The Department of Health & Human Services recently launched the Health Care Innovation Challenge, which will award up to $1 billion to projects that find more creative ways to deliver high-quality medical care and save money.

“We’ve taken incredible steps to reduce health care costs and improve care, but we can’t wait to do more,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “Both public and private community organizations around the country are finding innovative solutions to improve our health care system and the Health Care Innovation Challenge will help jump start these efforts.”

The challenge will recognize those who come up with the most innovative ideas to deliver better healthcare at lower costs to people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Preference will be given to programs that support rapid workforce development and can begin within six months.

The challenge, which is being funded by the Affordable Care Act, will provide grants from $1 million to $30 million over the next three years. The challenge is open to providers, payers, local government, community-based organizations, and public-private partnerships.

“When I visit communities across the country, I continually see innovative solutions at the very ground level – a large health system working with community partners to decrease the risk of diabetes with nutrition programs or a church group that sends volunteers to help home-bound seniors so they can live at home,” Donald M. Berwick, M.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said. “By putting more programs like this in place and more ‘boots on the ground,’ these types of programs can truly transform our health care system.”

Abrazo Health Care recently announced its plans to team up with Aegis Health Group in order to establish a physician relationship management program to better address the needs and support the professional goals of the hospital’s staff, including those with RN jobs Phoenix (Click here).

“With a mission and vision to help people achieve health for life, we must work collaboratively with our physician partners to serve patients and our community,” Jim Banahan, senior vice president of strategy and business development for Abrazo, said in a statement. “Aegis Health Group’s proven strategies and useful tools are helping us collaborate more successfully with physicians and connect patients to Abrazo Health Care.”

The physician relationship management program will offer:

• A trained physician relationship specialist to serve as a liaison between Abrazo and its 2,100 affiliated physicians.
• Access to PRISM, Aegis’ contact management software.
• Sales training and program development support.
• The ability to respond to individual doctor’s requests in a personal and efficient manner.
• The ability to measure the value of building long-term relationships with physicians using a data and results-driven approach.
• The ability to attract and retain top physicians and increase patient volume and revenue.

“A targeted, strategic and measurable approach to physician relationship management will allow Abrazo to effectively identify those issues that are most important to their doctors and allow them to achieve a high degree of synergy,” Rochell Pierce, vice president of physician relationship management for Aegis, said.

Abrazo Health Care is the second-largest healthcare delivery system in Arizona. The organization runs five acute care hospitals, one specialized cardiovascular hospital, two health plans, several school-based health centers, and Abrazo Medical Group.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recently recognized Phoenix Baptist Hospital with a silver award and West Valley Hospital with a bronze award as part of the Get With the Guidelines Award program.

The two hospitals, which are both part of the Abrazo Health Care network, were honored for their commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by going above and beyond national standards and recommendations.

“We are extremely proud of Phoenix Baptist Hospital and West Valley Hospital for demonstrating excellence surrounding stroke care and for achieving quality outcomes,” Dr. Mark Kestner, chief medical officer for Abrazo Health Care, said in a statement. “These awards are a testament of our commitment to prevention and treatment of stroke and saving lives.”

In order to receive awards, hospitals must meet or exceed a number of criteria, including: aggressive use of medications, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation.

Phoenix Baptist was recognized for following these criteria for the past 12 months, while West Valley was recognized for following the criteria for the past 90 days.

When a patient suffers from a stroke, it’s very important that they receive the appropriate care within a very short period of time and a lon-term treatment plan for recovery. The board certified physicians, designated stroke teams, and latest technologies make this possible at both hospitals.

During July, Arizona’s unemployment rate jumped from 9.3 percent to 9.4 percent, after climbing from 9.1 percent the previous month. That puts the state’s rate above the national average at the time of 9.1 percent.

Arizona employed a total of 2,394,400 workers during July, which is down from 2,397,100 workers during June, but a .9 percent increase from last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nearly every industry saw an over-the-year increase in employment during July, with government reporting the only decline, down 3.8 percent, and mining and logging remaining steady.

The education and health services industry saw the biggest growth over the year, rising by 5.5 percent between July 2010 and July 2011.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year increase in employment include:

• Construction – 2.7 percent
• Manufacturing – 2.2 percent
• Leisure and hospitality – 2.2 percent
• Financial activities – 1.9 percent
• Other services – .7 percent
• Trade, transportation, and utilities – .6 percent
• Information – .3 percent
• Professional and business services – .1 percent

Only five industries managed to see a monthly increase in employment during July. Marking the start of the school season, the education and health services industry added the most workers, growing by 4,100 jobs.

That was followed by the other services industry, which added 2,000 jobs; the leisure and hospitality industry, which was up 1,600 jobs; and the manufacturing and financial activities industries, both of which added 100 workers.

Physical therapists work with people who have physical impairments, helping them strengthen their bodies so they can live happy, normal lives. There are a number of different degrees you can take at a number of different schools to embark on such a career.

This is a highly-regarded position that requires the proper education, and while there are a number of good schools in Arizona, there are some great PT schools throughout the rest of the nation.

According to Education-Portal.com, the top 10 schools for physical therapy include:

• Arcadia University (Glenside, Penn.) – International physical therapy programs in Guatemala, Jamaica and Peru.
• Emory University (Atlanta, Ga.) – Joint Doctor of Physical Therapy/Master of Business Administration degree program.
• Northwestern University (Chicago, Ill.) – T32 Training Grant offered through the DPT/Ph.D. (Engineering) program.
• University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) – Sport Orthopedic Clinic internships.
• University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa) – Students have a 100 percent pass rate in the national licensure exam for physical therapists.
• University of Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.) – Lowest tuition of any of the top private schools offering a physical therapy program.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, N.C.) – The Center for Human Movement Science.
• University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Penn.) – Unique M.S. in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Neuromuscular Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy concentrations.
• University of Southern California (Los Angeles, Calif.) – Ranked by U.S. News and World Report for the best physical therapy program in the country since 2004.
• Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, Mo.) – Has 11 separate research centers and facilities in physical therapy.

