Journalists Talk Medicaid Work Mandate in Georgia and Wage Garnishment Bill in Colorado

KFF Health News southern correspondent Sam Whitehead discussed Medicaid work requirements on WUGA’s The Georgia Health Report on March 6. Click here to hear Whitehead on The Georgia Health Report. Read Whitehead’s “New Medicaid Work Rules Likely To Hit Middle-Aged Adults Hard,” co-reported with Samantha Liss. KFF Health News Colorado correspondent Rae Ellen Bichell discussed […]

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‘Dark Money’ Group Angles for Higher Medicare Advantage Payments

If you judged by the more than 16,400 comments posted on a federal government website, you’d think there was a groundswell of older Americans demanding that federal officials hike payments to their Medicare Advantage health insurance plans.  Yet about 82% of the comments are identical to a letter that appeared on the website of a […]

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With $50B rural health fund, 23rd state joins PA licensure compact

CMS’ $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program expedited South Dakota’s plan to join the PA licensure compact, according to the American Academy of Physician Associates.  The federal rural health program examined each state’s scope of practice laws to determine its allotment of the $50 billion fund, with an explicit focus on the PA licensure compact. […]

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Nurses plan strike at Northern Light Eastern Maine

Members of the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses United plan to strike March 23 at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, part of Brewer-based Northern Light Health. The union represents about 900 nurses at the medical center, according to a MSNA/NNOC news release shared with Becker’s. Northern Light Health is a nine-hospital health […]

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Tampa General hospital 2nd in the world to get women’s surgery designation

Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital is the second hospital in the world to receive designation as a Center of Excellence in Women’s Integrated Surgical Health by Surgical Review Corp. The accreditation involves a comprehensive, data-driven evaluation that measures a hospital and surgical team against nationally and internationally recognized standards, according to a March 12 system news […]

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Arkansas regional hospital taps chief medical officer

Pine Bluff, Ark.-based Jefferson Regional Medical Center named Steven Wright, MD, chief medical officer. In the role, Dr. Wright will oversee clinical operations, ensure patient safety and lead medical strategy, according to a March 12 system news release shared with Becker’s. Dr. Wright, a practicing nephrologist, has worked on the system’s medical staff for 29 […]

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Judge grants Mississippi hospital pause on Medicaid debt repayment

Hinds County (Miss.) Chancery Court Judge J. Dewayne Thomas temporarily blocked the Mississippi Division of Medicaid March 11 from collecting a $5.5 million debt from Greenwood (Miss.) Leflore Hospital, Mississippi Today reported March 12. Gary Marchand, Greenwood Leflore’s former interim CEO and current consultant to its board, said the pause could last “many months to […]

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Lawmakers scrutinize payers: What it means for healthcare providers

As lawmakers intensify scrutiny of the insurance industry, healthcare providers are watching closely. During a recent Becker’s Healthcare podcast sponsored by HaloMD, Patrick Velliky, chief external affairs officer at HaloMD and a longtime healthcare policy advocate, unpacked the implications of recent Capitol Hill hearings focused on payer consolidation, affordability and reimbursement practices. He examined how […]

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