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FEDERAL HEALTH UPDATE
*Click to print newsletter in pdf format Sep 3, 2010Produced by Kate Connelly Theroux in collaboration with the Institute of Federal Health Care (IFHC) To subscribe, please visit http://fedhealthinst.org/subscriber.cfm. Sponsored by
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Executive and Congressional News
For more information, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the- Military Health Care News
International SOS Assistance, TRICARE’s overseas contractor, is partnering with military treatment facilities (MTFs) to give Department of Defense beneficiaries comprehensive health care services. International SOS operates provider networks around overseas MTFs and in remote locations. Beneficiaries stationed overseas who want to keep up with the latest information about their health care benefits need to update their family’s Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) records as soon as possible. Options for udating include doing it in person at a military ID card issuing facility, online or by phone, fax or mail. For more information about DEERS,
go to www.tricare.mil/DEERS. Learn more about the TRICARE Overseas Program
go to www.tricare.mil/overseas.
This is part of International SOS’ responsibilities under the new TRICARE Overseas Program (TOP) contract. Currently, Humana Military Services, Inc. ,manages overseas TRS enrollment and customer service. The TOP contract will not change any policies or processes of the TRS Program. There will be no change in the way TRS enrollees pay their premiums and access their benefits. In the coming weeks, enrollees will receive a letter containing a new enrollment card with updated points-of-contact. International SOS will also manage overseas TRS claims under the new contract, including those generated by TRS members enrolled stateside while traveling overseas. Additionally, International SOS will process overseas TRS pharmacy claims. If they are not otherwise covered by the TRICARE pharmacy contract, TOP TRS claims will be processed as TRICARE Standard. TRS members living or traveling overseas may contact one of the TRICARE Overseas regional call centers to obtain assistance in finding a host nation provider. The contractor is not required to make an appointment on the member’s behalf. TRS customer support and information
is available from International SOS by calling toll free from the U.S.
at 1-877-451-8659. For country-specific contact information, please
visit www.tricare-overseas.com/trs.
Retired Reservists may qualify to purchase TRR coverage if they are under the age of 60 and are not eligible for, or enrolled in, the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. They must also be members of the Retired Reserve of a reserve component and qualified for non-regular retirement. For instructions on how to qualify for and purchase TRR go to www.tricare.mil/trr. For calendar year 2010, the TRR member-only
monthly premium is $388.31 ($4,659.72 yearly), and the member and family
monthly premium is $976.41 ($11,716.92 yearly). Premiums will be adjusted
annually.
It supplements the printed Standard
newsletter mailed every January to all Standard beneficiaries. The direct
link to the e-newsletter is www.tricare.mil/tricaresmart/ The e-newsletter provides information about finding a provider, immunizations, preventive health screenings, back-to-school physicals as well as other information to help get the most out of the flexible TRICARE Standard and Extra healthcare plan options. For more information on TRICARE Standard
or Extra go to the new www.tricare.mil and answer three easy questions to get connected
to information tailored specifically to the user.
As the regional director, Chinn manages the multi-billion dollar TRICARE contract covering the 21-state West Region. Rear Adm. Chinn spent much of his career supporting the Marine Corps. He was the battalion surgeon with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, from 1986-1987; group surgeon, 3rd Force Service Support Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, from 1998-2000 and force surgeon, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, from 2008-2010. He was selected as the Navy surgeon general specialty leader for Fleet Marine Forces during this tour. Chinn’s senior
hospital assignments include director of medical services at Naval Hospital
Okinawa from 2000-2003 and executive officer, Naval Hospital Lemoore
(Calif.) from 2003-2006. Following those assignments, he completed a
two-year tour as the 15th commanding officer of Naval Hospital Oak Harbor
(Wash.) from June 2006-June 2008.
By law, mental health assessments are required for each member of the Armed Forces deployed in connection with a contingency operation. Deployment Mental Health Assessments are completed to identify and assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, suicidality, and other mental health conditions, risks and concerns, before and after deployment. Through the program, medical personnel will learn to implement effective deployment mental health screening, education, and referral. Other goals involve protecting service member privacy, respecting service member dignity, maximizing service member trust and confidence, and conveying appreciation for each service member’s service to country. After completion of the training, clinicians will be able to describe the rationale and process for a staged mental health assessment, define the roles of trained and certified providers in the assessment process, and use key assessment tools to identify symptoms of depression, PTSD, risky drinking, and other mental health concerns. Recipients will earn a certificate indicating that they are trained and certified to administer DoD deployment mental health assessments. For more information,
please visit http://fhpr.osd.mil and http://www.pdhealth.mil
The Joint Commission’s certification program offers an independent, comprehensive evaluation of a staffing firm's abilities to provide competent staffing services. Contractors are given assurance by this certification that Spectrum demonstrates a commitment to providing and continuously improving quality services. This is the fourth consecutive Gold Seal of Approval that SHR has received. Veterans Health Care News
The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis will partner with the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE), the largest health information exchange organization in the United States, to securely exchange electronic health record (EHR) information using the Nationwide Health Information Network. VA will invite veterans who receive health care from VA and from selected hospitals and providers in the Indianapolis area to sign up for the pilot, with the understanding that their information will not be shared without their authorization. Veterans who participate will enable their public and private sector health care providers and doctors to share specific health information electronically, safely, securely and privately. The pilot is planned to run through 2012, with the goal of advancing EHRs for VA and other community providers. Led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Nationwide Health Information Network provides a technology “gateway” to support interoperability standards and a legal framework for the secure exchange of health information between treating physicians, when authorized by a patient. Clinicians from the participating organizations can share authorized patient data electronically, securely, and privately, ensuring around-the-clock access to critical health information. This immediate electronic access supports increased accuracy, efficiency, and safety. It also helps to avoid redundant care and testing. Since more than half of America's veterans and active duty service members receive some portion of their health care outside of VA or Department of Defense facilities, interoperability between federal agencies and the private sector is essential to provide the best care for veterans, service members, and their dependents. IHIE is made up of collaborative partnerships with Regenstrief Institute, private hospitals, insurers, local and state health departments, and other health care organizations that impact more than 60 hospitals providing care to more than 6 million patients. More detailed information
about the pilot program is available by calling 1-877-771-VLER (8537).
