Giant vesicles at the prolate-oblate transition: A macroscopic bistable system

Giant phospholipid vesicles are shown to exhibit thermally activated transitions between a prolate and an oblate shape on a time scale of several seconds. From the fluctuating contour of such a vesicle we extract ellipticity as an effective reaction coordinate whose temporal probability distribution is bimodal. We then reconstruct the effective potential from which we derive an activation energy of the order of $k_BT$ in agreement with theoretical calculations. The dynamics of this transition is well described within a Kramers model of overdamped diffusion in a bistable potential. Thus, this system can serve as a model for macroscopic bistability.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, epsfig, 4 eps figures included, to appear in Europhys. Let

The MassHealth Demonstration Extension 20222027: Building on Success, Focusing on Equity

Massachusetts administers much of MassHealth through an 1115 Demonstration waiver, approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which it has extended several times since it was originally approved in 1995. On September 28, 2022, CMS approved Massachusetts' request for a five-year extension of its Demonstration, which is in effect from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2027. While the latest approved Demonstration largely aims to continue and improve upon the programs and initiatives that were part of the previous Demonstration, an area of specific focus within this extension is advancing health equity within the MassHealth program. As part of this, MassHealth seeks to promote health equity by both building on current program elements and introducing new strategies such as investing in certain populations that experience persistent health disparities and creating incentives for ACOs and hospitals to measure and reduce health disparities.This report and accompanying infographic describe the approved MassHealth Demonstration extension, what it means for MassHealth coverage moving forward, and implications for members, providers, and Massachusetts

Solvent free model for self-assembling fluid bilayer membranes: Stabilization of the fluid phase based on broad attractive tail potentials

We present a simple and highly adaptable method for simulating coarse-grained lipid membranes without explicit solvent. Lipids are represented by one head-bead and two tail-beads, with the interaction between tails being of key importance in stabilizing the fluid phase. Two such tail-tail potentials were tested, with the important feature in both cases being a variable range of attraction. We examined phase diagrams of this range versus temperature for both functional forms of the tail-tail attraction and found that a certain threshold attractive width was required to stabilize the fluid phase. Within the fluid phase region we find that material properties such as area per lipid, orientational order, diffusion constant, inter-leaflet flip-flop rate and bilayer stiffness all depend strongly and monotonically on the attractive width. For three particular values of the potential width we investigate the transition between gel and fluid phases via heating or cooling and find that this transition is discontinuous with considerable hysteresis. We also investigated the stretching of a bilayer to eventually form a pore and found excellent agreement with a recently published analytic theory.Comment: 14 pages 12 figure

Churn: What It Is, and What We Are Doing About It

This presentation to grantees of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation\u27s Connecting Consumers with Care program explains the phenomena of health insurance churn, which are disruptions in coverage

A Medicaid compromise expanded coverage for Hoosiers, but important questions linger

In today’s polarized political environment, it is easy to forget that most policy decisions are not black or white, but rather some indeterminate shade of gray. A case in point is Indiana’s Medicaid waiver, which the federal government just approved for a three-year extension

Payment reform for kids

Comprehensive care for children – including greater attention to behavioral health, socio-emotional development, and strong family relationships – may hold the key to lifelong health and well-being. With this premise, a group in Connecticut has just published recommendations for improving pediatric primary care through payment reform

MassHealth: The Basics - Facts, Trends and National Context

This updated June 2012 report provides an overview of MassHealth, the Massachusetts state Medicaid program, eligibility and enrollment information, spending growth statistics, and cost drivers analysis. Client/Partner: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundatio