Last Wednesday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) published its biennial report to Congress which included recommendations to streamline alternative payment models (APMs) within the Medicare program. It also recommended a strategy to improve accuracy in Medicare Advantage (MA) payments and correct a major contributor to...
The American insurance-based health care industry certainly has downsides, but none so notorious and archaic as medical debt. Nearly one in five U.S. households have medical debt, and as a result many Americans have lost their homes, assets, had their credit scores lowered beyond repair or been denied subsequent health...
Following the devastating report from the Arizona Auditor General in May, Arizona lawmakers held ADHS interim director Don Herrington's feet to the fire for nearly three hours last Thursday, searching for answers to the damning questions raised by the report.
The Arizona Department of Health Services is accused of not following...
Children between six months and five years old are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines offered by Pfizer and Moderna. In Arizona, that's nearly 400,000 additional eligibilities.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), the vaccine was made available on Monday, June 20. To find locations where a child under 5...Arizona News
According to ASPE, an estimated 3 million people currently insured in the individual market would lose coverage and become uninsured if the American Rescue Plan’s premium tax credit provisions are not extended beyond 2022. Deadline for Congress to avoid disruption of the market for insurers and shoppers: August.
The American...Arizona News
In 2020 and 2021, AHCCCS and the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith, and Family (GOYFF) trained over 3,800 teachers and community leaders to implement PAX in their professional work with children and families.
The PAXIS Institute develops, implements, and supports tested and proven, solution-focused strategies with real-world...CMS Rules
The rule includes proposals and routine updates to the Medicare Home Health Prospective Payment System (HHPPS) and the home infusion therapy services’ payment rates for CY 2023.
This rule proposes a permanent, budget-neutral approach to smooth year-to-year changes in the pre-floor/pre-reclassified hospital wage index as critics...Arizona News
U.S. News & World Report ranks Phoenix Children's Hospital among America's "Best Children's Hospitals" and as Arizona's top children's hospital. Tucson Medical Center won't acquire Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital in Green Valley but Northwest Medical Center is adding a 52-bed hospital in southeast Tucson.
Phoenix Children's...
The political landscape for gay, lesbian, queer and especially transgender individuals has been fraught throughout 2022, with a wide range of anti-LGBTQ+ healthcare bills storming through state legislatures across the country. These include directives to prohibit gender-affirming healthcare services for minors in several states,...
This week in Arizona there were 16,334 new recorded cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths, according to the Arizona Daily Star. In Pima County alone, there were three new deaths and 2,451 new cases.
The Arizona Republic reports that Wednesday's new case count amounts to the highest case report since the Arizona Department of Health Services...
The idea that housing has an integral place in patient health and wellness is no longer a hypothetical question. In recent years, the pivot to value-based care (VBC) and research into the impacts on social determinants of health (SDOH) on patient outcomes has been quite clear. But the catch now, in the contemporary American healthcare...National News
This week in value-based care, a fresh look at untangling VBC for providers looking to enter into an ACO or payment model, results from the Comprehensive ESRD Care Model, and some market moves in long-term and home healthcare.
A new study published in Health Affairs on Monday demonstrates that the first Medicare accountable care...
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sided with the American Hospital Association (AHA) against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a case that challenged a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rule that would have cut outpatient drug payments for hospitals that treat Medicaid enrollees and...
Last week Oracle completed its $28 billion acquisition of Cerner with its eyes on creating a national database of medical records, but interoperability experts suggest Oracle will continue to face the same technical challenges along with operational and business roadblocks including inconsistent privacy policies governing electronic...National News
This month the Urban Institute launched its effort to advance equity through innovation in data analytics and research methods, to deliver evidence-based solutions and actionable policy to address structural racism and other entrenched inequities.
In addition to developing new research, the Office of Race and Equity Research will...
Medicare Advantage (MA) is growing in popularity with a recent survey finding nine out of 10 MA beneficiaries were satisfied with their coverage, but concerns remain that MA enrollment for low-income adults may not advance health equity in the Medicare program, a major policy initiative of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...
Last week, a man attacked St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing four people and then himself. In response to this as well as a spate of recent mass shootings across the U.S., Congress is moving to include health care worker protections in a bill aimed at curbing gun violence.
The gunman blamed his doctor for pain after a...
Last Thursday, the Social Security and Medicare boards of trustees released their annual reports on each program and reported that the economic recovery was much stronger than anticipated following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, both programs will still face long-term concerns that could reduce retirement benefits and reduce...
Hospital finances regressed in April 2022 after showing signs of improving earlier this year, according to a new report by Kaufman Hall. The report tags the spring surge in hospitalizations for COVID-19 patients as the main culprit in hospital economic downturn.
According to the Flash Report, hospitals experienced a fourth straight...
Community health centers played a central role in coordinating care and economic support to disadvantaged communities during the pandemic, according to a report filed last Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The KFF Report noted that community health centers are experiencing substantial ramifications from the ongoing healthcare...
On Tuesday, June 7, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) formally announced that the first probable case of monkeypox was found in Arizona.
According to the ADHS press release, the first test returned a presumptive positive result and the department is awaiting further testing from the Centers for Disease Control and...
Listed among Arizona municipalities, ad agencies, financial institutions and real estate firms, a number of healthcare organizations including Centene's Arizona Complete Health and health system market leaders Banner Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Dignity Health of Arizona, HonorHealth and the Mayo Clinic also made the...
HealthyU launched its first location in Avondale in 2021 and now operates four clinics in the Phoenix area, including locations in Avondale and Mesa.
The partnership begins June 23, 2022 with evolvedMD integrating in-person behavioral health services at HealthyU's Mesa location and a virtual option in Mesa. Clinics offer conventional...CMS Rules
Last Friday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a report that reviewed the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund for 2023 and determined that cost-savings from unexpectedly low Medicare Part B spending in 2022 could be recommended to drive premium cuts for Part B coverage next year.
The...