When an employee is going through a medical event, the last thing on their mind should be anxiety about how to interpret their health insurance benefits or medical bills. Yet for many, medical benefits and billing statements are difficult to understand. In fact, most people with health care debt say they believe their medical bill had an error (e.g. a charge for something that … [More]
Sensor-Infused Smart Diabetic Footwear Improving Outcomes
Every 20 seconds in the world, there is a lower limb amputation due to diabetic foot complications. Every 1.2 seconds, there is an ulceration. There is no amputation without prior ulceration. After an amputation, patient life expectancy is five years; same as cancer. This is a problem of epidemic proportion that impacts the lives of many patients and their families. Diabetic … [More]
Axiom Care Breaks Ground on Drug-Use Treatment Facility
An expansion of Axiom Care’s Ocotillo Community Campus, an Arizona-based addiction treatment and medical detox center in Apache Junction, recently broke ground as Medicaid managed-care health plan Mercy Care expands its services to all of Pinal County, in addition to Gila and Maricopa counties, as part of its new AHCCCS Complete Care-Regional Behavioral Health Agreement … [More]
KWC Partners with VA for Veterans’ Mental Health
Ketamine Wellness Centers, the largest ketamine therapy provider in the U.S. and a subsidiary of Delic Holdings, recently entered into a partnership with the Veterans Administration in Arizona. Veterans suffering from treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and anxiety will have access to ketamine therapy at the KWC Arizona clinics in Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa-Gilbert at no … [More]
Oak Street Health Expansion into Arizona and the Greater Phoenix Area
Oak Street Health, a network of value-based primary care centers for adults on Medicare, is on a mission to rebuild healthcare as it should be. To accomplish this, the company is always looking at new regions where this approach to healthcare is needed and where access to high-quality care is challenging. With a large density of Medicare-eligibles, Arizona became an important … [More]
Prep for Open Enrollment
For many, open enrollment is a dreaded time of year. With more than 20 years of open enrollment seasons under my belt, I have experienced my fair share of employers calling me in crisis because they just received their insurance renewals and do not have a good plan of action. The problem with this approach is that it leaves little time to properly plan for success. This year … [More]
The Benefits of Adopting an Integrated Model of Care
Health and wellness have become the buzzwords in the workplace. Employees are making their health and well-being a key area of focus, with 62% of respondents in a recent Paychex survey strongly agreeing or agreeing that employee well-being support and benefits are a top priority when applying for or considering a job. Companies are taking note, too. Earlier this year, … [More]
Life Sciences Component Growing at Park Central
As we explored in last April’s In Business Magazine cover story, “Our Bioscience Economy,” a life sciences boom is underway in Phoenix, making healthcare and bioscience among the fastest-growing industries in the Greater Phoenix marketplace — and Park Central is at the heart of it, with plans for a new life sciences hub on site. The project’s development team has created an … [More]
Joint Venture Health Plan Delivered Results in the Arizona Market
Can health insurers and providers work together to deliver care as partners, not adversaries, with financial interests aligned? One local joint venture health plan shows it’s possible, and in doing so has transformed how health coverage is delivered in Arizona since it was formed in 2017. Created by Banner Health and Aetna, a CVS Health company, Banner|Aetna has become an … [More]
Holistic, Longitudinal Care for Chronic Conditions
Alanté recently launched a strategic partnership with patient care platform eCare21 that simultaneously addresses the health risks and economic challenges associated with chronic condition treatment. This program demonstrates Alanté’s commitment to embracing innovative solutions for patient care. “Through the coordination of care plans within eCare21’s virtual care … [More]
Complete Care Concept Debuts in Surprise
Providing both full-service emergency room and urgent care under one roof, HonorHealth has partnered with Intuitive Health to open a dual care retail model, debuting the concept for Arizona at 12,000-square-foot HonorHealth Complete Care in Surprise. The $12-million facility offers a new healthcare experience that helps take the guesswork out of where to seek care when … [More]
Private Practice Opens in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
With her newly opened Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy private practice at the Arizona Healing Collective in Mesa, Ajona Olsen, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, addresses a medical need that currently affects the nearly 50 million adults in the U.S. and more than 2.5 million youth who are suffering from mental illnesses such as anxiety and/or depression. “Post-traumatic stress disorder has … [More]
Public Health Initiative from BCBSAZ
In 2018, BCBSAZ launched its statewide public health initiative, Mobilize AZ, which partnered with public and private organizations to improve the health of Arizonans by tackling some of the state’s most challenging health conditions. Mobilize AZ aimed to invest in the community, increase access, build capacity, and cultivate cross-sector partnerships to inspire health. In … [More]
Detox Centers Expand as Overdose Epidemic Increases
A May 2022 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021 than any previous year. Out of the 107,622 casualties, more than 80,000 people died using opioids, including pain pills and fentanyl, a drug almost 100 times stronger than morphine. In Arizona, the epidemic continues to increase as well, where more … [More]
Optimizing Braincare Services
Wave Neuroscience has partnered with Arkos Health — a risk-bearing medical group delivering virtual and in-home clinical services under value-based arrangements — to increase access to vital mental health services, offering its at-home Braincare™ technologies to Medicaid beneficiaries in Arizona. The program launched last month in Maricopa, Pima, Pinal and Yuma counties, with … [More]
Keep Employees Healthy by Maintaining a Tidy Office
In nearly all work environments, there are two types of desks: the ones that are clean and organized, and others that have papers and leftover food wrappers cluttering the desktop. A dirty office can lead to a loss in productivity as employees worry about their health and lose focus on their daily tasks. The average office keyboard has 400 times more bacteria on it than a … [More]
Well-Being Transformation Initiative in South Phoenix
Equality Health Foundation, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona, and Valley of the Sun United Way recently launched a new Blue Zones Activate effort, a comprehensive policy-based initiative that uses an evidence-based approach to make the healthy choice the easy choice in all the places people spend the most time. The 15-year gap in life expectancy between South … [More]
Re-Examining Burnout: Symptoms and Workplace Prevention Tools
Employees are tired of being burned out, and no industry has been spared. Employees have solely carried the burden of their burnout for far too long. Although tools to recognize the signs of burnout are extremely important, it is imperative that organizations recognize and take responsibility for how they’re contributing to employee burnout. Burnout Warning Signs For many, … [More]
