Better Together:
Arizona's Hospitals Advocate for Patients

The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) is a statewide trade association representing hospitals, healthcare systems, affiliated health organizations, and the patients and communities they serve. With a mission of sustaining and improving the health of Arizonans, AzHHA supports its members by providing advocacy, education and services.
Banner ready for its close up trivalleycentral.com | 5/14/2012
Of all the large-scale capital improvement projects planned for Maricopa, Banner Health Center may be the most critically important. Now, it’s more than a vision or a hope — it’s a reality. Nestled on a lot north of Wal-Mart at 17900 N. Porter Road, Banner is hosting an open house for the public tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. One thing Banner employees and executives stressed in a tour f...
Legislators pleased with budget outcome mohavedailynews.com | 5/14/2012
BULLHEAD CITY — Mohave County’s state lawmakers are relatively pleased with the state budget they helped pass May 1. The $8.6 million 2012-13 fiscal budget was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer last week. “We held the line on spending increases, for the most part, and we put almost half a billion dollars in the rainy day fund,” said State Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City. “We’ve cut about...
Patients breathe deep, speed healing in oxygen cha... yourwestvalley.com | 5/14/2012
A deep breath pulls in only about 21 percent of oxygen. To promote healing, though, a higher percentage of oxygen is necessary, said Dr. Shishir Shah. Shah is the medical director of Banner Boswell Medical Center’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Center, which recently added a third hyperbaric oxygen chamber to help patients suffering from radiation injuries, lost circulation or at risk of losing a limb....
Mom, baby who had rare transplant doing well yumasun.com | 5/14/2012
For Vanessa Negrete, the hardest part was not being able to pick up her baby girl for a few days after she donated a section of her liver to her 1-year-old daughter, Aliyah. But now mother and daughter are recovering well. Vanessa, 26, has some pain but feels “much better.” Her real concern is Aliyah, the recipient of Arizona's first adult-to-child living donor transplant. “She's doing rea...
Seniors' benefits dominate CD8 race azstarnet.com | 5/14/2012
The race to replace Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Congress has been hijacked by Social Security and Medicare. A stagnant economy, border security and high gas prices are riding in the back seat in the Congressional District 8 special election pitting Democrat Ron Barber against Republican Jesse Kelly. The candidates - and the state and national parties backing them - are locked in a back-and-...
Widened approval may cut cost of HIV-prevention pill azcentral.com | 5/14/2012
CHICAGO - Condoms and other safe-sex practices have accomplished only so much. Now, the 30-year battle against AIDS is on the verge of a radical new phase, with the government expected to endorse a once-a-day pill to prevent infection with the virus. Some doctors are already giving patients the drug, Truvada, to ward off infection. But Food and Drug Administration approval would expand that pr...
Covance leaving Chandler, taking equipment azcentral.com | 5/14/2012
Chandler could have a hard time luring a new tenant to the 283,000-square-feet building that Covance is leaving by the end of the year because the company plans to dismantle its scientific labs. Covance is a global contract organization that does laboratory research. Losing Covance, which does research but declines to name its clients, means the loss of 130 jobs and a loss of hope that the...
Memory-loss support group gives patients, kin a le... azstarnet.com | 5/14/2012
Bernie and Jack Lynch have been married for 12 years, together nearly twice that long, and are now preparing for the biggest test of their relationship: Alzheimer's disease. The diagnosis came in December, after about a year of symptoms when Bernie began doing uncharacteristic things, like repeatedly telling the same story. "It was a hard pill to swallow," said Bernie, 78, a retired couns...
Mountain Heart expands azdailysun.com | 5/14/2012
Mountain Heart Cardiovascular & Sleep Research Institute has quietly expanded its medical center since opening its doors in 2009, adding doctors and other medical personnel. The full-service cardiac rehabilitation center and sleep lab has found success in focusing on preventive and educational programs that seek to treat symptoms and conditions before they become emergencies and chronic medica...
Be sun smart: Protect yourself and get screened Flagstaff Arizona Daily Sun | 5/14/2012
Posted: Monday, May 14, 2012 5:00 am With summer on its way, many people are ready to soak up the sun, wearing less clothing and participating in more outdoor activities. The sun and warm weather are wonderful to enjoy as long as they are done in moderation and with protective measures against the sun's damaging ultra-violet rays. These UV rays penetrate deep into the skin, gradually destroy...

Some Cuts Don’t Heal: A Grassroots Advocacy Website

The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) is pleased to launch Some Cuts Don't Heal, a grassroots advocacy website to increase awareness of cuts to our state’s Medicaid program and promote our proposed alternative, the special healthcare assessment. Please click here to learn how these cuts will affect healthcare in Arizona and to let your lawmakers know there is an alternative.

coalition launches "don't hurt the ones you love" campaign

The Coalition to Protect America's Health Care launched the "Don't hurt the ones you love" campaign, urging lawmakers to oppose any further federal reductions to hospital care as part of any debt-limit/deficit reduction agreement. The Coalition is an organization of hospitals and national, state, regional and metropolitan associations united with the business community to protect and preserve the financial viability of America's hospitals. Please contact your lawmakers and reinforce this important message.
READ MORE...

ARIZONA HOSPITAL AND HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATION'S HEALTH REFORM
WEB PAGE

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(ACA). The following week, the president signed into law H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which made modifications to H.R. 3590. Together, these bills constitute the largest change to America’s healthcare system since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid.
READ MORE...

2012 Conference Logo

Navigating the New Normal

2012 AzHHA Annual Membership Conference
September 27-28, 2012
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ

This conference will provide a forum for our hospital members to navigate the new normal together, not only to learn about the changing healthcare landscape but to define and redefine our path to greater success. We have top-notch educational sessions featuring leading experts on the latest healthcare issues. Click to preview the conference agenda, featured speakers and additional information regarding what this conference has to offer.

HQA Updates Hospital Compare Data

The Hospital Quality Alliance updated the Hospital Compare website with the latest hospital inpatient and outpatient quality data, including the yearly update of 30-day readmission and mortality rates for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia inpatients. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the national mortality and readmission rates for heart attack were slightly lower this year, while the rates for heart failure and pneumonia were slightly higher.