慢會出現針對各種不同需求的特定5G網路。對那些能夠以創新科技，服務來滿足新出現的市場需求的創業家們來說，到處都是機會。

             陳五福也認為，在加強5G科技及服務上，人工智能無疑地將扮演很重要的角色。

             陳五福還為這新世代創作了一首” AI5G (愛無極)”打油詩: AI 無極愛5G，AI5G融一起，典範轉移創新機，網路革命覆天地 (AI is boundless and loves 5g, AI and 5g melt together,  Paradigm shift creates new opportunities, Network revolution turns the world upside down)。

             在回答問題時，陳五福也指出，隨著5G科技發展會出現的創業機會包括RU波速成形天線陣列技術(RU Antenna array technologies with beam forming)，DU科技及其管理，有切割的CU，端到端的應用適配層，邊緣計算，小分子應用程式，5G及無線網路6G整合，無線本地環路，工業4.0應用程式等。

             陳五福本人目前還在幫朋友籌組一個基金，打算投資，支持5G相關新創企業發展。

            紐英崙中華資訊網路協會這天的”5G科技會議”，由現任會長高弘致詞開場，陳五福做主題演講，接著有網協董事，PTC副總裁陶東斌和M/C創投合夥人Brian Clark談”5G趨勢及投資景觀”，平行無線(Parallel Wireless)副總裁曹陽(譯音)談”5G科技及物聯網發展”，紅帽(Red Hat)技術長辦公室的陳偉明談”介紹5G，物聯網及MEC的關鍵發展”。(更新版)

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Second Annual STEM Week with Kickoff at the Museum of Science

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Second Annual STEM Week with Kickoff at the Museum of Science

Students across the Commonwealth will engage in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math lessons to boost awareness of STEM career opportunities

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, educators, business leaders and other state officials kicked off the second annual statewide STEM Week at the Museum of Science today, an effort to encourage more young people to explore science, technology, engineering and math studies and careers. More than 400 schools have applied-learning lessons planned for the week, and nearly 1,000 events will take place across the Commonwealth to engage students in STEM activities. 

At the Museum, the Governor signed a proclamation declaring October 21 through 25 statewide STEM Week, with a focus on encouraging young people across the Commonwealth the “See Themselves in STEM.”

Strengthening STEM education in the Commonwealth’s K-12 schools and deepening the STEM workforce pipeline is a priority of the Baker-Polito Administration. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito co-chairs the STEM Advisory Council along with Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III and Jeffrey Leiden, chief executive officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The STEM Advisory Council is appointed by the Governor and includes education and business leaders in STEM industries that work to promote STEM education, partnerships among industries and schools and internships for students.

“We hope that STEM Week sparks interest among students to explore science, engineering, technology and math as fields they could pursue in their future careers,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “As STEM-related industries like biotech, clean energy, information technology, and manufacturing continue to thrive in the Commonwealth, the demand for highly-skilled young people is a pressing issue for the state’s economy and I am grateful to Lt. Governor Polito for her leadership on this initiative in her capacity as Co-Chair of the STEM Advisory Council.” 

“We have made tremendous strides in boosting STEM education in Massachusetts schools over the past several years, but there is too much untapped potential in classrooms as young women and minority students are still widely underrepresented in these fields,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We appreciate all the hard work done by schools, businesses, colleges, libraries, museums, and other nonprofit organizations to make this week a success and look forward to celebrating the week across the Commonwealth.”

Employment in STEM-related occupations is projected to grow to more than 9 million jobs nationwide between 2012 and 2022 – an increase of about 1 million more jobs over 2012 employment levels, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The need for STEM graduates particularly impacts Massachusetts because more than 40 percent of all employment in the Commonwealth revolves around innovation industries such as clean energy, information technology, defense, and advanced manufacturing, according to the Massachusetts’ Plan for Excellence in STEM Education.

“In an economy increasingly reliant on STEM skills, students shouldn’t have to dream big just to envision a STEM career,” said Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III. “Throughout this second annual STEM Week, thousands of students will be given the opportunity to work closely with leaders in business and education to gain experience in our most rapidly expanding economic sectors. Leaving so much untapped potential on the field not only fails our moral obligation to our students, it drains the economic growth we need instead.”

