Juliette Kayyem (D), Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, Discusses Healthcare with David E. Williams

BOSTON - March 13, 2014 - PRLog -- Massachusetts residents heading to the polls to cast their vote for the state’s next Governor can now visit the Health Business Blog at http://www.healthbusinessblog.com/2014/03/13/juliette-kay... to listen to and read David E. Williams’ one-on-one interview with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Juliette Kayyem.

Williams’ interview with Kayyem, which is the last in a series that has featured all nine of Massachusetts’ gubernatorial candidates, covered a variety of important healthcare topics including: healthcare reform, cost containment, price disparities, health information technology, children's health, Hepatitis C, and more. Some of Kayyem's remarks are excerpted below.

On price disparities among hospitals:

-- “There’s more that the state can do. But we need to realize that it’s a competitive field and that there are going to be limitations to what the market can correct. Transparency is good, and litigating or having causes of action against abuses is good. Then let the market begin to drive some better behavior, which I do believe it will.”

On electronic medical records:

-- “Medical data is the most private and therefore must be the most secure. It’s understandable that medical records have taken some time to catch up. The state can do a lot to encourage hospitals to adopt and invent new storage protocols and transfer protocols while protecting privacy.”

On Hepatitis C:

-- “We can make things, we can buy them in bulk, we can get them down to the right hospitals or community health centers, but can we actually get them to individuals? I’m committed to finding ways in which we can do what we call that ‘last mile,’ which is most important.”

-- “Most importantly, we need to look at prevention of Hepatitis C. That’s only going to occur with strong public health education programs, and strong commitment to community health centers and other public education providers that are out in communities helping people live healthier lives.”

On healthcare-related ballot initiatives:

-- “I prefer ballot initiatives going through the legislature. Ballot initiatives don’t allow for the kind of negotiations that are often required for proper implementation.”

-- "If the citizens of the state pass them, I’m not going to oppose them. On the other hand, I would also like to work with the nurses’ union, with hospitals and others to get the legislation that is necessary to ensure that nurses have adequate staffing levels, and whatever other legislation might be appropriate for this space.”

On children's health:

-- “It’s about public education. People have to understand that the health and livelihood of our children is dependent on responsible behavior of other parents about their children.”

-- "I am into risk reduction. That is what Homeland Security is about. One of the risks that I see coming down our way is the challenge of climate change and how that’s going to impact our children’s health.”

Williams said, “I initiated this interview series to provide Massachusetts voters with an opportunity to hear Ms. Kayyem and the other candidates provide detailed views on healthcare issues, which are so central to this state.”

A complete, no-cost podcast of the interview is available for immediate download from Williams’ award-winning Health Business Blog at http://www.healthbusinessblog.com/2014/03/13/juliette-kay...
A transcript is also available.

Interviews with Massachusetts other gubernatorial candidates have been uploaded to the blog this month.

For more information or media inquiries, contact David E. Williams via the Health Business Group (http://www.healthbusinessgroup.com/contact) or via Twitter (@HealthBizBlog).

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About the Health Business Blog:

The Health Business Blog is an award-winning weblog written by David E. Williams, president of the Health Business Group, a health care business strategy consulting firm. The blog has published more than 3,500 posts and 100 podcast interviews since 2005. http://www.healthbusinessblog.com and @HealthBizBlog

About the Health Business Group:

Health Business Group is a leading strategy consulting firm advising companies, non-profits and investors in health care services, health information technology, and pharmaceutical services. Client service professionals average more than 15 years of health care consulting, industry and start-up experience. For more information visit http://www.healthbusinessgroup.com