ÿþ<html> <head> <title> U.S. Medicine Institute - Federal Health Update </title> <script type="text/javascript" src="../javascript/ddtabmenu.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> //SYNTAX: ddtabmenu.definemenu("tab_menu_id", integer OR "auto") ddtabmenu.definemenu("ddtabs4", 0) //initialize Tab Menu with ID "ddtabs1" and select 1st tab by default </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../css/style.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../javascript/ddcolortabs.css" /> </head> <body style="text-align:center"> <table width="800px" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td style="text-align:center" valign="top"> <a href="../index.html"><img src="../images/banner.gif" style="border:0;"/></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <div id="ddtabs4" class="ddcolortabs"> <ul> <li><a href="../index.html">Home</a></li> <li><a href="../forums.html">Forums</a></li> <li><a href="../roundtables.html">Roundtables</a></li> <li><a href="../partners.html">Partner Organizations</a></li> <li><a href="../sponsor.html">Sponsorship Information</a></li> <li><a href="../aboutus.html">About USMI</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="ddcolortabsline">&nbsp;</div> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="750px" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="height:560px;"> <tr> <td style="text-align:left;" valign="top"> <a href="../newsletter_archive.html">< Back to Federal Health Update Archives</a> <div style="border:0;width:750px;height:560px;overflow-x:hidden;overflow-y:auto;text-align:left;"> <table width="700px" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center;"> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <br /><h4>FEDERAL HEALTH UPDATE</h4> <h5>January 25, 2008</h5> <p /><i>Produced by Kate Connelly Theroux in collaboration with the U.S. Medicine Institute for Health Studies (USMI) <p />To subscribe, please visit <a href="../subscriber.cfm">http://usminstitute.org/subscriber.cfm</a>.</i> <p />Sponsored by <br /><a href="http://www.triwest.com/" target="_blank"><img src="../images/newsletter/TriWestLogoNEW.jpg" border="0"/></a> <p />Additional sponsorship by </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.tricaredentalprogram.com/tdptws/home.jsp" target="_blank"><img src="../images/newsletter/UCCIlogobluetagline.jpg" border="0"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.USFamilyHealthPlan.org" target="_blank"><img src="../images/newsletter/NewUSFHP_logo.jpg" border="0"/></a></td> <td style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.expressscripts.com/" target="_blank"><img src="../images/newsletter/redu2colorPMS.jpg" border="0"/></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="text-align:left;"> <b><a name="top">Menu</a></b> <ul type="square"> <li><a href="#cong">Congressional Schedule</a></li> <li><a href="#mhc">Military Health Care News</a></li> <li><a href="#vhc">Veterans Health Care News</a></li> <li><a href="#hcare">Health Care News</a></li> <li><a href="#reserve">Reserve/Guard</a></li> <li><a href="#reports">Reports/Policies</a></li> <li><a href="#leg">Legislation</a></li> <li><a href="#hill">Hill Hearings</a></li> <li><a href="#meetings">Meetings / Conferences</a></li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="text-align:left;"> <h1> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="cong">Congressional Schedule</a></font> </h1> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">On Jan. 22, 2008, the Senate passed H.R.4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs held a hearing on Jan. 24, 2008, to examine the recommendations from the </font><a href="http://www.vetscommission.org/" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>Veterans Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC)</u></font></a><font face="Arial" size="2">, which include a system-wide reform of the benefits system, to encompass removing the disability rating function from the Department of Defense, updating the VA rating schedule, and placing a greater focus on rehabilitation. The VDBC submitted its </font> <a href="http://www.vetscommission.org/pdf/FinalReport10-11-07-compressed.pdf" target="_blank"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>final report</u></font></a><font face="Arial" size="2"> to the President and Congress on Oct. 3, 2007.&nbsp; The hearing featured testimony from Retired Army Lt. Gen. James Terry Scott, chairman of the VDBC, as well as representatives from the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">On Jan. 22, 2008, President Bush nominated Nelson M. Ford, of Virginia, to be under secretary of the Army.&nbsp; He is replacing Preston M. Geren, who was confirmed as secretary of the Army in July, 2007.&nbsp; Mr. Ford currently serves as the assistant secretary of the Army for financial management and comptroller. From 2002 through 2004, he was deputy assistant secretary for health budgets &amp; financial policy in the Department of Defense, where he was responsible for financial management, policy development and program evaluation for the Defense Health Program. Prior to returning to federal service, Mr. Ford held senior management positions in academic medicine, medical manufacturing and health insurance.</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The House failed to override President Bush s veto on H.R. 3963, the Children s Health Insurance Program Extension and Improvement, on Jan. 23, 2008. President Bush vetoed the bill on Dec. 12, 2007.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top">Back to Top</a></font> </p> </ul> <p> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="mhc">Military Health Care News</a></font></p> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">Health Net Federal Services (HNFS), announced the appointment of Patricia Buss, M.D., as medical director. In her new role, Dr. Buss will serve as clinical liaison to Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs), TRICARE Regional Office (TRO), TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) and Health Net TRICARE providers and will review referrals and authorizations, quality and compliance issues, and grievances. </font></li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Dr. Buss has an established career as a certified physician executive, with 14 years experience within the Military Health System.