“STEM Week is helping us change the way we teach topics like science and engineering – it brings learning out of the textbook and into the real world with hands-on problem solving,” said Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. “Like most of my scientist friends, I got hooked on science by my outstanding fifth grade teacher. Developing the next generation of scientists is all about capturing their imagination early and showing them how much fun a career in science can be, and that’s what this week is all about.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Governor, Lt. Govenor, Secretary Peyser, and Congressman Kennedy and other leaders from government, industry, and education to celebrate the kick-off of the second Massachusetts STEM Week here at the Museum of Science,” said Gwill York, Board Chair for the Museum of Science. “For millions of people every year, the Museum of Science lives out its mission to deepen the public’s relationship with STEM by highlighting its critical role in our day-to-day lives. As a cultural institution and educator of science, technology, engineering and math, we take very seriously our role in helping to break down barriers and dispel any misconceptions around what STEM is or who belongs in STEM. STEM is for all. As a member of the MA STEM Advisory Council, we welcome the close partnerships we have with city and state agencies, schools, colleges, and industry, to support our common goal to build STEM education in Massachusetts.”

Over the past several years, Massachusetts schools have boosted the prominence of STEM subjects. Public high school students are now able to substitute a computer science course for a lab science or mathematics to meet their MassCore curriculum requirements. The state adopted new digital literacy and computer science curriculum frameworks, giving public school students their first statewide standards in a subject that is increasingly becoming essential to college and career success. And in 2017, the state created a new license for computer science teachers. 

The Baker-Polito Administration is focused on giving more students career exploration learning opportunities. Schools across the Commonwealth have strengthened career coaching and planning, and state education officials are working to help school districts develop and expand programs in high schools that give students rigorous college-level courses in STEM subjects through early college and career pathway programs. 

At the state’s vocational and technical schools, the administration has made significant new investments, more than $65 million over the past four years, to make sure students learn on the most up-to-date industry standard equipment. 

“We would like to see more students gain applied learning experiences so they develop real-world skills and knowledge in STEM-related fields,” said Secretary of Education James Peyser. “It is critical that all students are able to use these skills to think critically and solve problems, both in school and in the workplace.”

“Science, technology, engineering and math are great subjects for hands-on experiences that have students work together to investigate questions and explore fields that they might not have considered,” said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley. “I’m glad to see students and teachers engaged in this work during STEM Week and throughout the year.”

The Governor and Lt. Governor, along with their Cabinet secretaries, will take part in several STEM Week events throughout the week. 

To find out more about STEM Week events, visit the Mass STEM Week website

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Health Care Legislation Aimed at Addressing Key Challenges

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Health Care Legislation Aimed at Addressing Key Challenges

Proposal Prioritizes Primary Care and Behavioral Health Within the Construct of the State’s Health Care Benchmark

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today introduced comprehensive health care legislation to improve outcomes for patients, increase access to care and bring down costs. The reforms will promote access to behavioral health and primary care services and cut down the hidden costs that currently blindside consumers and impact the overall system. The legislation also holds drug companies accountable for excessive prices and unjustified price increases, and supports distressed community hospitals and community health centers.

In addition to the legislation, Governor Charlie Baker today signed an executive order forming a commission tasked with conducting a comprehensive study of the individual and small group insurance market, often referred to as the “merged market”, to examine the underlying trends that are contributing to growing costs for individuals and small and mid-size employers. The administration also approved $15 million to be deposited into the Health Safety Net Trust Fund to support care provided to uninsured and underinsured patients by acute care hospitals and community health centers.

The legislation aims to invest in team-based approaches to treat the whole individual in order to improve health outcomes and decrease costs over time. Current internal and external data suggests that less than 15% of total medical expenses in Massachusetts are spent on primary care and outpatient behavioral health services combined. 

“We need to prepare our health care system for the future, focus our efforts on achieving the best outcomes for patients and bring down costs. The current health care system is not incentivized to take proactive steps to address the challenges associated with supporting an aging population, individuals with a chronic illness, or those in need of behavioral health services,” said Governor Baker. “This legislation supports holistic approaches to care, provides consumers and employers with affordable care options, promotes behavioral health parity, and ensures everyone has access to the services they need.” 

