Last week President Joe Biden called on U.S. lawmakers to enact legislation aimed at lowering drug prices, including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and imposing penalties on drugmakers that hike prices faster than inflation.
Biden said that U.S. prescription drug costs were higher than any other nation in the world by two to...National Reports & Surveys
Medicare has continued to make overpayments for chronic care management services, and as a result, has cost the program and its beneficiaries millions of dollars in waste.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) examined over 7.8 million claims from physicians and 240,00 claims from hospitals for chronic care management services...News
Deanna Wise, Banner Health senior vice president and chief information officer, was recognized as one of the 11 global recipients of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Changemaker in Health Award.
The first of its kind, the award is determined by a public vote. The award recognizes inspiring senior...Arizona News
The new unit opened last week in Glendale, with the goal to expand care for the growing number of kids with emergent mental health needs.
Doctors say kids in the age group from 5-12 who suffer from emotional issues or have mental and behavioral health needs are underserved.
Dr. Srinivas Dannaram, a child psychiatrist at Banner...Arizona News
New data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showed that more than 2.5 million people enrolled in health coverage on HealthCare.gov and state Marketplaces during the 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP), which will close on August 15th.
Enrollment increased by about 404,000 nationwide in July 2021....National News
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) may have a more significant influence on health outcomes than clinical care. The focus on SDOH reflects broader trends in the U.S. healthcare system.
Food access, transportation options and other SDOH account for up to 55% of an individual’s health outcomes. To better understand these factors,...Arizona News
As of Aug. 9, fee-for-service COVID-19 vaccine administration rates increased, according to AHCCCS.
For dates of service through March 14, 2021, AHCCCS adopted the Medicare payment rates as follows:
The AHCCCS fee-for-service rate for COVID-19 vaccine administration is $28.39 to administer single-dose vaccines.
For a COVID-19...White Papers, E books, Reports and more
Medicare beneficiaries could receive post-acute care - including daily living support - at home under a new bill introduced last week. Home healthcare advocates hope the bill moves through Congress this year, but the legislation spurred severe criticism from nursing home and assisted living providers.
The new bill, known as the Choose...
According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nursing aides are the most likely to interact with long-term care residents but are the industry's least likely workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Concerning Statistics
CDC researchers looked at data from 300 U.S. facilities and found that...Arizona News
KOLD News 13 is recognizing Dr. Lynn Coppola for providing free care to patients in need in southern Arizona and across the world in this week’s Heart and Sol.
Nury Stemple, a community health educator at the University of Arizona’s mobile health clinic, said,
She was very kind to provide those services to us especially because...White Papers, E books, Reports and more
According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in their last year of life transition to fee-for-service coverage at least twice as often as those who are expected to live longer. Healthcare costs associated with those patients were an estimated $422 million higher in 2016 than...Arizona Bricks & Mortar
Valleywise Community Health Center – Maryvale is scheduled to close on October 28, 2021. The services and most of the care team will transition to the brand new Valleywise Community Health Center – West Maryvale, located at 7808 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85033.
Valleywise said in the news release,
The same great team and...Arizona News
The nonprofit Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is bringing addiction care, as well as recovery, family and educational services, to Arizona and New Mexico residents with its RecoveryGo™ telehealth solutions - available to anyone living in the state.
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider...Arizona News
Physicians at Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital have completed the first-in-human placement of an investigational flow diverting stent that may eliminate the need for open brain surgery to treat distal unruptured, wide-necked intracranial aneurysms.
Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital Neurosurgeon Dr. Alexander Coon performed the first...Arizona News
Connie Health, a tech-enabled consumer Medicare navigation platform that assists people in making informed health and financial choices announced a $13 million Series A round and that it will begin operations in its second state; Texas.
The Series A comes just four months after the company began serving the public in Arizona and...Arizona Comings & Goings
Phoenix Children's has recruited two senior nursing leaders to serve in executive positions for the growing pediatric health system.
Rhonda Thompson, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, now serves as chief nursing officer (CNO) and senior vice president of patient care services. Katie Penson, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, now serves as vice president of...Arizona News
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center recently completed a new 12-bed inpatient pediatric behavioral health unit for patients ages 5-12.
Banner medical experts have seen that in Arizona and across the country there has been a significant increase in pediatric behavioral health cases at hospitals. While the trend predates the pandemic, it...Reports & Surveys
When Americans become eligible for Medicare coverage at age 65, there are substantial reductions in racial and ethnic disparities including access to care and self-reported health.
Lowering the Medicare eligibility age to age 60 would further reduce health disparities, new research led by the Yale School of Public Health finds. The...