As C-HIT’s chief health investigative reporter, Lisa Chedekel latches on to good stories like a heat-seeking missile. She’s a tenacious reporter, with a keen nose for news and a knack for storytelling. She’s excellent at culling reams of data and sifting out story gems. She puts her subjects at ease, and gets reluctant subjects talking. Lisa wrote a number of high-profile investigative stories in 2013. These four are standouts: • High Use Of Antipsychotics In Nursing Homes Stirs Concerns, Reforms. Lisa reviewed nursing home compare data for the state’s 230 nursing homes disclosing that in at least 36 homes, one-third of long-stay residents were on antipsychotics; that the state Department of Health rarely imposed fines for antipsychotic drug use and that many nursing homes had 5 star quality ratings despite the prescribing practices. • Thousands Of Nursing Homes Beds Empty As State Rebalances Care. Analyzing state data, this story reported that nearly one-third of the state’s nursing homes are at 90 percent occupancy. This comes at a time when the state is providing financial incentives to keep people – especially the elderly – in home and community care settings, rather than nursing homes. Many nursing homes have opted to broaden their care models to include rehabilitation and short-term stays. • Brand-name Drug Choices Drive State’s High Medicare Choices. What Lisa found is that Medicare program relies heavily on band-name drugs, versus generics – especially in wealthy towns in Fairfield County. Through data provided by Dartmouth Atlas, Lisa was able to report on prescribing habits by county and in some instances, by town. • State’s Child Care Oversight: Minimal Monitoring, Lax Oversight: Lisa spent several weeks reviewing hundreds of pages of child day care center inspection reports. What she found was that several centers were allowed to continue to operate — despite years of complaints and health and safety violations. One child care center had 5 complaints filed against it — including a charge that a teacher had sexually abused two children. Despite the multiple safety violations, the state has allowed the child care center to continue to operate. In fact, in 3 years only 2 child care licenses were revoked and 1 suspended. Other states — such as Oklahoma — revoke licenses at 15 times the rate of Connecticut.
