Federal officials say new program can improve health services

The Innovation Advisors Program, intended to help leaders bring change to Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP, could help spark changes throughout the industry, Modern Healthcare reports.

Modern Healthcare: Recruiting Agents Of Reform
Will a new $6 million endeavor be strong enough to help change how an $800 billion federal program has done business for more than four decades? CMS officials are confident and health care industry leaders are hopeful that the Innovation Advisors Program -; intended to help leaders gain the skills to carry out system reforms for Medicare, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program beneficiaries -; will improve health care services in communities nationwide, and, in the process, help the agency achieve its three-part aim of improving care, bettering health and lowering costs (Zigmond, 11/7).

Meanwhile, a new poll finds Americans are not convinced the overall health of the public is improving.

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Few Americans Think Health Is Improving In The U.S.
Public skepticism about health isn't confined to doubts about last year's health care law: Most Americans also think the overall health of the public isn't improving, according to a new poll commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Rau, 11/7).