Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center posted a Model Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a new model focused on lifestyle approaches to reducing chronic disease for Medicare enrollees.
The new model is called Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based...
This week, Alignment Health published its annual results of its Social Threats to Aging Well in America survey and found that the biggest social barriers to senior health are access to medical care, aging in place, and economic insecurity.
The survey was completed by over 2,200 adults age 65 or older and outlined concerns related to...
A new study published in the JAMA Health Forum suggests that changes to the risk adjustment formulas used in Medicare's payment system could ensure health plans are fairly compensated for taking on sicker patients from disadvantaged populations.
The JAMA study looked at health and payment data from 4.4 million Medicare beneficiaries...
The Task Force on Maternal Mental Health that was ordered by the Biden-Harris Administration last September has issued a national strategy to improve maternal mental healthcare and submitted a report to Congress on their policy recommendations.
The National Strategy is not limited to recommendations for the U.S. Department of Health...
A new study demonstrates that Medicare Advantage members of marginalized identities overwhelmingly report ongoing discrimination in the delivery of health care.
The study, published in the American Journal of Managed Care, was conducted by Humana to test the feasibility of screening for health literacy and perceived discrimination....
A white paper by the Harvard Medical School in partnership with software company Inovalon found that Medicare Advantage enrollees are more likely to be poor than enrollees in Traditional Medicare.
The average income of a Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiary is $85,085 but the median Medicare Advantage enrollee earns $76,720....
Two studies published this week highlight the differences between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare in terms of enrollment growth and use of certain medications.
The first study, published in JAMA Health Forum, found that MA plan payment cuts under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did not lead to any enrollment reductions....
The industry is optimistic that artificial intelligence could prove invaluable for diagnosing patients and assisting providers with prescriptions and treatment, but some experts warn that it could produce negative health impacts through diagnostic errors and privacy infringement.
Some doctors at the Christine E. Lynn Women's Health...
The American Hospital Association's study showed Medicare patients who receive outpatient hospital care are more likely to come from an underserved community than those treated in independent physician offices (IPO) or ambulatory surgical centers (ASC).
The study, "Comparison of Medicare Beneficiary Characteristics Between Hospital...Arizona News
In Arizona, premature deaths (those under age 75) spiked 26% between 2019 and 2020. Other key issues include high racial disparity in premature death rates and the low prevalence of a dedicated healthcare provider.
The report highlighted improvements in Arizona, including a 21% decrease in adults who smoke cigarettes between...Arizona News
This week, Los Angeles-based law firm Manatt published guidance for state Medicaid agencies on working with community-based organizations for addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) for Medicaid program enrollees.
Working With Community Care Hubs to Address Social Drivers of Health: A Playbook for State Medicaid Agencies was...
Medicare Advantage plans are a staple in the Medicare market, and as they grow to eclipse the total number of beneficiaries represented by Traditional Medicare, the position MA plans play will need to become more refined. This week, a number of MA plans announced moves into new markets.
The critical distinction between MA and Medicare...
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Framework for Health Equity at CMS, a frequently-used term by the agency that has been mentioned in nearly every initiative of President Joe Biden's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
According to the CMS blog post "Establishing the Framework for...CMS Rules
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden relaunched his Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which was initially established under the Obama administration to accelerate research into cancer prevention and cures. As part of the initiative, the Biden administration announced a new alternative payment model (APM) from the Center for Medicare and...Arizona News
Last Thursday, the Arizona State Legislature passed a fiscal year 2023 budget with bipartisan support. The budget consolidated 17 bills having to do with public works, border security, education, natural resources and the healthcare industry.
For the healthcare sector, one major provision will extend coverage for new mothers through...Arizona News
On Friday, June 24, the White House released the Biden administration's "Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis," which outlines a plan to confront the U.S. maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, boost health coverage and provide behavioral health services for expecting and new mothers.
Under President Biden and Vice...National News
This week in value-based care, a fresh look at untangling VBC for providers looking to enter into an ACO or payment model, results from the Comprehensive ESRD Care Model, and some market moves in long-term and home healthcare.
A new study published in Health Affairs on Monday demonstrates that the first Medicare accountable care...White Papers, E books, Reports and more
Community health centers played a central role in coordinating care and economic support to disadvantaged communities during the pandemic, according to a report filed last Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The KFF Report noted that community health centers are experiencing substantial ramifications from the ongoing healthcare...National News
Value-based care is now a ubiquitous term across the medical industry, primarily led by Medicare payment models that prioritize quality of care above overall cost. But some are questioning the concept's utility and expanse over the Medicare market.
Legislation proposed in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate would...
Last week was Black Maternal Health Week in the U.S., and with it came a number of announcements on support services through both public and private programs to improve health outcomes for pregnant or postpartum women of color and their children across the country and in Arizona.
In a short blog post for the Arizona Department of...
