With the midterm elections approaching, Arizona employers planning their 2027 benefits strategies should account for potential healthcare policy shifts that could influence both their own budgets and employees’ out-of-pocket expenses in the years ahead. For businesses, the challenge is less about predicting which proposals will move into law and more about understanding how … [More]
New Arcadia Wellness Center Brings Medicine, Movement and Massage Under One Roof
For most people, wellness happens in pieces: a doctor in one part of town, yoga class somewhere else, an acupuncturist across the Valley and a massage appointment squeezed in when there is time. MEND Wellness was created to offer a more connected way. Founded by husband-and-wife team Elinore Beck and Dr. Michael Beck, MEND brings medical care, movement, holistic healing and … [More]
Fitness and Recovery Brand Enters Arizona with Two Valley Studios Planned
Smart Fit Method will open its first Arizona location combining health assessments, personalized coaching, fitness training, and recovery services. The 3,500-square-foot studio will open Nov. 15 at 11260 N. Tatum Blvd. in Paradise Valley and is designed to help members improve strength, mobility, and overall well-being. Smart Fit Method was founded in 2021 by father-and-son … [More]
Healthcare Staffing’s Next Challenge Isn’t Hiring. It’s Operations
The healthcare staffing industry has spent recent years focused on one urgent priority: filling critical workforce shortages. As demand for nurses and healthcare professionals continues to outpace supply, staffing firms have worked tirelessly to recruit and place qualified talent. But a less visible challenge is emerging behind the scenes. Rapid hiring creates an increase in … [More]
From Smartphones to Vital Signs – Building Arizona’s Med-Tech Future
When Mitch Foster talks about healthcare innovation, he doesn’t start with buzzwords. He starts with reality. After more than three decades in medical devices and surgical robotics — including co-founding a spine and brain surgery robotics company that successfully exited — Foster has seen firsthand how difficult it is to translate promising technology into real clinical … [More]
Frances Jacquelyne Ducar, Healthcare Solutions Centers
Healthcare remains a critical issue for employers. As a tool for both attraction and retention, healthcare coverage is a high-priority benefit to employees in all age groups. But its place in a business’s profit and loss accounting has evolved beyond strictly a Human Resources concern. After more than 35 years in healthcare, I have learned that the real cost of healthcare is … [More]
Who’s Really Managing Your Healthcare Dollars?
Employers are becoming healthcare purchasers, and the old model of simply trusting the plan may be over
“Most employers know their total healthcare spend, but far fewer understand where those dollars actually go. Healthcare is one of the largest expenses on the P&L, yet it is often one of the least transparent.” Paul Pruitt, co-founder and chief growth officer at SHARx, a prescription advocacy and drug procurement program, succinctly relates what others similarly … [More]
Feedback: October 2026
Q: What are you hearing from your employees as the most important elements of their healthcare benefits, and how are you accommodating their needs? Erica Bloudek Chief Operating Officer Wilde Wealth Management Company Sector: Financial Services Our rapid firm growth has expanded our footprint to 16 offices across seven states, making intentional communication and … [More]
Banner Extends Healthcare Access Along Growing I-17 Corridor
Banner Health opened a new Banner Urgent Care clinic in north Phoenix, adding essential, accessible health care services for the community. The new clinic, located just east of Interstate 17 at 2525 West Carefree Highway, offers convenient care for non-emergencies like common illnesses, minor injuries, and other health issues that call for fast attention. Medical staff at … [More]
First Phase of Comprehensive LGBTQ+ Health Campus Opens in Central Phoenix
Spectrum Medical Care Center, a nonprofit healthcare provider serving Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community, announced the opening of PrideCare Rx at its new Central Phoenix campus, located at 3003 N. 3rd Street. PrideCare Rx is the first piece of Spectrum Medical’s new campus that will provide comprehensive, culturally competent care for the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. With PrideCare … [More]
What FDA Approval Means for Patient Care and Regional Medical Leadership
New medical technology can be exciting, but innovation alone is not enough. Before it reaches patients, it must be safe, effective and ready for responsible use. That is where clearance from the Food and Drug Administration becomes important. For many medical devices, FDA clearance is the point where years of development, testing and refinement begin moving into clinical … [More]
Scaling Down to Scale Up: The Business Case for Boutique Senior Living
In Arizona’s senior housing market, scale has long been treated as a measure of success. Larger facilities, higher unit counts and operational efficiency have defined growth for decades. Now, that model is being challenged as smaller, boutique-style communities gain traction by prioritizing consistency, retention and resident experience over size alone. In Scottsdale, New … [More]
$25M Partnership to Establish Nation’s First Medical School Branch on Tribal Land
The University of Arizona and Gila River Health Care, the Gila River Indian Community's tribally operated healthcare system, announced a long-term partnership to establish the nation's first MD-granting medical school branch located on the lands of a sovereign Tribal Nation. The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Regional Medical Branch in Sacaton, Arizona, … [More]
$1M Investment Launches Phoenix Children’s Pursuit of Prestigious Magnet Designation
Phoenix Children's is launching its Journey to Magnet, a multi-year enterprise initiative designed to advance nursing excellence, strengthen patient outcomes and further elevate the quality of care delivered to children and families across Arizona. To celebrate, PCH50 is making a $1 million investment to support the organization’s ongoing pursuit of Magnet designation through … [More]
Targeting Therapeutics for Oncology
Breakthru Medicine is a preclinical biotech developing multiple targeted therapeutics for oncology across a wide range of solid tumors. Breakthru's team of veteran drug developers has collectively brought more than a dozen drugs to market and has advanced late-stage programs with the potential to transform outcomes for one of the most lethal forms of cancer. The team's … [More]
Business & Bioindustry
Arizona’s collaborative ecosystem drives discovery and growth
“Arizona is one of the nation’s fastest growing and most attractive hubs for biosciences,” says Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority, noting also the corollary that the bioscience sector is one of the state’s fastest-growing industries. As the businesses we showcase in this article consistently attest, Arizona offers a rapidly growing workforce, … [More]
Flourishing Ecosystem: Foresightful Investment Pays Off
Home to one of the fastest growing bioindustry sectors in the country, Arizona is benefiting from almost 30 years of investment into developing an ecosystem that supports the discovery, development and delivery of life science innovations designed to improve the human condition. Just as nature requires ecosystems that work together to sustain life, the life science industry, … [More]
Advancing Non-Invasive Neurocritical Care
To understand how Anuncia is impacting healthcare, it is important to understand who Anuncia is as a company and what we do. Anuncia is addressing a clinical problem that has existed for decades that significantly impacts the lives of patients and families living with a condition called hydrocephalus. Excess cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs) can cause dangerous pressure on the brain … [More]
