The Federation of American Hospitals and the American Hospital Association released a new Dobson|DaVanzo analysis finding that the expansion of physician-owned hospitals (POHs) in rural markets could significantly weaken the financial position of full-service rural hospitals. According to the study, new POHs tend to serve healthier,...
Across the country and in Arizona, hospitals both urban and rural are preparing for Medicaid cuts, which are anticipated to significantly compromise the delivery of care for safety net providers.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, is projected to reduce federal spending on the Medicaid program by $900...
The State of Arizona is gathering feedback on its participation in the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) through a new Request for Information (RFI). Arizona intends to submit a plan to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), seeking funds aimed at improving healthcare access and quality in rural parts of the...National News
Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration expected to curb the impact of Medicaid cuts on rural hospitals by introducing a $50 billion rural health fund for a “rural health transformation program.”
The fund will only cover around one-third of the estimated loss of federal Medicaid funding in rural areas, and is only...Arizona News
Healthcare providers across the nation and in Arizona are bracing for the potential impacts from Medicaid cuts as lawmakers scramble to clean up the big, ugly mess caused by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
Although more than two million Arizonans rely on and receive health coverage from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment...Arizona News
According to recently released data from the Medicare Cost Report, seven Arizona hospitals with a negative patient service margin (an indicator of loss) are at risk of closure.
The July report provides the patient service and total margins of all 27 rural Arizona hospitals, those below are deemed at risk.
Note: Arizona Indian Health...National News
Last week, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the topic of "cracking down on deceptive practices" related to the advertisement of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
The hearing covered a long list of issues with third-party marketers who represent MA plans, including allegations of false information, harassment, switching...
Rural hospitals experience unique issues as providers across the medical industry, and specifically in regards to Medicare Advantage (MA). Plan availability, the structure of available plans, and difficulties with processing payments are all reasons rural health systems are increasingly fighting MA.
A new study by Milliman highlights...
A group of 12 Democratic State Attorneys including Arizona's Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit last Thursday asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove prescription and dispensation restrictions on mifepristone.
The attorneys general argue that removing the FDA restrictions would increase access to...
The American Hospital Association (AHA) ran a survey of 300 hospitals and health systems to determine the overall impact of cuts made to the 340B prescription drug pricing program. It found an enormous financial impact on struggling hospitals, specifically those in rural and underserved areas.
The 340B drug pricing program requires...
Rural hospitals and health systems have an outsized impact on the health and economic well-being of rural communities supporting one in every 12 rural jobs in America. A September report from the American Hospital Association poses solutions to preserve care in local communities.
The report considers the vital role of rural hospitals,...National News
On June 30, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new provider type developed for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and certain rural hospitals to help them avert potential closure and provide support for the essential services they provide to the communities they serve.
A Rural Emergency Hospital ...Arizona News
Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital in Green Valley, Arizona will close on June 30. Hospital CEO Steve Harris announced that the decision comes after the hospital was unable to secure staffing for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
According to Becker's Hospital CFO Report, the hospital issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining...National News
Cases are on a slow uptick nationwide with new cases on Tuesday, November 23 totaling 92,785. The rolling seven-day average for new cases is 95,481. There were 1,474 new deaths nationally and the total number of deaths nationally is now over 775,000. About 70% of the country has received at least one dose of the vaccine and just under...
On Wednesday, September 29, there were 3,388 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Arizona and 39 new COVID-19-related deaths. Deaths are reported by actual date of death. For intensive care unit beds, only 8% remain available statewide, with 30% of ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.
This information can be found on the Arizona...
The state of Arizona reported 2,106 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, September 22. There were 74 new COVID-related deaths. In hospitals, 31% of adult intensive care unit (ICU) beds are currently in use by COVID-19 patients and statewide, only 9% of adult ICU beds remain available, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services...
Thanks to a partnership with Dr. Mandeep Sahani, a Phoenix-based nephrologist with Desert Kidney Associates, patients in Globe, AZ and surrounding areas in immediate need of dialysis don’t have to travel by helicopter or ambulance to Phoenix.
Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center CEO Neal Jensen,
Overall, it’s been nothing but a...CMS Rules
On Sunday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued two proposed rules for inpatient and long-term care hospitals. The first aims to fund medical residency positions in hospitals in rural and underserved communities in order to address workforce shortages in those areas and would require hospitals to report COVID-19...
There were 742 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Arizona on May 5, bringing the state total to 866,022 since testing began. There were 5 new deaths and the total is now 17,360. Intensive care unit beds are 11% occupied by COVID-19 patients and 15% of beds remain available.
This information comes from the Arizona Department of Health...
Resources in Indian country in the Southwestern United States are being tested to their fullest extent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Navajo Nation, which stretches across the Northeastern corner of Arizona, reports 322 cases of coronavirus and rising, and the along with other rural Arizona communities, it lacks the resources...
