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Connection Newsletter
By AzHHA Communications ● Feb. 20, 2025
Smart Brevity® count: 4.5 mins...1147 words
This week, read about:
- The final week for bills in their originating chamber.
- How you can support Arizona hospitals.
- The upcoming Human Resources Roundtable in-person meeting.
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Legislative update: The final week for bills in their originating chamber
This week marked the final week that bills could be heard in their originating chamber.
- At the time of writing this article, we are 38 days into the legislative session.
- We have seen our first bill passed, HB2703, and delivered to the governor’s desk, and just shortly after its arrival, it received the first veto stamp of this session.
The House Health and Human Services Committee met on Monday afternoon and went well into the evening.
- The committee heard 11 bills, including the return of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) compact.
- Much discussion was heard on the compact, but ultimately, the chairwoman decided not to put the bill to a vote and held it after discussion.
The House also heard HB2130 on the floor this week for a final vote.
- The bill, focused on claim and prior authorization denials, passed out of the House with a 60-0 vote.
- Now, we start our journey over to the Senate. One step closer!
- Channel 12 covered the news, which you can read here.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard 21 bills on Wednesday morning. This included our credentialing priority bill, SB1291.
- The insurers remained neutral as we met most of their requests, and after some well-thought-out testimony, it passed out of committee with a 6-0 vote.
- Now, we move on to the Senate Rules Committee and then to the Senate floor for a vote.
- Thank you to the commercial insurers for continuing through the stakeholder process that ultimately led to where we are today.
- Thank you also to freshman Senator Angius for her passionate and thoughtful leadership, ensuring this bill made it out of committee.
Another of our priority bills was heard in the House Transportation Committee Wednesday afternoon. We’ll have an update on this on our Friday weekly call.
What’s next: Crossover week begins as we gear up for bills from the House to be heard in the Senate and vice versa. We will remain vigilant, ensuring that our list of priority legislation remains alive and well as we move into the heart of this legislative session.
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How you can support Arizona hospitals
The AzHHA PAC ensures strong healthcare advocacy at the Arizona Capitol.
Why it matters: Your support helps elect leaders who prioritize policies that benefit Arizona hospitals, providers and communities.
- Our engagement is successful because of your contributions to our PAC. This allows us to support and build relationships with healthcare and hospital-friendly legislators.
The big picture: Five weeks into the legislative session, we’ve engaged with more than 160 healthcare-related bills.
- Contributions to the AzHHA PAC strengthen our collective voice and impact.
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Human Resources Roundtable: In-person meeting on Thursday, April 24, 2025
Join your human resources colleagues for an in-person learning and networking event.
- Chief human resources officers and human resources directors of AzHHA member hospitals are invited to an HR Roundtable from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at AzHHA’s office in downtown Phoenix.
Why it matters: The agenda includes:
- Roundtable discussions of pertinent topics, such as recruitment, benefits and staff burnout.
- A presentation and group brainstorming on innovation in staff resource sharing.
- Ogletree Deakins attorney, Tracy Miller, will present on current topics in employment law. Matt McElrath, CHRO at Onvida Health, will facilitate the discussion.
What’s next: Advance registration is requested for space accommodations and meal preparation.
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We're excited to announce an opportunity for a Transition to Practice Program project manager at AzHHA, under the guidance of the director of the Transition to Practice Program.
Why it matters: This role is pivotal in coordinating and managing various projects that support our healthcare transition initiatives.
- The project manager plays a key part in resource coordination and stakeholder management, ensuring project success within budget and timeline constraints.
Details:
- This grant-funded position runs until Sept. 30, 2026, with efforts in place to secure further funding.
- Candidates should possess strong leadership, organizational and problem-solving skills.
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Member spotlight: ClearSky Rehabilitation Hospital of Avondale
ClearSky Rehabilitation Hospital of Avondale recently announced the hiring of Vicki Claassen-Thompson as its new director of marketing and business development.
The big picture: A registered nurse, Vicki brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare sales and marketing to her role, previously serving as a director of business development for a post-acute healthcare provider.
- In her new position, Vicki will lead the hospital’s admissions department and coordinate marketing efforts to educate patients, families and the community about the hospital’s services.
Congratulations, Vicki, on your new role!
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Tuesday, March 11 - Health Equity Roadmap Workshop: The Waypoint
The Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE) will convene hospitals and health systems engaged in the Health Equity Roadmap. Attendees may earn one or two ACHE Qualified Education Hours toward initial certification or recertification of the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) designation. Learn more and register.
Thursday, April 3 - AzPHA Annual Conference
This year’s conference theme is “building an innovative and inclusive infrastructure for the public health of the future” and will feature topics such as using AI to enhance public health practice and population outcomes, data infrastructure and informatics, public health workforce and engaging public health professionals. Register now.
April 15-16 - 2025 Arizona Immunization Conference
This one-of-a-kind event provides education and resources so you can better understand the challenges around vaccine confidence and leave the conference encouraged by the success stories from around the state. Join over 500 attendees at the 2025 conference. Register here.
May 4-6 - American Hospital Association Annual Membership Meeting
This event will feature insightful conversations with policymakers, legislators and thought leaders on our most pressing issues. You’ll connect with decision makers who create, shape and implement healthcare policy and influence the political landscape. Register now and save with early bird registration pricing until Monday, March 3, 2025.
Wednesday, May 28 - Introduction to POLST
Join physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) paradigm for their one-hour virtual workshops equipping healthcare professionals with knowledge and resources to begin using POLST in Arizona. Register here.
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