SelectHealth announced an agreement with the University of Utah Health (U of U) earlier this month which adds U of U hospitals, clinics, and providers into the SelectHealth Medicare Advantage network. The agreement aims to meet the growing demand for services among SelectHealth Medicare Advantage members and will be effective July 1st, 2022. … Read more
Interim talks in the Utah Legislature echo similar unresolved themes as the recently ended legislative session, including lowering the cost of health care while improving quality, expanding behavioral health services, and expanding the safety net. The Health and Human Services Interim Committee met for the first time on Wednesday to discuss the interim study items, … Read more
After an extensive national search, Intermountain Healthcare has selected Tiffany Capeles, a nationally recognized diversity leader, as the health system’s first chief equity officer. Capeles, who has a broad background in healthcare diversity, will lead Intermountain’s efforts, which were started several years ago, to expand health equity, diversity, and inclusion for caregivers, patients, and communities … Read more
The Cox administration is focused on controlling costs, advancing health equity, and garnering input from the community to create uniform goals for health outcomes. At our 2022 Utah State of Reform Health Policy Conference, Rich Saunders, Chief Innovation Officer at the Office of Government Spencer Cox, discussed the future of the One Utah Health collaborative … Read more
The social determinants of health, technological innovation, financial model innovation, and lowering overall health care costs are central to hospital and health plan leaders for the future of Utah health care. The Afternoon Keynote at our 2022 Utah State of Reform Health Policy Conference included Greg Bell, President and CEO of the Utah … Read more
The Utah Fetal Center and Intermountain’s Primary Children’s Hospital received a $15 million grant last week to strengthen the center’s fetal care and surgeries for expecting mothers. The grant also renames the center to the Grant Scott Bonham Fetal Center after the unborn son of the granters, Brad and Megan Bohnam. The gift will help … Read more
With the recent transition to a new Medicaid director and new combined Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) set to operationalize this July, Utah’s Medicaid program will be focusing on integrating behavioral and physical health care within Medicaid accountable care organizations (ACOs). However, they first have to worry about how the end of the … Read more
Matt Hansen is the Executive Director of the Homecare and Hospice Association of Utah (HHAU). Previously, he worked as an independent strategic consultant with a health care industry focus. Hansen recently spoke on the implications of moving care into the home at our 2022 Utah State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Salt Lake City. … Read more
Community health workers (CHWs) in Utah are one of the most effective ways to engage underserved folks to help address the social determinants of health (SDOH). At our 2022 Utah State of Reform Health Policy Conference, three experts discussed the importance of CHWs, initiatives in Utah aiming to address SDOH, and the progress of those … Read more
Jennifer Strohecker, Medicaid Director with the Utah Department of Health, is focused on the end of the maintenance of effort (MOE) in Medicaid and preparing for the end of the public health emergency (PHE). She is also working on building out the Utah Medicaid Integrated Care (UMIC) plans, which she said received help … Read more