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

Arizona News

Arizona Legislative Update April 15, 2021

On Monday, a letter from more than 200 Arizona women leaders was sent to Governor Doug Ducey advocating against Senator Nancy Barto's (R-Phoenix) Senate Bill 1457. The bill would make it a class 6 felony to perform an abortion based on a genetic...
News

Value Based Care, ACOs, Primary Care First, Direct Contracting Update

Value-based insurance design models, accountable care organizations and the Direct Contracting model are all seeing updates and changes in a hectic first quarter for the Biden Administration. Overall, healthcare organizations that join risk-based contracting and care delivery models are having a difficult time integrating and tracking...
National & Arizona COVID-19 and Vaccine Update April 15 News

National & Arizona COVID-19 and Vaccine Update April 15

There were 419 new cases of COVID-19 reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) on Wednesday, April 14, bringing the state total to 851,265 cases overall. There were four new deaths reported, and Arizona is now at 17,109 total deaths due to the virus. 16% of intensive care unit beds are available and 9% of ICU beds are...

Medicare Advantage: Trends, Trouble with OIG and Hospice Billing

Medicare Advantage market penetration remains strong with abundant room for growth according to analysis of the Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage (MA) and prescription drug plans (PDPs). As of March 1 of this year, total MA membership stands at 27,158,911 with 2,408,192 new members gained year-over-year from...
Arizona News

COVID-19 Update April 8, 2021

There were 750 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Arizona on April 7, bringing the total to 846,230. More than 17,023 people have died of COVID-19 in Arizona, with Wednesday's total new deaths at 27. Those deaths will be reassigned to the days on which the deaths took place. 9% of intensive care unit beds are still in use by COVID-19...
CMS Rules

MedPAC Recommends Reduced Number of APMs, No CHART ACO Yet

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) agreed that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must put together a consolidated group of alternative payment models in order to improve demonstrations. From the commission's recommendation: The Secretary should implement a more harmonized portfolio of fewer spending...
Arizona News

COVID-19 Update April 1

There were 733 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Arizona on March 31, bringing the state total to 841,811. There were 26 new deaths reported, the total number of COVID-19 related deaths is 16,967. Only 9% of intensive care unit beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients and 16% of ICU beds are available. This information comes from the...
Arizona News

COVID-19 Vaccine Update April 1

Arizona has received 4.3 million doses of vaccine from the federal distribution allotment as of March 31. 3.5 million, or 80.5% of those doses have been administered to Arizona residents. To-date, 24% of the state has been fully vaccinated. This information comes from the Bloomberg Vaccine Data Tracker and the Centers for Disease...
Arizona News

AZ Legislative Session Update April 1

Ten-year-old Cassidy Middleton has been an outspoken advocate against the use of step therapy -- a process insurance companies use to try to force patients to use less expensive pharmaceuticals before moving up to the drugs recommended by doctors. According to ABC15, Middleton has juvenile arthritis and has been subjected to step therapy...
COVID-19 Update March 25 Arizona News

COVID-19 Update March 25

Arizona reported 605 new cases on March 24, bringing the state total to 837,849. There were 44 new deaths attributable to COVID-19, the Arizona death toll is now 16,842. Only 9% of intensive care unit beds across the state are in use by COVID-19 patients and 16% of beds are currently available. This information comes courtesy of the...
COVID-19 Vaccine Update March 25 Arizona News

COVID-19 Vaccine Update March 25

As of Wednesday, March 24, the United States has administered doses to 20% of the population. The Arizona numbers match, as 20% of the population has been vaccinated and three million doses have been used. That's 80.6% of the 3.7 million doses delivered. This information comes courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
National News

Affordable Care Act, American Rescue Plan, Becerra To Lead HHS

Unsurprisingly, the Affordable Care Act has received a lot of attention and support since President Joe Biden took office. The Act got a boost for its special enrollment period from the American Rescue Plan, despite a hefty price tag. And the Biden administration appointed a friend to the ACA in Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier...
Arizona News

Reproductive Legislation in the Arizona State Legislature

As has been consistently reported on throughout the 2021 Arizona Legislative Session, there are a number of bills specifically addressing reproductive healthcare and abortion that would likely put constraints on providers and patients throughout the state if they were to pass. Senate Bill 1457, introduced by Senatory Nancy Barto...
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