Melanie MacEachern, Author at The Hertel Report

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 Reports & Surveys

REPORT: AHA Finds Skyrocketing Expenses and Inflation Causing Financial Challenges for America's Hospitals

On Monday, the American Hospital Association (AHA) released a report on the new costs incurred on hospitals and health systems, including the effects of workforce shortages, the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic inflation. The report demonstrates a struggle within the American healthcare system to absorb rising costs, even with the relief...

CMS Rules

CMS Proposes SEP for New Beneficiaries, Closing Coverage Gaps

Last Friday, April 22, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposal to rectify a few of the issues many Americans face with Medicare enrollment. The CMS press release says the proposed rule will implement provisions from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and President Joe Biden's executive...

Arizona News

COVID-19 Update April 21, 2022: Workforce Shortages, OSHA to Revoke AZ State Plan, Mask Mandates Lifted on Public Transit

Fallout from COVID-19 policies continue as hospitals nationwide struggle to maintain a workforce. Nurse and healthcare worker unions and advocacy organizations blame hospital policies and reduced pay for the worker shortages. OSHA moved to revoke Arizona's state plan after ongoing violations of federal policy to enforce worker...

CMS Rules

CMS IPPS and LTCH PPS Proposed Rules: Health Equity and 3.2% Increase

On Monday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment (IPPS) and Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCH PPS) Proposed Rule, which will update Medicare fee-for-service payment rates and policies for inpatient hospitals and LTCHs for fiscal year 2023. The rule includes a 3.2% increase...

Arizona News

National & Arizona Initiatives to Boost Maternal Health Outcomes

Last week was Black Maternal Health Week in the U.S., and with it came a number of announcements on support services through both public and private programs to improve health outcomes for pregnant or postpartum women of color and their children across the country and in Arizona. In a short blog post for the Arizona Department of...

Arizona News

COVID-19 April 14 Update: BA.2 & Long-term Care Policies Change

The BA.2 variant, also known as the "stealth Omicron," is now the dominant coronavirus version in the U.S. and more than 60 other countries. This week, Philadelphia became the first major city in the U.S. to announce that it would return to mandating masks in public spaces due to the spread of BA.2. Meanwhile, Arizona, the Centers for...

National News

Lawsuits Filed Against Nursing Homes, COVID-19 Waivers and Telehealth Fraud, Medicare and Medicaid Fraud

As COVID-19 restrictions relax and business practices return to normal guidelines, a large number of negligence and wrongful death suits have been filed due to a repeal of liability protections and statutory deadlines. Johnson & Johnson was unable to overturn a ruling in a deceptive marketing case regarding transvaginal mesh...

National News

The Great Unwinding: Ending PHE Policies in a Time of Crushing Medical Debt

As the COVID-19-related public health emergency (PHE) winds down, concerns are being raised that the structures of support provided to the public during the crisis will have a negative impact on beneficiaries when the PHE comes to a close. These include Medicaid enrollees, who have not been reviewed for qualification by state Medicaid...

Arizona News

COVID-19 Update April 7, 2022: Hospitalizations Still Falling, the Threat of BA.2 Emerges

COVID-19 has fallen out of the national spotlight, as cases and death counts fall week-over-week. But there are still challenges present. The threat of the BA.2 variant that caused a post-Omicron resurgence in Europe demonstrated COVID-19 still requires vigilance, effort and funding to overcome. In Arizona this week, there were 6,840...

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