One in five American children has a chronic health condition, with even higher rates among those enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The trend raises questions about how to address underlying systemic drivers and...Arizona News
Under severe public scrutiny, health insurers have scaled back the use of prior authorization by 11% since 2024. Meanwhile, the new WISeR model faces struggles, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) appears set on applying the practice to the Medicare program.
The Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Program...Arizona News
A bill in the Arizona State Legislature that would allow patients from across the state to be admitted to the Arizona State Hospital for psychiatric care regardless of their county of residence could still pass through the legislative process.
The bill, Senate Bill 1813, is sponsored by Senator David Gowan (R-Sierra Vista) and would...National News
The Trump administration is continuing its push towards electronic health record adoption and centralization through a new "Kill the Clipboard" initiative that pledges to streamline data sharing through biometric security and QR codes.
The "Kill the Clipboard" initiative is headed by Amy Gleason, a U.S. DOGE Service appointee and...National News
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its proposal for the 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System. The rules contain a proposed 2.4% rate increase for inpatient services and a nationwide test of an episode-based payment...National News
A new proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) targets prior authorization (PA) of pharmacy benefits by shortening the turnaround deadline for certain requests and requiring the disclosure of denial rates.
The regulation would require Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) insurers and...Arizona News
A new analysis from the Urban Institute, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, finds that recently enacted federal Medicaid policy changes could significantly reduce coverage, with Arizona facing substantial enrollment losses depending on how the state implements the law.
The report examines the impact of work requirements and...Arizona News
If you’re trying to understand how corporatization is reshaping healthcare in your state, particularly in fast-consolidating markets like Arizona, a new brief from the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms lays out a practical roadmap.
The report is designed as a step-by-step guide for policymakers and market...News
A new issue brief from the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, and the National Association of Long-Term Hospitals reports mounting financial and access pressures for long-term care hospitals, with researchers concluding that recent Medicare payment policies have contributed to declining capacity and...Arizona News
The new AHCCCS Solutions Center is a centralized platform designed to make it easier for providers and their staff to connect with AHCCCS and submit requests. The agency scheduled several April webinars to introduce users to the new platform.
Arizona's Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, is hosting a...
The Trump administration's 2027 budget proposal requests $111.1 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, slashing the department's budget in exchange for extended tax cuts and spending hikes for the military and immigration enforcement.
The vision outlined in the budget proposal is one of high...
A coalition of over 130 hospitals has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over methodology used to calculate risk payments to hospitals that treat a higher number of Medicare patients.
As it stands now, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates the number of low-income patients served by...White Papers, E books, Reports and more
The report finds that more than 14 million seniors rely on Medigap to fill gaps in fee-for-service Medicare, which does not cap out-of-pocket spending and requires cost sharing for hospital and physician services. Enrollment in Medigap has grown steadily in recent years, with 43% of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries purchasing...Arizona Comings & Goings
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, traveled to Arizona this week as part of his national “Take Back Your Health” tour, meeting with healthcare, recovery, and community leaders to promote a prevention-focused approach to care.
The visit included stops across the state, from...Arizona News
Kennedy visited Banner Health on Tuesday to review the system’s prevention and early detection programs, including mobile screening initiatives aimed at expanding access to care across Arizona.
During a stop at Banner’s Sports Medicine High Performance Center, Kennedy toured the system’s BIG Pink Bus mobile mammography unit and...Arizona News
LaPorte has led HonorHealth since 2017 and oversees the health system's nine hospitals, a large outpatient network, and a range of clinical and community-based services across the greater Phoenix area. His tenure has included major strategic moves, including the acquisition of assets from Steward Health Care, the addition of Evernorth...Arizona News
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a series of revisions for survey procedures in hopes of streamlining procedure for surveys, enforcement and dispute resolution.
The changes update Chapters 5 and 7 of the State Operations Manual (SOM) and consolidate oversight and investigations rules. The agency will now...Arizona News
El Rio acquired most of the assets of the bankrupt North Country HealthCare, assumed operations at 12 clinic locations serving more than 50,000 patients, and appointed veteran healthcare executive David Rogers to lead the newly rebranded Elk Ridge Community Health clinics.
El Rio hired approximately 99% of North Country’s remaining...Open
The Maricopa County Special Health Care District board is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the governing board of Valleywise Health, following the resignation of Director Barbara Rodriguez Mundell on March 27 for personal reasons.
Mundell, a former presiding judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, was appointed to the board...Available To All
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would correct some of the glaring issues around Medicare physician reimbursement and the rate-setting process.
Physician groups have complained for years that certain aspects of the rate-setting process have undermined physicians' Medicare...
Copa Health of Mesa filed a civil lawsuit March 23 against former CEO Sharareh (Shar) Najafi-Piper, her husband Brian Piper and Roya Health, a startup created and operated by the Pipers that Copa Health claims competed with Copa Health. The non-profit alleges misuse of funds.
On January 22, Copa Health board members fired Najafi-Piper...
The Trump administration is now targeting three major medical schools for investigation into admissions practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
On Wednesday, the Justice Department informed Stanford University, the Ohio State University and the University of California, San Diego of the investigations and demanded...Arizona News
Prior authorization, or the insurance practice of requiring authorization prior to the delivery of care or dispensation of drugs, has been under fire for the consequences of restricting timely access to care. Now, payers will be required to post data on how often they deny requests, how quickly they process them and how often denials are...
The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) has filed an appeal of a February ruling by a federal judge that placed the department's prison healthcare system under a receivership, but two of the plaintiffs in the long-running lawsuit have submitted dueling visions for the receiver's authority.
The two...
CMS is launching a new Healthcare Advisory Committee to provide non-binding recommendations on federal policy and program administration, with a focus on improving care delivery and system performance.
As promoted by the Health & Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the committee will...
CMS Rules
