Melanie MacEachern

Freelance writer with skills and knowledge in healthcare policy, reproductive justice and art history. Skilled administrative assistant. Graduated from University of Michigan.

Author's Posts

National News

Bright Health Ordered to Liquidate by Texas Court

Bright Health Group has been ordered to liquidate by a Texas court, which will block the enforcement of risk-adjusted transfer payments in Texas that the company has defaulted on. According to Fierce Healthcare, Bright agreed to a repayment agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for $89.6 million, or...
Banner Shifts Hospice to HOV; Pennant Buys Southwestern Arizona News

Banner Shifts Hospice to HOV; Pennant Buys Southwestern

Hospice business is shifting in Arizona as Banner Health (Banner) has closed hospice services in Arizona and will now refer to nonprofit Hospice of the Valley. Also, Pennant will take over hospice services for Southwestern Palliative Care and Hospice (Southwestern). Banner, Arizona's largest health system, will shift its 100 hospice...
National News

Health Affairs: ACOs Not Great At Treating Behavioral Health Concerns

A new study shows that accountable care organizations (ACOs) are falling short in delivering behavioral health care for Medicare beneficiaries with depression and anxiety disorders. The study, published in Health Affairs, looked at data from the 2016-2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and isolated validated depression and...
Arizona News

CVS Health Introduces CostVantage to Streamline Drug Pricing

CVS Health, the largest drugstore chain in the country, will move to a simpler model for setting the prices of prescription drugs. The new payment model, CostVantage, was announced on Tuesday. According to AZCentral, the chain's 9,000 pharmacies will have a reimbursement rate that defines the cost of the drug using a "transparent...
Arizona News

Public Programs Innovate Payment Methods for Costly Gene Therapies

Gene therapies, which treat diseases at the genetic level, are becoming increasingly popular for pharmaceutical manufacturers as the efficacy of directly working with the human genome shows promise for effective health outcomes. But as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves them for use in the U.S., these drugs carry a hefty...
Arizona News

Gallego Announces Rural Physician Workforce Production Act

Representative Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) has signed on to support the "Rural Physician Workforce Production Act," which would lift Medicare reimbursement caps on rural hospitals and incentivize urban hospitals to send residents to train at rural locations. In a press release, Rep. Gallego noted that more than 40% of rural Arizonans worry...
Cigna and Humana Rumored to Be Working on Merger National News

Cigna and Humana Rumored to Be Working on Merger

It appears likely that Cigna and Humana, two of the country's largest insurers, are discussing a merger that some report could be finalized by the end of the year. The first report of the potential deal came from the Wall Street Journal, which reported that the structure and terms of the deal were under wraps, but the deal does...
AMA Releases Guidance for AI Regulation and Use National News

AMA Releases Guidance for AI Regulation and Use

As the use of artificial or augmented intelligence (AI) becomes more widespread across healthcare, industry leaders are advocating for guardrails and guidance to alleviate the risks that come with the software. On Tuesday, the American Medical Association (AMA) released new "principles for augmented intelligence," which expounds on...
National News

U.S. Women's Life Expectancy Nearly Six Years Longer Than Men

New analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine demonstrates that life expectancy of American men is six years shorter than that of women. The study analyzed life expectancy at birth trends, which decreased in the U.S. for the second consecutive year. The expectancy was 78.8 in 2019 and 76.1 in 2021. The report notes that the gap...
National Reports & Surveys

Value-based Care - ACOs Making Mark Across Industry

New studies are showing the benefits of value-based care organizations, including the rapid rise of accountable care organizations (ACOs). Physician participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs) has increased to represent most doctors, according to a survey of 3,500 physicians by the American Medical Association (AMA)....
SAMHSA Publishes 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health National News

SAMHSA Publishes 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published the results of the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) this week. The survey is prepared annually and tracks drug use and behavioral health in the U.S., including among adolescents ages 12...
CMS Finalizes 2024 Physician Fee Schedule CMS Rules

CMS Finalizes 2024 Physician Fee Schedule

Last Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule, which includes a 3.34% decrease to the schedule's conversion factor, setting it at $32.74, a $1.15 decrease from 2023. The agency finalized other increases for visits including primary and longitudinal care, and...
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