A state task force established by Gov. Doug Ducey after an incapacitated woman in the care of Hacienda Healthcare was raped and gave birth last December, issued a report with recommendations to help prevent future incidents.
The 28-page report included 30 recommendations, among them are: improving reporting requirements, better...Arizona News
Arizona children without health insurance is now at the third highest percentage in the nation after increasing more than 10% between 2016 and 2018, according to a report from Georgetown University. Researchers found 8.4% of Arizona kids lacked coverage, placing the state behind Texas and Alaska. In an interview with Tucson.com, Zaida...Arizona News
November is Native American Heritage Month and AHCCCS is celebrating by sponsoring a number of events across the state.
Arizona's Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) highlighted the organization’s ongoing cooperation with Arizona’s tribes.
The agency stated in a press release,
“Led...Arizona News
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) announced suicide prevention training programs to fulfill requirements established by SB 1468, which mandates all school employees who interact with 6-12 grade students receive suicide prevention training at least once every three years. Known as the Mitch Warnock Act , the...Arizona News
Arizona's Medicaid agency took comments on the proposed merger and transition plan of Arizona Complete Health (Centene) and Care1st Health Plan (WellCare) that will result in one insurer - Centene expanding its AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) market footprint statewide.
AHCCCS approved the transition plan with following provisions:
...Arizona News
Arizona's Medicaid Program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), is implementing work requirements beginning the fall of 2020 in Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties. Eventually, nearly 120,000 Arizona residents on Medicaid will have to prove they are either working, studying or volunteering in order to continue...Arizona News
If you know AHCCCS doesn't allow one MCO to own or manage more than one contract in the same geographic service area (GSA), you're probably curious about the merger's impact on Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan (Centene) and Care1st Health Plan of Arizona (WellCare) since both have members in the Central GSA. Also of concern is...Arizona News
A case manager at the Department of Economic Security (DES) is taking steps to lead a class action suit after filing a civil complaint alleging outstanding unpaid overtime hours for her and hundreds of other state workers in the developmental disabilities division.
Plaintiff Kimberly Spitler has worked for DES since 2017 and...Arizona News
Arizona's Medicaid program is highlighted in the Department of Justice's FY 2018 annual report Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program, recently published with the Department of Health and Human Services
The Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program coordinates federal, state and local law enforcement activities to combat...Arizona News
Centpatico Integrated Care, now Arizona Complete Health, is the regional behavioral health authority in southern Arizona. An increase in police mental health transports and inpatient psychiatric stays in Pima County has Tucson mental health service providers and advocates concerned.
With little patient outcome data, it's...Arizona Comings & Goings
AHCCCS announced it added two new deputy directors to its team. Shelli Silver, who previously served as the assistant director for the agency’s division of health care management (DHCM) for more than 13 years and Kristen Challacombe, who recently joined the agency in 2017 as a senior executive consultant at DHCM.
Shelli...Arizona News
Be in the know by attending the livestream of the Medicaid Innovation Challenge on March 29 in Phoenix.
Profit and not-for-profit vendors will pitch their innovative solutions to the seven managed care organizations (MCOs) in Arizona contracted with AHCCCS to provide comprehensive healthcare to 1.9 million beneficiaries across the...Arizona News
The state's Medicaid agency, The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS,) said a programming error in January led to to its mailing of an IRS coverage statement to incorrect mailing addresses for thousands of AHCCCS members.
This week, AHCCCS members whose protected health information (PHI) was compromised due to the...Arizona Comings & Goings
Mohamed Arif is starting a new position as federal relations administrator at Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). He formerly served as waiver manager for the agency. ...Arizona News
On Tuesday, Feb. 5, former Hacienda Healthcare nurse Nathan Sutherland pleaded not guilty for raping and impregnating a disabled 29-year-old woman in a vegetative state for nearly two decades. Sutherland was arrested last month after the woman unexpectedly gave birth to a baby boy on Dec. 29.
The unprecedented birth in December...Arizona News
In December, a 29-year-old woman in a vegetative state for over a decade gave birth to a baby boy and initiated a rape investigation that bled into the new year. Last week, Gov. Doug Ducey called for a "complete replacement" of the board at Hacienda Healthcare. Now that the alleged perpetrator, Nathan Sutherland, has been arrested,...Arizona News
Phoenix Police arrested licensed practical nurse Nathan Sutherland, 36, on charges of rape Wednesday morning after his DNA matched the baby recently born to an incapacitated patient while in the care of Hacienda Healthcare. Other fall out from the attack included the resignations of Hacienda's CEO and the patient's physician - a second...Arizona Comings & Goings
Long-time assistant, Laura Raymond, has taken a new position as executive staff assistant in the Governor's officer. Raymond served as assistant to AHCCCS Director Tom Betlach. Bethlach is set to retire from his position in January 2019.Arizona News
The Department of Homeland Security announced the proposal of a “public charge” in September that if enacted, would authorize the government to issue penalties to immigrants using federal programs such as Medicare or Medicaid funded through taxpayer-dollars.
A “public charge” assesses the likeliness of an immigrant being...Arizona News
Originally created to ensure Medicaid beneficiaries with a serious mental illness (SMI) weren't warehoused in facilities by the government, the IMD exclusion means state Medicaid agencies can't pay for mental healthcare services received in a residential treatment center with more than 16 beds.
This week, (November 13) Medicaid...
