Arkansas Center for Health Improvement Press Releases - EIN Presswire

Published on February 19, 2025 - 21:48 GMT

Prior Authorization On the Rise in Medicare Advantage Plans

The rising number of prior authorization requests in Medicare Advantage plans has captured the attention of policymakers and healthcare providers. Recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that these requests increased from 46.2 million in …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on February 13, 2025 - 17:41 GMT

A Look Into Healthcare Expenditures in Southeast Arkansas

Average per-person annualized healthcare expenditures for medical care in the four counties were notably higher than the 2021 statewide average of $9,277. Chicot County had the highest average annualized medical expenditure of the four counties at $11,130, …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on February 8, 2025 - 02:21 GMT

New Resource Aims To Support Diabetes Research in Arkansas

About 290,000 Arkansans, or 12.3% of the adult population, have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes is an especially high-cost disease: Medical expenses are approximately 2.6 times higher for individuals …

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Published on January 30, 2025 - 22:18 GMT

Arkansas’s Ranking Unchanged as 48th Healthiest State for 4th Consecutive Year

The 2024 America’s Health Rankings report, released Tuesday, Jan. 28, by the United Health Foundation, ranks Arkansas as the 48th healthiest state in the nation, the same position the state held in the past three years’ reports. Arkansas’s highest-ever …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on January 29, 2025 - 21:19 GMT

2025 ‘State of Tobacco Control’ Report Notes Improvement in Access to Cessation Services in Arkansas

Arkansas receives a “B,” one “C,” and three “F” grades in the American Lung Association’s latest report card on the state’s tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. The 2025 State of Tobacco Control report, which can be viewed in interactive form or as a …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on January 29, 2025 - 16:36 GMT

Health Insurance Patchwork in Arkansas at Risk of Unraveling

Enhanced premium subsidies have been available to individuals purchasing coverage through the health insurance marketplace since 2021. The enhanced subsidies have helped Arkansas make considerable gains in marketplace enrollment, but they will expire at …

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Published on January 17, 2025 - 21:09 GMT

15 More Drugs Chosen for Medicare Price Negotiations

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) announced Friday, Jan. 17, it has chosen 15 drugs, including the popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, for the second round of price negotiations between Medicare and drugmakers. The negotiations …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on January 17, 2025 - 01:10 GMT

Arkansas Mothers Face Multiple Risks in Postpartum Period, Data Show

We also found that postpartum Arkansas mothers consistently have lower follow-up visit rates after an acute behavioral health-related emergency room visit or an inpatient stay compared to all women ages 18-44 in the state, despite the importance of follow- …

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Published on January 14, 2025 - 21:47 GMT

New Federal Rule Bans Medical Debt From Credit Reports

On Jan. 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule that bans medical debt from consumer credit reports in an effort to strengthen consumer protection. While this change has been supported by consumer advocates, it has also sparked …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on January 8, 2025 - 17:39 GMT

Managing Stress and Mental Health Challenges in the Workplace

We have come a long way in recognizing the scope of mental health issues facing Arkansas’s workforce, destigmatizing the idea of seeking care, and incorporating more support into company policies and insurance coverage. At the same time, rates of stress, …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on January 7, 2025 - 21:37 GMT

Arkansas Chosen To Participate in New Maternal Care Model

Arkansas has been selected to participate in a new delivery model focused on improving maternal health care for enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Arkansas Department of …

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Published on January 7, 2025 - 00:25 GMT

What Is Presumptive Eligibility, and How Could It Improve Maternal Health in Arkansas?

Pregnant women in Arkansas can qualify for pregnancy Medicaid coverage if they have household incomes up to 214% of the federal poverty level, equating to a household income of $43,742 for a family of two or $66,768 for a family of four under the current …

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Published on January 3, 2025 - 21:46 GMT

Surgeon General Calls for Cancer Warning Labels on Alcoholic Beverages

The warning labels on alcoholic beverages sold in the U.S. should be updated to include warnings about the risk of cancer associated with alcohol consumption, according to an advisory by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. The advisory, issued Friday, …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on January 2, 2025 - 16:50 GMT

Proposed CMS Rule Would Increase Oversight of Medicare Advantage Plans, Permit Coverage of Weight-Loss Drugs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule in December that would increase oversight of Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D drug plans and require coverage of weight-loss drugs for the treatment of obesity. Below are a few …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on December 21, 2024 - 01:02 GMT

Magazine Spotlights Tom Bruce Award Recipient, ACHI Findings on Maternal Health

The winter 2024 issue of The Arkansas Family Physician, the official publication of the Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians, includes articles spotlighting one of the 2024 Dr. Tom Bruce Arkansas Health Impact Award recipients and highlighting ACHI’s …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on December 13, 2024 - 17:07 GMT

Exemptions From Childhood Vaccines Reach All-Time High in Arkansas, Nation

Arkansas’s rate of exemptions has risen every year since the 2015-16 school year, when 1.2% of kindergarten students had non-medical exemptions and 0.1% had medical exemptions. In 2016 and 2017, Arkansas experienced a mumps outbreak with nearly 3,000 cases …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on December 12, 2024 - 03:16 GMT

2 Supreme Court Actions Have Implications for FDA’s Ability To Regulate Tobacco

Two recent U.S. Supreme Court actions have implications for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. In one case, the court declined to hear a …

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Published on December 12, 2024 - 03:16 GMT

Strategies for Improving the Nutritional Status of SNAP Beneficiaries

In recent years policymakers have put forward various proposals for modifying the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in ways intended to improve the health of beneficiaries. Studies have examined the effectiveness of strategies for achieving …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on December 3, 2024 - 16:02 GMT

Maternal Mental Health Hotline Highlighted in National Awareness Effort

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is working with retailers, grocers, pharmacies, health and community associations, and other collaborators across all 50 states to raise awareness of the National Maternal Mental Health …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry

Published on November 21, 2024 - 18:54 GMT

ACHI President Advocates Expanding Trauma System To Include Severe Maternal Morbidity

As they look for ways to address Arkansas’s maternal health crisis, policymakers should consider expanding the state trauma system to include severe maternal morbidity, ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson argues in a column published in the November- …

Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry