Veronica Graff, Author at The Hertel Report

Veronica Graff

Business journalist and recent graduate from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with minors in business and philosophy. Emphasis in financial, economic and market reporting. Regular contributor to The Hertel Report.

Author's Posts

News

Healthcare Costs Continue to Rise at an Uncontrollable Pace

Healthcare costs may look like they are stabilizing, but the numbers warrant a closer look as increases are reaching unsustainable levels, climbing to rates higher than inflation--according to the Medical Cost Trend report released earlier this...

Arizona News

Arizona Amends Data Security Breach Law to Better Protect Consumers

House Bill 2154, enacted earlier this year by Gov. Doug Ducey, has significantly expanded Arizona's current data breach notification law effective Aug. 1, 2018. Changes include a more expansive definition of “personal information” that was formerly one of the narrowest in the country, according to Ballard Spahr’s Privacy and...

Arizona News

OIG Inspection Report Finds Numerous Flaws in Phoenix VA Healthcare System

An unannounced review of the Phoenix VA Healthcare System was conducted in early February 2018 by the Department of Veteran Affairs’ Office of Inspector General (OIG). These inspections occur approximately every three years and are evaluated according to the measures for that year. The OIG’s concerns for February were centered...

National News

Another Experimental Alzheimer's Drug Scrapped

Pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly & Co. and AstraZeneca PLC are completely scrapping trials of an experimental drug they were co-developing for the treatment of Alzheimer's. It is an unsurprising announcement among various other disappointing efforts to close the gap to the finish line in the race against the debilitating...

Arizona News

Deloitte to Open Delivery Center in Phoenix Metro Area

Financial consulting company Deloitte will open a U.S. Delivery Center in Gilbert, Arizona. The new 102,000 square foot facility is expecting to generate approximately 2,500 jobs in the region and will focus on developing and applying emerging technologies-based solutions to its clients. To better adapt itself to the perpetually...

National News

Proposed APM Offers Support for Palliative Care Teams

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) proposed an alternative payment model (APM) that includes monthly payments for care teams, including nurses, social workers and spiritual care professionals. The Patient and Caregiver Support for Serious Illness (PACSSI) model was developed to address the gaps in...

National News

Medicare Brand-Name Drug Spending Up 77 Percent, Number of Prescriptions Fall by 17 Percent

Usage of brand-name drugs has declined but seniors are still paying more although they are receiving less, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found: Total reimbursements for all brand-name drugs in Part D increased 77 percent from 2011 to...

National News

Maine Governor Ordered to Expand Medicaid per Voters Decision

Gov. Paul LePage of Maine is being forced to uphold a ballot measure that passed seven months ago when Maine voters decided to expand Medicaid under The Affordable Care Act (ACA). His administration was ordered to file the paperwork to the federal government by next week, according to POLITICO. Supporters of the ACA sued...

Arizona News

UA Program Receives $1.7 Million Grant to Support Rural Areas

The University of Arizona’s (UA) College of Nursing is introducing a project to help improve mental health resources in rural areas and border communities. The program received a $1.7 million grant from US Health Resources and Services Administration in funding to use over four years. Healthcare is closely tied to the economy...

National News

Government Warns Insurance Companies About Questionable Uses of Nuedexta Drug

Nuedexta is the only FDA approved drug to treat pseudobulbar affect (PBA), a rare disorder affecting less than one percent of the population, according to a CNN investigation. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the U.S. government is now warning insurers to be aware of unethical uses of the drug. It has had an...

Arizona News

More on Shoddy Inmate Healthcare: Arizona v. Judge Duncan

For the second time, the state of Arizona is pushing to oust federal judge David Duncan from overseeing a legal settlement demanding that Arizona improves healthcare for its inmates. The request to remove Duncan from the settlement stemmed from his threats to hold Corrections Director Charles Ryan and Assistant Corrections Director...

Arizona News

Medical Spas: Banner Health Gets Into A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

According to a 127-page study conducted by the American MedSpa Association (AmSpa), medical spas are an approximately $4 billion industry with a revenue growth trajectory of eight percent annually. Banner Health Center, Arizona’s largest healthcare network, announced the opening of its first onsite medical spa this week at...

National News

Super-Utilizers see Reduction in Healthcare Use in Study of Community Navigators

Super-utilizers have a big impact on the healthcare industry, accounting for about half of the nation's Medicare program expenditures - a disproportionate amount - they make up only five percent of the patient population. Reducing their healthcare utilization and improving their overall health requires various needs to be addressed....

News

Trump's Budget Proposal Targets the Healthcare Industry

The Trump administration reveals a potential 21 percent cut to the Department of Health and Human Services from the 2017 budget. Approximately $18 billion will be taken from their current $86.3 billion. Conversely, the Food and Drug administration sees a boost of $473 million, the idea being to allow them to bring the market more generic...

National News

New Nonprofits Prepare to Offer Solutions in Partisan-Led Healthcare Climate

The Affordable Care Act has withstood many efforts to demolish its reach and implications, specifically by President Trump, who since his inauguration has launched a crusade against the Obama healthcare legacy. Healthcare is necessary and ubiquitous in day-to-day functions, its importance makes it a priority for congressmen and...

National News

Misuse of Antipsychotics Alleged in Nursing Homes Across U.S.

The Human Rights Watch report makes the claim that the overmedication of antipsychotics in nursing homes has become an epidemic. The report quotes Walter L., a Texas nursing home patient who was given antipsychotics. “Too many times I’m given too many pills…, I can’t even talk. I have a thick tongue when they do that. I ask...

Arizona News

Amazon Taking its First Steps into Healthcare

Should Arizona brick-and-mortar drugstore chains beware? Recently, tech-giant Amazon, obtained approval for wholesale pharmacy licenses in 12 different states. Acquired from public records, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discovered that the Seattle based company holds wholesale distribution licenses in Arizona and the following...

Arizona News

AHCCCS Gets New Deputy Director, Beth Kohler Resigns

This afternoon at the State Medicaid Advisory Committee’s (SMAC) quarterly meeting, AHCCCS Director Tom Betlach briefly announced the resignation of Beth Kohler, Deputy Director of Arizona's Medicaid program. “I think you all know that unfortunately Beth is leaving us,” said Betlach, speaking solemnly of her departure....

Arizona News

Medicaid Beneficiaries Rate their Care

How much do Medicaid beneficiaries really like the care they are receiving? The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) develops and conducts Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) surveys to better understand Medicaid beneficiaries’ experiences with providers. These CMS surveys are not measuring...

Arizona News

Arizona Chamber Foundation Weighs In On Federal Healthcare Reform

A fresh and complete look on the impact upcoming healthcare reforms will have on Arizona’s budget, people and economy. Recent legislation passed by Congress is dramatically cutting federal funds, putting hundreds of thousands of Arizonans at risk of losing Medicaid coverage and could impact the federal budget by billions in the...

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