The 2021 federal budget proposal was unforgiving to the healthcare industry, which took a $1 trillion cut into Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) over the next decade.
Trump's budget, unveiled on Monday, outlines $4.8 trillion in...Arizona News
Take a look at how CMS scored Arizona hospitals' performance, on average, compared to other hospitals in the U.S. The overall hospital rating ranges from 1 to 5 stars. The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures. The most common overall hospital ratings are 3 or 4 stars. No Arizona hospital scored...National News
Kaiser Permanente (KPH), one of the largest non-profit health systems in the country, reported $7.5 billion dollars in income for the year 2019, roughly triple what they made in 2018. Despite the sudden and striking change in income, Kaiser appears to have a vested interest in boosting local communities where they are integrated and are...
Social determinants of health (SDOHs) are the conditions that people exist within throughout their daily life, like their age, occupation, income, and the external forces that shape their daily lives.
Studies have shown one of the best ways to administer preventative care is to improve conditions for communities and demographics that...
Founders Betsy Seals and Deb Deveraux were previous superstars at Gorman Health Group. Their firm offers consulting services in the managed care area and a full suite of services including software support, industry intelligence, auditing, growth strategy, and compliance advisory.
Our industry is undergoing a massive...
This week, public reporting has the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services telling Next Generation ACOs the program won't be around for 2021.
CMS says no final decision has been made and it won't be able to determine if the model can be expanded until additional performance years are evaluated.
Last month, the agency...
Medicare Advantage (MA) and the support it receives from the Trump Administration causes difficulties for nursing home owners and skilled nursing facilities by effecting lengths of stay and making it more difficult for small business or individual home care providers to function under traditional Medicare by skewing...
Banner Health has unveiled its “HealthMobile,” a brightly colored bus that will offer free healthcare to the Valley’s uninsured children.
Although it's on wheels, inside, it operates like a doctor’s office, capable of offering physicals, check-ups, and treatments for a variety of health...
An innovative New York state organization is developing a new way to address the increasingly emphasized social determinants of health (SDOH).
Alliance for Better Health, a state-funded company based near Albany, is carving out a new role for itself, one it calls a “convener.” It will act as an intermediary between providers,...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed new rules for ACA-plans expecting to participate in exchanges in 2021.
The underlying factor uniting the various updates seems to be a push to reduce premium subsidy outlays. Among the proposals: no longer automatically renewing the ACA-plans of low-income people with...
Abrazo Health announced last week the construction of their latest micro-hospital, in Cave Creek.
The new facility, Abrazo’s third of its kind, is set to open in 2021. It will feature a 13-bed emergency department, eight inpatient rooms as well as diagnostic imaging and other services.
They opened one in Mesa in October...
The fourth annual Value Based Care Conference is an educational program developed by The Hertel Report and Arizona HFMA.
FEBRUARY 28, 2020
8:30am to 4 pm
Phoenix Plaza
$125
Program Schedule
Understanding the evolution of delegated risk and responsibilities, while keeping up with quality and cost control drivers. We will hear from...
The Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) has tagged HB 2532, a bill that directs the Arizona Department of Insurance to approve a standard prior authorization form for use by all private insurance companies, as priority legislation.
As we end the fourth week of the legislative session, ArMA, a membership organization for all Arizona...
As one of several well funded startups buying doctors practices, VillageMD announced on January 30 that nearly 50 providers, including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, will be spread across six Arizona-based clinics in 2020.
Forbes reminded readers, the purchase frenzy over doctor practices is...
Controversy reigns supreme as the GOP argues that the case, Texas vs. US (formerly Texas vs. Azar) is not ready for SCOTUS' review, as the fifth district has sent the case back to Texas for reconsideration of the severability of the law. The Democrats and ACA advocates argue that uncertainty about the law should be resolved before the...
The Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR) proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is closed for comments and the nation's Medicaid directors, along with governors, hospital and nursing homes are expressing concern.
According to the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), MFAR in its...
This week, health insurance company Humana, Inc. and private equity company Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe announced they will launch a $600 million project in primary care centers specifically for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
Humana’s Partners in Primary Care already runs primary care facilities in a handful of markets...
Surprisingly, seven of the top ranked hospitals by the U.S. News and World Report are included in this year’s penalty list, including Phoenix’s top-ranked Mayo Clinic.
Nearly 800 hospitals will be penalized under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HAC), a Medicare pay-for-performance program by the Centers for...
CVS has revealed RxZERO, calling it a new solution to help employers and health plan sponsors offer diabetes medication at no out-of-pocket cost without increasing premiums or deductibles for all plan members.
The new plan design will be offered through CVS’s pharmacy benefit manager, CVS Caremark.
According to the...Arizona News
Paradise Valley is getting a brand new, 120-bed, behavioral health facility.
HonorHealth and Universal Health Services broke ground on the Via Linda Behavioral Hospital, located near the intersection of Scottsdale Rd. and Doubletree Ranch Road; the hospital is set to open in late 2021.
According to a press release, the new...
The Commonwealth Fund released an updated comparative health care study showing the U.S. is spending more than the rest of the world with little to show for it.
The report relies on data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It compares US figures to those of 10 other high-income countries:...Arizona News
Legacy Home Healthcare of Southern Arizona has been acquired by Eden Health, a division of EmpRes Healthcare. Legacy operates two Medicare-certified home health agencies in Safford and Sierra Vista.
According to a press release, under Eden’s ownership, “both agencies will continue to offer skilled nursing, physical, speech and...
The report from Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and Healthgrades.com aims to answer questions about what patients value and how they experience healthcare through the analysis of patient reviews.
Each review includes a star rating, while over a quarter include written comments. Analysis of written comments allowed...Arizona News
The Northern Arizona Healthcare Breast Health Program is now the fifth entity in the state to be recognized for outstanding care by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
The program is a collaboration between Northern Arizona Healthcare, Flagstaff Surgical Associates, Northern Arizona Radiology and Arizona...
Under the agreement, WellCare became a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene.
Centene now covers more than 24 million members across all 50 states, or 1 in 15 Americans.
Michael F. Neidorff, Centene's chairman, president and CEO,
We are pleased to have completed this transformational acquisition to create a leading healthcare...
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