Thanks to the vaccine, COVID-19 cases in nursing homes have plummeted by 90%. Now, long-term and post-acute care providers are grappling with how to roll back visitor restrictions and recover from the financial devastation of the pandemic.
Last week, CMS updated its guidance for nursing homes, encouraging them to allow indoor,...Arizona News
Last week Banner University Health Plans announced awardees of grants funded through the Community Reinvestment Program. Under the guidance of AHCCCS, the program provides philanthropic support to community-based organizations to improve access to health services and enhance public health.
With emphasis on whole-person integrated...
Across 21 pages you'll find everything you need to know about the value-based payment arrangements thriving in Arizona healthcare; the latest reporting on ACO MSSP 2019 performance results and the Next Generation program along with important fast facts on APMs and value-based networks working with local AHCCCS, Medicare Advantage and...
The legislative session has been busy this week, with many bills that we've been watching gaining ground. Here are some key health care related bills to keep an eye on as the session progresses.
The Arizona Nurses Association (AzNA) maintains a list of bills and legislative priorities for each legislative session, specifically for...Arizona News
As of today, there have been 1,552,911 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the state of Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Both doses of the vaccine have been given to 438,534 people - making them fully vaccinated.
More Vaccine Sites Open
This week Governor Doug Ducey and the ADHS announced a...Arizona News
Arizona’s health information exchange (HIE) chose NowPow to implement a statewide social determinants of health closed loop referral system in Arizona.
By connecting healthcare and community service providers on a single statewide technology platform, the new service is designed to streamline the referral process, foster easier...Arizona News
Health related legislation has finally hit the governor's desk this week. Also, legislators are turning an eye towards protecting businesses during COVID-19 but are meeting criticism and scrutiny from stakeholders.
Last week, Governor Doug Ducey signed the first health care related bills into law for the 2021 Arizona legislative...Arizona News
Change and reform are in the air for AHCCCS and the Medicaid program at large. The Biden administration is eyeing moves to undo major Trump administration reforms to the program and AHCCCS has announced some important changes for Arizona beneficiaries.
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment Access Commission (MACPAC) voted late last week to...Arizona News
A new lawsuit brought by AARP contends a CMS policy weakened enforcement of financial penalties for nursing homes and must be reversed to restore protections for nursing home residents.
The American Association of Retired Persons engaged the law firm Constance Cannon to file the lawsuit against CMS and outgoing HHS secretary Alex...National News
COVID-19 has shined a bright light on so many problems in America, one of them is racial disparities in healthcare. One root cause of that, according to new research, may be price discrimination: the discrepancy between hospital payments from public and private health plans.
New research from the New England Journal of Medicine...News
This is a grim holiday season in Arizona with COVID-19 cases spiking 52% in the two weeks following Thanksgiving. Healthcare workers are managing increasing hospitalizations and deaths; capacity is tightening with 92% of inpatient and 93% of ICU beds in use - the state's largest healthcare system expanded its morgue capacity with...Arizona News
On December 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an official health advisory as the U.S. experiences a surge in fatal drug overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. in the 12 months ending May 2020, with the largest spike after the COVID-19 public...Arizona Comings & Goings
Equality Health, a comprehensive value-based care delivery system, is expanding its operations into Texas and partnering with health plans and primary care providers to enable improved cost and quality performance in value-based contracts.
In January, health plan partners in Arizona agreed to contracts that would allow Equality...Arizona News
Racial and ethnic health disparities are rooted in inherited inequality and prejudice, with racial and ethnic minorities experiencing inequity in medical treatment and poor health outcomes.
Populations of vulnerable people both in the United States and internationally are more likely to experience more severe effects and higher...Arizona Comings & Goings
AzPHA Organizational Member Mercy Care is currently conducting their 2020 Mercy Care Community Needs Assessment.
Mercy Care is a not-for-profit health plan serving AHCCCS members (ACC, DDD and long-term care). Mercy Care partners with more than 20 local non-profits, and intends to always support the community and their...Arizona News
The Arizona Medicaid program had advanced $41 million in provider payments to address the COVID-19 emergency.
On Oct. 27, AHCCCS received federal approval from CMS to increase Arizona hospital reimbursement rates by more than 30%. The Hospital Enhanced Access Leading to Health Improvements Initiative (HEALTHII) will result in a net...Arizona News
Last week, the American Medical Association released the 19th iteration of its recurring report on health insurance in the U.S., revealing dwindling competition among insurers across the country.
The report found that 74% of American health care markets are highly concentrated, meaning they are largely dominated by a small...Arizona News
With over 2 million Arizonans enrolled in AHCCCS, Medicaid has a huge responsibility for impacting population health in the state. Despite past innovation, AHCCCS says it has an opportunity and obligation to do more.
The goals of modernizing Arizona Medicaid are to:
Engage Arizonans to take charge of their health
Make Medicaid...Arizona News
Medicaid work requirements, which the Trump administration has strongly backed, are on hold in many states following federal district court and appellate court rulings holding that such policies are not consistent with the statutory objective of the Medicaid program to provide coverage, according to Modern Healthcare.
Of the 10...Arizona News
The COVID-19 pandemic and coinciding economic recession are creating big difficulties for state budgets and Arizona is certainly no exception. As people lose jobs, Medicaid enrollment will grow. Experts are estimating between 5 and 15 million new people will enroll in Medicaid programs by the end of the year.
Health Affairs...