“The Commonwealth is one of the healthiest states in the nation with the highest percentage of insured individuals, in part due to our strong and innovative health care industry; however, we continue to be one of the most expensive states for health care,” said Lieutenant Governor Polito. “This legislation aims to protect consumers and reduce their out-of-pocket costs, and further support community hospitals and health centers which play a critical role in delivering quality, affordable care to some our highest-need communities.”

“For far too long, primary and behavioral health care has not been at the forefront of our health care system. While we know that changing the narrative will take time, we are committed to engaging in a multi-year, multi-pronged approach to create a cohesive system of behavioral health care and strong primary care in the Commonwealth,” said HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders. “We took a hard look at our current system and asked what we had to do as a state to incentivize payers and providers to invest in these services and improve access to care. Today’s legislative action is a significant step, and over the next several months we will be rolling out additional behavioral health initiatives that support our overall goal of achieving true parity.”

The legislation includes reforms in five major areas: 

• Prioritizing behavioral health and primary care
• Managing health care cost drivers to protect consumers
• Improving access to high-quality, coordinated care
• Stabilizing distressed community hospitals and health centers
• Promoting insurance market reforms

Prioritizing behavioral health and primary care within the cost growth benchmark

Since January 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration has invested $1.9 billion in behavioral health across the spectrum of care. Even as the administration has made important strides in the integration of behavioral and physical health and increased treatment capacity, deep-rooted structural challenges continue to exist. Consumers consistently report long waits for appointments, lack of treatment available at the right time and at the right place and difficulty finding providers who take insurance. 

Additionally, the system continues to underinvest in primary care despite the known link to better population health and lower spending. By definition, primary care focuses on early detection and treatment and is among the most cost-effective functions of our health care system. 

The legislation targets those challenges by prioritizing investments in behavioral and primary care and establishing a spending target.

• Providers and insurers, including MassHealth, will be required to increase spending on behavioral health and primary care by 30% over three years within the construct of the state’s healthcare benchmark. 
• Calendar year 2019 spending will serve as the baseline, and providers and insurers will be measured on their performance beginning in calendar year 2023. 
• The legislation does not suggest a standard pathway for providers and insurers to achieve the target.
• Providers and insurers will be required to report their progress on an annual basis through the Center for Health Information Analysis’ (CHIA) and Health Policy Commission’s (HPC).
• If the target is not achieved, providers and insurers will be referred by CHIA to the HPC and may be subject to a performance improvement plan which may require them to identify strategies and opportunities to increase investments in primary care and behavioral health. 

In addition to promoting increased spending in behavioral and primary care, the legislation complements the administration’s broader efforts to create a cohesive behavioral health care system by developing the behavioral health workforce and ensuring consumers have access to accurate and updated information by:

• Encouraging behavioral health practitioners to accept insurance

·         Requires insurers, including MassHealth, to use a standardized credentialing form so providers only need to complete one application.

·         Increases payment rates by establishing a “bottom line” for certain services based on the in-network rate for comparable medical/physical services.

·         Requires insurers to report on their out-of-network behavioral health utilization. 

• Promoting timely access to appropriate behavioral health treatment

·         Requires insurers to maintain accurate provider directories and update them on a quarterly basis. It also requires providers to update any changes in status (e.g. no longer accepting new patients).  

·         Prohibits payers from denying coverage or imposing additional costs for same-day behavioral health and certain medical visits

·         Requires acute care hospitals to maintain clinical capacity to provide or arrange for the evaluation, stabilization and referral of patients with behavioral health conditions in emergency departments

• Develop behavioral health professional workforce

·         Requires insurers to reimburse non-licensed behavioral health professionals in training working in clinical settings.

·         Establishes a Board of Registration of Recovery Coaches, per the recommendations of the Recovery Coach Commission, to credential and standardize the recovery coach position to promote insurance reimbursement.

