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To investigate factors related to lung cancer mortality in four Arizona copper-smelter towns, the authors identified 142 lung cancer cases and 2 matched controls per case from decedent residents during 1979-1990. The authors obtained detailed information on lifetime residential, occupational, and smoking histories via structured telephone interviews with knowledgeable informants. The authors linked estimated historical environmental exposures to smelter emissions (based on atmospheric diffusion modeling of measured sulfur dioxide concentrations) with residential histories to derive individual profiles of residential exposure. The results of this study provided little evidence of a positive association between lung cancer and residential exposure to smelter emissions. Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically significant positive association between lung cancer and reported employment in copper mines and/or smelters, although specific factors associated with the apparently increased risk among these workers could not be identified in this community-based study., IN 1990, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) reported an investigation of lung cancer mortality during 1979-1988 in six towns near copper ore smelters in the state's Gila Basin [...]

Health care reform taking shape in Arizona In May, The Business Journal invited seven community leaders from various industries to discuss the problems and the future of our health care [...]

Polling the health care community Question: If you could change the system, what would you do? During the roundtable discussion that starts on page 6C, The Business Journal asked seven [...]

AHCCCS health plans see better times ahead Only five health plans are providing care to more than 130,000 poor and medically indigent in Maricopa County -- a costly and risky [...]

Byline: Gregg Blesch Hordes of cold-fearing pilgrims spend winters in sunny Arizona, straining hospitals' budgets with a need for huge ranks of per diem and traveling nurses. Last week, the [...]

The correct phone number for the Arizona State Health Insurance Assistance Program is 800-432-4040. The Web address is www.de.state.az.us It is a program under the Arizona Department of Economic Security [...]

Phoenix Magazine's April 2001 issue focusing on the Valley's top doctors proved to be a best-seller for the publication's annual feature. The issue sold 38,000 single copies, said Jill Francis, [...]

First Credentialing Quality Assurance has been selected to build the first managed-care network for Arizona's workers' compensation program. Whether doctors decide to participate, however, remains unclear. 'The goal is to [...]

Crystal Torres, 12, Phoenix, was the 100,000th child that KidsCare has enrolled. KidsCare is an affordable health insurance plan for families that earn too much to qualify for the state [...]

TUCSON, Ariz.--Arizona HMOs paid 33 of their top executives $9.8 million in salaries, bonuses and other compensation last year, despite record losses at some health plans. Health plan officials defend [...]

Were you surprised to read last week that two-thirds of Arizona's small businesses do not offer health care coverage to their employees? We were. Were you surprised to read that [...]

Two Tenet HealthSystem hospitals were saved from closing at the last minute. Community Hospital Medical Center in Phoenix was sold to Dr. Mark Siegel, who had treated patients at the [...]

Mayo Clinic Scottsdale has been awarded a contract by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System to be a kidney and pancreas transplant provider for patients in the AHCCCS health [...]

Lifemark Corp., Phoenix, has been awarded a contract to provide long-term care services to two additional Arizona counties: Coconino and Yuma. With this award, Ventana Health Systems, a subsidiary of [...]

The U.S. Census Bureau has reported that almost 25 percent of Arizona's population lacks health care insurance. Nationally, this same agency indicated there were 43.3 million or 16.1 percent of [...]

* November will mark the second annual Blue Jeans for Babies month. Participating companies allow employees to purchase stickers for a donation of $5 to the March of Dimes. Employees [...]

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists who want to join one of the 27 recently selected accountable care organizations (ACOs) may want to begin investigating how to participate in these fledgling organizations. [...]

The Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) has started putting processes into place to regulate the use of medical marijuana once Proposition 203 gets voters approval in the November general election. DHS will allow an estimated 120 medical dispensaries to set up shop in Arizona. Insights on the group who opposes bill are also given.

Dr. Richard Cooper has become a primary proponent for the creation of a boutique cancer center in the proposed Mercy Medical Commons in Gilbert, Arizona. Cooper's Mesa-based Advanced Surgical Associates Ltd. will be joined by Desert Oncology Associates LLP, Arizona Cancer Specialists PLC, and anchor tenant Scottsdale Imaging Ltd. Insights on the growth of specialized cancer treatment in Arizona are also given.

Arizona ranked 36th among US states in health system performance, falling three spots since 2007. The state also ranked 47th on the percent of uninsured children and 43rd for insured adults aged 18-65 years.