Patrick Administration Launches Historic Health Initiative

							                                 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
                             Executive Office of Health and Human Services
                                   One Ashburton Place, Room 1109
                                           Boston, MA 02108
  DEVAL L. PATRICK
     Governor
                                                                                              Tel.: 617-573-1600
                                                                                              Fax: 617-573-1890
TIMOTHY P. MURRAY
                                                                                              www.mass.gov/eohhs
 Lieutenant Governor

JUDYANN BIGBY, M.D.
     Secretary


   CONTACT: Jennifer Kritz, jennifer.kritz@state.ma.us, 617-573-1612 (o), 857-488-9983 (c)
            Alison Goodwin, alison.goodwin@state.ma.us, 617-573-1606 (o), 617-851-9105 (c)

                                                             FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 19, 2007

     PATRICK ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHES HISTORIC HEALTH INITIATIVE
                Nine state agencies form partnership to expand access to care, contain costs,
                                   improve quality, and promote wellness
   BOSTON — Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby today joined leaders from
   across state government to launch HealthyMass, a cross-agency initiative to build on health care reform.
   Collaborative initiatives will focus on five key areas: ensuring access to care; containing health care costs;
   advancing health care quality; promoting individual wellness; and developing healthy communities.

   Representatives of nine diverse state entities came together—in their roles as purchasers; providers;
   regulators; insurers; stewards of public health; and potential sources for health care financing—to sign the
   HealthyMass Compact, an agreement demonstrating their commitment to aligning policies and practices
   to reflect the values, principles and goals of the Patrick Administration.

   “Our health is our Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby.
   “Massachusetts is leading the way toward nearly universal health insurance coverage, but people in the
   Commonwealth must also have access to quality, affordable care, and we as a Commonwealth must do
   more to prevent disease and promote wellness.”

   Jon Kingsdale, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, added,
   “While we celebrate our success in enrolling nearly 300,000 people under healthcare reform, this makes it
   all the more important to control healthcare costs and improve the value of insurance in accessing quality
   care. The sustainability of reform depends on our ability to succeed in this.”

   The new initiative‟s early efforts include alignment of performance measures and incentives; a disease
   management and prevention initiative focused on diabetes and obesity; payment reform; and
   administrative simplification, including elimination of redundant data submissions to the state.

   “The HealthyMass Compact represents a transformation in how we approach health in Massachusetts,”
   Bigby added. “By aligning our efforts across state government, we will work towards a more
   comprehensive approach to health—one that recognizes the inextricable links between cost, quality,
   access, and individual and community wellness. We look forward to working with our many partners
   outside state government, who will play an integral role in making this initiative a success.”

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PATRICK ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHES HISTORIC HEALTH INITIATIVE (cont. 2/2)

Dolores Mitchell, Executive Director of the Group Insurance Commission, said: “Massachusetts has a
time-honored tradition of „mutual aid,‟ whereby communities support each other in times of need. This
new agreement among agencies to work together and support each other to achieve a healthy
Commonwealth is very much in line with that tradition.”

Robert Culver, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, added: “We‟re
committed to this initiative and look forward to using MassDevelopment‟s finance and development
expertise to promote healthcare access and quality throughout the Commonwealth.”

Signatories to the HealthyMass Compact are:

         Executive Office of Health and Human Services
         Executive Office of Administration and Finance
         Office of the Attorney General
         Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority
         Division of Insurance, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
         Group Insurance Commission
         Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority
         Massachusetts Development Finance Agency
         Department of Correction, Executive Office of Public Safety and Security


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