Abrazo Health Care recently teamed up with Healthagen to use the company’s iTriage app, which allows patients to easily access a list of the nearest medical and emergency facilities, among other features. Abrazo is the first healthcare organization in Arizona to use this technology.

Anybody can download iTriage for free on a smartphone. Once the program is installed on your phone, you can easily search medical symptoms, find close-by medical facilities, and connect with healthcare providers via social media and videos.

“With so many people turning to their mobile phones for information, it only made sense that we partner with an organization to make it one step easier for people to find us when they are in need of medical care,” Dr. Mark Kestner, chief medical officer for Abrazo Health Care, said in a statement. “The iTriage application is a great tool to help people make quick and informed medical decisions.”

Healthagen worked with a group of emergency medical physicians to develop iTriage, which is aimed at closing the gap between doctors and patients. The app been downloaded more than 1.5 million times since the beginning of this year.

Abrazo Health Care is the second-largest healthcare organization in Arizona. The group operates five acute care hospitals, one cardiovascular hospital, one cardiovascular outpatient facility, and several school-based health centers. Abrazo also offers two health plans and and runs the Abrazo Medical Group.

A recent study from the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Business Administration found that Express Scripts employed 1,700 Arizona residents last year. The company supports 2,665 direct and indirect jobs, including many RN jobs Arizona, and contributes more than $226 million to the local economy.

St. Louis-based Express Scripts operates two facilities in Arizona that provide high-tech home delivery pharmacy services, prescription processing operations, and a patient care contact center. The company serves numerous commercial clients and the U.S. Department of Defense TriCare program from these locations.

“We are proud of our role as a key employer in Arizona, and especially pleased to be able to serve the Department of Defense from this site,” Jen Pein, vice president and general manager of pharmacy operations for Express Scripts, said in a statement. “We appreciate the support we have received from the state and the business environment of Arizona.”

The report further found:

• The company generates about $8.4 million in local and state taxes each year.
• Out-of-town employees spent $350,000 on food and lodging in Arizona.
• New capital investment should increase by 125 percent to $5.4 million this year.
• If spending and wages increase by 2 percent each year, Express Scripts will produce $2.4 billion in economic benefits throughout Arizona during the next 10 years.

Phoenix serves as the state capital and home of the state legislative branch. That branch is made up of the state House of Representatives, which has 60 members, and the state Senate, which has 30 members. Arizona is split into 30 legislative districts, each of which elects one senator and two representatives.

According to Wikipedia, all legislators are elected to two-year terms and are limited to serving four consecutive terms, although there are no limits on the total number of terms a legislator can serve. Republicans currently hold the majority of seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

The state executive branch is run by a governor, who is elected to a four-year term and can serve no more than two terms in a row, but can serve any number of total terms. Jan Brewer, who currently serves as the governor of Arizona, accounts for the state’s fourth female governor, which is more than any other state has had. Janet Napolitano, the previous governor, now serves as the secretary of Homeland Security.

Other elected officials in the executive branch and the people currently serving in those seats include:

• Secretary of State – Ken Bennett
• Attorney General – Terry Goddard
• State Treasurer – Dean Martin
• Superintendent of Public Instruction – Tom Horne
• State Mine Inspector – Joe Hart
• Corporation Commission – Gary Pierce, Kristin Mayes, Bob Stump, Sandra D. Kennedy and Paul Newman

All of these officials are elected to a four-year term and can only serve two consecutive terms, except for the state mine inspector, who is exempt from term limits.

Arizona is one of only eight states that does not elect a lieutenant governor. The secretary of state is first in line to succeed the governor, followed by the attorney general, state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction.

The state judicial branch is headed by the Arizona Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the state. The court has appellate jurisdiction in death penalty cases, original jurisdiction in some other circumstances, and has the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

The court is made up of a chief justice, a vice chief justice and three associate justices. All justices are appointed by the governor from a list recommended by a bi-partisan commission and are re-elected after the first two years, with subsequent re-elections occurring every six years.

The Arizona Court of Appeals, which serves as the intermediate court in the state, handles most other appellate cases. The court is divided into two divisions: Division One, which is based in Phoenix, and Division Two, which is based in Tucson.

Division One consists of 16 judges and has jurisdiction in the western and northern regions of the state, as well as the greater Phoenix area. Division Two consists of six judges and has jurisdiction over the southern regions of the state and the Tucson area.

In addition, each county in Arizona has a superior court, with the state currently having 16 counties. The size and organization of those courts are varied depending on the size of the county.

When it comes to federal government, Arizona is represented by two senators and eight representatives. The state was granted two extra seats in the House of Representatives following the 2000 Census.

The Senate seats are currently filled by Republican John McCain and Republican Jon Kyl. The House of Representative seats are currently filled by: Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, Republican Trent Franks, Republican John Shadegg, Democrat Ed Pastor, Democrat Harry Mitchell, Republican Jeff Flake, Democrat Raul Grijalva and Democrat Gabrielle Giffords.

As for political affiliation, the state went from being dominated by the Democratic Party from statehood through the late 1940s to consistently voting for Republicans since 1952, with the only exception being Bill Clinton during the 1996 presidential election.

At the state level, there is a political rivalry between Maricopa County and Pima County, the state’s two largest counties. Maricopa County – which is home to Phoenix, about 60 percent of the state’s population and most of the state’s elected officials – has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1948. Pima County – which is home to Tucson – is considered to be more Democratic.