Paula Blankenship

Communications professional with two decades of award-winning work in journalism, corporate communications, promotional video, public relations and higher education. Always seeking opportunities to serve the public good.

Author's Posts

National News

OZ Takes Leadership at CMS - Shares Vision

Mehmet Oz, MD, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), laid out his vision on April 10 for the $1.7 trillion agency—the largest under the Department of Health and Human Services. He pledged alignment with President Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and a focus on modernizing...
Arizona News

AHCCCS Works Waiver Submitted to CMS

During Wednesday's State Medicaid Advisory Committee (SMAC) quarterly meeting, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System announced it had submitted a waiver to enact work requirements for an estimated 190,000 Arizona Medicaid members. In 2017 AHCCCS submitted a 1115 waiver for AHCCS Works which was approved by CMS in 2019. The...

MedPAC on Medicare Insurance Agents

This presentation from MedPAC provides all the basics on Medicare agents and brokers, including compensation for initial sales and renewals as well as agent incentives that lead agents to pitch one plan over another when working with Medicare beneficiaries seeking a Medicare Advantage or Medigap plan. In 2022, about one in three Medicare...
RAND Report: Strategies for Sustaining Emergency Care in the United States

RAND Report: Strategies for Sustaining Emergency Care in the United States

The authors of this report conclude that while emergency departments (EDs) provide significant value to a range of stakeholders, the increasing pressures they've faced over the past decade now threaten the sustainability of America's current emergency care system. The report evaluates the current value of emergency care in the U.S.,...
2025 ACO & Value-Based Networks Data Edition Data Resources

2025 ACO & Value-Based Networks Data Edition

The future of healthcare is clear: value-based care and advanced payment models are here to stay. Arizona’s ACOs are not just participating in this transformation—they are leading it. Their work in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and ACO REACH is shaping models that will extend beyond Medicare into Medicaid, Medicare...
News

Paragon Health Institute: Addressing Medicaid Money Laundering

The Paragon Institute is gaining influence over Washington lawmakers as they wrangle U.S. health policy, and in this paper, its President Brian Blase argues states deploy what amounts to legalized money laundering practices to collect more federal funds to support the growing price tag of Medicaid at no real cost to themselves. The...
Arizona News

AHCCCS Updates Agency's Leadership Structure

The restructuring is part of AHCCCS Director Carmen Heredia’s efforts to combat fraud, waste, and abuse, improve efficiencies, and realign the agency's structure to provide greater flexibility and responsiveness in today's rapidly changing healthcare environment. The trending ubiquitous phrase, "efficient and effective government"...
Arizona News

Ensign Acquires SNFs in Mesa as SNF Bed Prices Decline & M&A Soar

Citrus Heights Respiratory and Rehabilitation, a 204-bed skilled nursing facility, and Springdale Village Post Acute, a 122-bed skilled nursing facility, both located in Mesa, are now part of the Ensign Group. According to a recent industry report, SNF bed prices have dropped year over year from $97,700 to $83,800 in 2024 - way below the...
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