NIH agencies taking part in the initiative are the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Cancer Institute. Several studies will look at treatment-seeking patterns — why and when veterans ask for help, and why many don’t. Scientists will also explore treatment strategies, including cognitive behavioral therapy and Web-based approaches, as well as the most effective therapies for soldiers who have other disorders, such as depression and substance abuse. Researchers will also determine if early intervention can improve outcomes. Other projects will focus on how veterans readjust to their work and families after returning from war. Institutions receiving
the grants include Brandeis University; Dartmouth College; the Medical
University of South Carolina; the National Development and Research
Institutes in New York City; the University of California, San Francisco;
the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; the University of Missouri
in Columbia; and the VA medical centers in West Haven, Conn.; Philadelphia;
Little Rock; and Seattle.
Events at the important rehabilitation clinic include adaptive kayaking, sailing, track and field, cycling and surfing, using venues throughout the San Diego area, including the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Participation is open to military veterans who are eligible for VA medical care and have orthopedic amputations, traumatic brain injuries, burn injuries, psychological trauma, certain neurological conditions, visual impairment, spinal cord injuries or other injuries incurred during the past six years. The Clinic is one of VA’s six national rehabilitation events held each year, with sponsorship support for the Summer Clinic provided by original founding sponsors, Help Hospitalized Veterans and the Veterans Canteen Service, as well as national sponsors Health Net, Booz Allen Hamilton and Challenged America. The VA San Diego Health care System has hosted the event since its inception in 2008. For more information
about the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic, visit www.summersportsclinic.va.gov.
“We — DoD and VA — simply cannot afford to be less than aggressive in our effort to identify, treat and rehabilitate TBI victims,” Shinseki told the approximately 1,000 military, VA and civilian health care workers at the conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC). The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center was established by Congress in 1992. DoD and VA together offer clinical care, research and education on traumatic brain injury. DVBIC is the operational component of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. In praise of the collaborative DVBIC model, Secretary Shinseki said it should be replicated for all military personnel transitioning to VA care, and not just for TBI or burn care. There are DVBIC researchers
assigned at each of the four VA Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (Tampa,
Richmond, Minneapolis and Palo Alto), where they gather information regarding
care of patients with TBI, analyze and translate this information into
recommendations to improve care, and educate providers in implementing
those improvements clinically.
The final regulation adds Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease and expands chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia. The VA’s decision to add these presumptives is based on the latest evidence provided in a 2008 independent study by the Institute of Medicine concerning health problems caused by herbicides such as Agent Orange In practical terms, veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their medical problems and their military service. By helping veterans overcome evidentiary requirements that might otherwise present significant challenges, this “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process. Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period beginning Jan. 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. More than 150,000 veterans are expected to submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are potentially eligible for retroactive disability payments based on past claims. Additionally, VA will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims by Vietnam veterans for service connection eligibility for these conditions. All those awarded service-connection eligibility who are not currently eligible for enrollment into the VA healthcare system will become eligible. This new regulation is subject to provisions of the Congressional Review Act that require a 60-day Congressional review period before implementation. After the review period, VA can begin paying benefits for new claims and may award benefits retroactively for earlier periods. For new claims, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the effective date of the regulation or to one year before the date VA receives the application, whichever is later. For pending claims and claims that were previously denied, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the date it received the claim. Individuals can go to a Web site
at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/
The award is one of the most prestigious honors for government career senior executives. Floyd is one of only three VA network directors to receive this award and was honored by President Obama as a top civil servant in the federal government. The honor is the latest milestone in Floyd’s 24-year career with the U.S. government. He joined the Indian Health Service in 1986 becoming the Area Director in Portland, Ore., serving 42 tribes in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. He was appointed director of VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City in 1997 and served on various national task forces including Minority and Rural Veteran outreach. Prior to his appointment as network director of the Heartland VA Healthcare VISN 15 in 2009, Floyd served as the acting network director in Denver, Colorado. As network director in Kansas City, he oversees the operations, finances and clinical programs of a health care system that serves more than 311,000 Veterans in Kansas and Missouri, as well as portions of Illinois, Kentucky, and Arkansas. The President conferred on Floyd the rank of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service for sustained superior accomplishment in management of programs of the United States Government and for noteworthy achievement of quality and efficiency in public service. Health Care News
Royalties are typically paid upfront for biological materials and over the term of a commercial patent license. The project is led by the Office of Technology Transfer and the Office of Financial Management at NIH. By eliminating the need for bank checks, this bank-to-bank transfer system can shorten the processing time from several months down to a day or less. This also will reduce the administrative costs by moving from a paper system to a secure electronic system. Pay.gov is a multifaceted web-based application allowing anyone to make Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments to government agencies by debit from a checking or savings account. Pay.gov was launched in 2000 and is maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The NIH Office of Technology Transfer
administers approximately $90 million annually in royalty payments from
about 500 companies, and licensees reported product sales of approximately
$6 billion last year. The OTT manages the patenting and licensing of
the wide range of NIH and FDA inventions. The commercialization of government-owned
inventions is encouraged and governed by the provisions of the Federal
Technology Transfer Act and related legislation.