Managing health care cost drivers to protect consumers 

Since 2009, total healthcare spending growth in Massachusetts has been below the national rate; however, health care spending is still high and consumers continue to pay more for health care even when they have coverage. The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA)’s recent annual report found that total health care expenditures grew from $58.8 billion in 2017 to $60.9 billion in 2018, an increase of 3.1%. Even with a moderate overall growth rate, the burden of health care costs on Massachusetts employers and residents continues to grow. Over the past two years, growth in consumer out-of-pocket costs and premiums has outpaced inflation and wage growth. For every additional dollar earned by Massachusetts families between 2016 and 2018, 48 cents went to health care. 

The legislation protects consumers and reduces out-of-pocket costs by:

• Prohibiting surprise billing for emergency and unplanned services rendered by an out of network provider at an in-network facility. For example, an individual may receive a surprise medical bill after going to the emergency room for a broken arm and getting an X-ray by a radiologist who, unbeknownst to the consumer, is out-of-network. 
• Creating limits for when a hospital can charge an extra fee (known as a facility fee) for services delivered at hospital outpatient department. Patients may go to a hospital outpatient department to see a specialist or have a day surgery that does not require an inpatient stay. Statistics show that prices for the same service can be 30-60% more in hospital outpatient departments than in a doctor’s office. The limits are focused on the proximity of the clinic to the hospital’s main campus and fees are prohibited altogether for certain services like an X-ray or MRI delivered in an outpatient setting. 
• Requiring that pharmacies inform individuals about their lowest out-of-pocket cost options for prescription drugs when they pick-up a prescription.

The legislation also provides the Commonwealth with additional tools to hold pharmaceutical manufacturers and middlemen accountable for growing prescription drug costs. 

High drug costs that are new to the market with little competition continue to drive health care spending, even after rebates. The Baker-Polito Administration has already taken historic measures to address high drug costs through the state’s Medicaid program.  Provisions approved in the FY20 budget authorized MassHealth to directly negotiate with drug manufacturers and engage in a public process when a deal cannot be reached while maintaining full coverage for members. However, no system targeting high cost drugs currently exists in the commercial market. To address this, the legislation creates a multi-pronged approach for increasing accountability for drug manufacturers:

• Subjects manufacturers of new, high-cost drugs to HPC’s accountability process (cost more than $50,000/per person per year) for further review, similar to the processes established for insurers and providers.
• Imposes a penalty on manufacturers that increase the cost of drugs exponentially which are sold or distributed in the Commonwealth. The penalty will be imposed if a drug is increased greater than the consumer price index (CPI) plus two percent. The penalty would be equal to 80% of the increase amount in excess of CPI +2% for drugs sold or distributed in the Commonwealth.
  • For example, a drug may cost $1,000 on 12/20/20 and on 12/20/21 it costs $1,020. If the CPI is set at 2% then the drug could grow 4% (CPI + 2%) without being penalized. In this scenario the manufacturer would not be penalized because the price increase does not exceed 4. However, if the drug cost $1,200 on 12/20/21 the manufacturer would be penalized because it exceeds the 4% growth. The Commonwealth would then collect the 80% on the difference times the amount of units sold or distributed. In this scenario, the difference is $161 meaning the penalty would be $129 (80%) per unit. If the manufacturer sold 30,000 units then the Commonwealth would penalize the company for $3.8 million. 

Additionally, the legislation aims to increase state oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBM). PBMs manage prescription drug benefits for many health plans and negotiate prices and rebates with manufacturers and payments to pharmacies. Their practices have increasingly raised concerns because they aren’t transparent and may contribute to high drug costs. As part of reforms included in the FY20 budget, the Baker-Polito Administration implemented a new requirement for PBMs to be transparent about their pricing and to limit PBM margins under contracts with MassHealth, MCOs and Accountable care organizations (ACOs), which is projected to save $10 million in the first year. However, Massachusetts currently has no authority or oversight of PBMs or their compensation and as a result cannot hold PBMs accountable or compel them to report data related to revenues. The legislation:

• Establishes a PBM certification requirement within the Division of Insurance.
• Requires PBMs to report financial data to CHIA from manufacturers and provider payments to increase transparency. 

The legislation also strengthens the Commonwealth’s ability to hold insurers and providers accountable for growing health care costs.

• Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012 is designed to health care spending growth in line with growth in the state’s overall economy by establishing a statewide target for the rate of growth of total health care expenditures, known as the “health care cost benchmark”, which is set by the Health Policy Commission