Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/479389
76 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2014 By Christina H. Davis H ealth care in Connecticut is not only cutting edge, it is big business, too. e industry employed more than 265,000 in 2011, ac- cording to the U.S. Census. ere are more than 10,200 health care employers in the state and their annual payrolls are worth a collective $12.2 billion. Annual revenues in the industry exceed $140 billion. Connecticut outperforms most states on national measures of health care quality. Take the Commonweath Fund's ranking of states' health care systems. Connecticut was ranked sixth in the nation in terms of overall quality and fih in terms of childhood health. e investment in quality of care has resulted in a robust economy around the health care sector in the state, one in which hospitals partner with the private sector for funding and research to drive innovation. At the same time, leaders in the state's health care industry are also working hard to lower costs through a focus on prevention. Preventing problems, finding solutions When it comes to medical specialties, there are few as expensive as pediatrics. But management at Connecticut Children's Medi- cal Center has re-envisioned the hospital not as just a place that cures the smallest patients, but as one that keeps those young patients from ever having to enter its doors. "We're not just trying to be leading edge with the science, but leading edge in prevent- ing and curing disease before it happens," said Martin J. Gavin, president and CEO of Con- necticut Children's, which is based in Hartford. To that end, Connecticut Children's has an Office for Community Child Health that runs multiple programs aimed at keeping kids healthy, including a new program funded by a $1 million grant from UnitedHealthcare, a health insurer with major operations in Hartford. e UnitedHealthcare grant will help improve care delivery and address critical public health issues for children. One of the primary vehicles for these improvements will be through training Connecticut pediatricians on how to best monitor and treat chronic childhood diseas- es like asthma and obesity. ese ailments, if not managed appropriately, can result in larger, more expensive health problems as the child ages. Connecticut Children's isn't alone in its focus on prevention. Masonicare, which is a health care system focused on providing care to seniors, is somewhat ahead of the curve on its focus on preventing disease. "I think what we've seen over the past couple of years with the changes at the federal level with the Affordable Care Act…is a seismic shi in the way health care is viewed and the Sector Sponsored By: Connecticut Children's Medical Center is the only free-standing children's hospital in the state and one of only 50 in the United States. Did You Know? The state's hospitals employ more than 55,000 people and generate $11 billion in annual payroll, $81 billion in spending on goods and services and $1.1 billion in capital spending. Health Care Health Care Industry sPOtLIGHt › From birth to advanced age, the Connecticut health care system has residents covered PHOTO/COURTESY Source: Connec cut Hospital Associa on