The three-year funds will establish a network of PCOR centers, enable PCOR in pediatric emergency medicine, and support building capacity for community-based providers to engage in this type of research. Five cooperative agreement awards will go to organizations in four states to create the Community Health Applied Research Network (CHARN) to demonstrate that safety net providers and academic institutions can partner together to create an effective infrastructure that supports patient-centered outcomes research. This network in particular will provide an opportunity to evaluate patient-centered outcomes research among diverse populations and patient subgroups that are not always adequately represented in similar studies. The CHARN consists of a Central Data Management Coordinating Center, based at the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals’ Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., and four networks selected as research “nodes” in California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Oregon. The nodes are geographically dispersed consortia of safety net providers in 17 states. Three of the four research nodes will focus on patient-centered outcomes research related to the delivery of primary care, while the fourth (in Boston), will focus more specifically on research that is relevant to the care and treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS. Another grant totaling $3.5 million will be awarded to Columbia University to support patient-centered outcomes research within the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). The funds will help boost data capacity, conduct studies and disseminate information on research findings involving pediatric emergency care. Separately, a grant
totaling $3.5 million will be made to the American Academy of Pediatrics
at Elk Grove Village, Ill., to support development of an electronic
health record sub-network within the Pediatric Research Network in the
Office Setting, the nation’s largest pediatric primary care research
network. The results from this work will be used to inform guidelines
and policies of pediatric practice.
Nearly 2,000 employers, representing large and small businesses, state and local governments, educational institutions, non-profits and unions have been accepted into the program and will begin to receive reimbursements for employee claims this fall. Created by the Affordable Care Act as a bridge to the new health insurance Exchanges in 2014, the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program provides $5 billion in financial assistance to employers and unions to help them maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare. Businesses and other employers and unions that are accepted into the program will receive reimbursement for medical claims for early retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents. Savings can be used to reduce employer health care costs, provide premium relief to workers and families, or both. Starting in September, approved applicants can begin submitting claims dating back to June 1, 2010. On Oct. 1, approved applicants will begin to receive reinsurance payments on those claims. This policy allows more health benefit claims to qualify for reinsurance payments for plans this year. The program ends on Jan.1, 2014 when state health insurance Exchanges are up and running. For a list of approved
applications by state, visit http://www.healthcare.gov/ In addition to announcing
these approved applications, HHS announced two new information tools
for employers and unions interested in the Early Retiree Reinsurance
Program – a new Web site (www.ERRP.gov) and a new hotline (877-574-3777
or 877-574-ERRP).
The system, called FDA-TRACK, will monitor more than 100 FDA program offices through data from key performance measures established each year. That data will be gathered monthly, analyzed and presented each quarter to FDA senior leadership. Importantly, the public will be able to track this data and the agency’s progress through the FDA-TRACK Web site. FDA-TRACK is designed to be informative, encourage accountability among the people who work at the FDA, and make that work more transparent. It gives managers and employees a new way to measure their effectiveness in meeting goals to protect the public health and provides a way for the public to monitor agency activities. Adapted from several successful state and local performance management models, FDA-TRACK hopes to set the standard for open government at the federal level. The system monitors performance indicators in four categories:
For more information, please visit FDA-TRACK: Agency-wide Program Performance. Reserve/Guard
Reports/Policies
Legislation Hill Hearings
Meetings / Conferences
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If you need further information on any of the items in the Federal Health Update, please contact Kate Connelly Theroux at (703) 447-3257 or by e-mail at katetheroux@fedhealthinst.org. To subscribe, please visit http://fedhealthinst.org/subscriber.cfm. To unsubscribe, please send an email to newsletter@fedhealthinst.org with UNSUBSCRIBE as the subject. Back issues availiable at Federal Health Update Archives. |
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