&nbsp; Most recently, she served as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for TRICARE Management Activity and previously as an executive officer for the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, where she was second in command of the U.S. Navy s largest overseas medical center. Dr. Buss served in the U.S. Navy for 24 years and retired as a Captain. She is a plastic surgeon by training. </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Dr. Buss will be located at Health Net s Arlington, Va., office and will report directly to Dr. Ted Christy. </font><a href="http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080123005506&newsLang=en" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.businesswire.com<wbr></wbr>/portal/site/google/index.jsp<wbr></wbr>?ndmViewId=news_view&amp;newsId<wbr></wbr>=20080123005506&amp;newsLang=en</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The American Forces Information Services reported that 300 Iraqi school children and 150 adults received medical care Jan. 16, when soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division s 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, held a medical operation at central Baghdad s Swaib school. </font></li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, handled security and crowd control, while Iraqi doctors, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and a dentist worked side by side with their American counterparts to meet the needs of Iraqi citizens.&nbsp; During the medical operation, the physicians saw everything from upper respiratory infections to toothaches.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The medical operation provided a chance for Iraqi and U.S. physicians to reach out to the people in Swaib. The long-term effect of the effort is to get Iraqis to be able to sustain themselves.&nbsp; </font><a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/utility/printitem.aspx?print=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48747" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.defenselink.mil<wbr></wbr>/utility/printitem.aspx?print<wbr></wbr>=http://www.defenselink.mil<wbr></wbr>/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48747</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">Dr. Bart Harmon, MD, MPH, a national leader in military healthcare and health information systems, has joined Harris Corporation as chief medical officer (CMO) of the company's new Healthcare Solutions business. Harris Healthcare Solutions provides enterprise intelligence solutions to private and military healthcare clients. </font></li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Dr. Harmon was previously chief medical information officer and director of information management for the Military Health System (MHS). In this role, he served on the staff of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. For more than ten years, Dr. Harmon led electronic health record initiatives within the DoD. He also chaired the work group that defined information sharing requirements between the DoD and the Veterans Health Administration.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Dr. Harmon serves on a work group to standardize health information technology terms for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. He previously served on the Electronic Health Records Work Group and was on the Board of the Health Information Technology Standards Panel. Both groups report to the American Health Information Community (AHIC), which is chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Dr. Harmon received his medical degree from the University of Washington, a master's degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a bachelor of science degree from Northwest Nazarene University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and the General Staff course. He retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of Colonel. Dr. Harmon will be based at the Harris offices in Falls Church, Va. </font><a href="http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLW02216012008" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://money.cnn.com/news<wbr></wbr>/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire<wbr></wbr>/CLW02216012008</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C., certified TriWest Healthcare Alliance's Suicide Prevention Hot Line, which is available to TRICARE beneficiaries throughout 21 western states in the West Region.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> &nbsp; &nbsp;<font face="Arial" size="2">The Hot Line exceeded the association's seven challenging criteria  administration and organizational structure, training program, general service delivery, services in life-threatening crises, ethical standards and practice, community integration, and program evaluation. Association evaluators also conducted a day-long site visit and studied the personnel files of the Hot Line's clinicians. Eighty percent of the Hot Line staff already has individual certifications from the association.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> &nbsp; &nbsp;<font face="Arial" size="2">TriWest launched its Suicide Prevention Hot Line 11 years ago when the company first earned a Department of Defense contract to administer the military's health care program, TRICARE. The Hot Line is staffed around the clock every day by a team of clinicians, nurses and social workers and today serves 2.9 million people.&nbsp; </font><a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/triwests-suicide-prevention-hot-line-earns-national-certification,262826.sht" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.earthtimes.org<wbr></wbr>/articles/show/triwests<wbr></wbr>-suicide-prevention-hot-line<wbr></wbr>-earns-national-certification<wbr></wbr>,262826.shtml</u></font></a>&nbsp;<br /> </p> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top">Back to Top</a></font></p> </ul> <p> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="vhc">Veterans Health Care News</a></font> </p> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">According to <i>Health Behavior News Service</i>, a recent study funded by the Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service found that elderly patients who receive care from geriatricians are less likely to receive the wrong dosage or type of medications than others are. </font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> &nbsp; &nbsp;<font face="Arial" size="2">The study found that geriatricians are trained to take a much closer look at the medications than the average physician does and their assessment is focused on how medications may affect patients differently as they age.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> &nbsp; &nbsp;<font face="Arial" size="2">Mary Jo Pugh, Ph.D.,</font><font face="Helvetica" size="1"> </font><font face="Arial" size="2">a registered nurse and research scientist at South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio and the study s lead author, used Veterans Affairs (VA) pharmacy and patient care records to identify instances of inappropriate prescribing among 850,154 patients who received care at 124 VA facilities during 1999 and 2000.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> &nbsp; &nbsp;<font face="Arial" size="2">The results showed that, overall, 26.2 percent of elderly patients were given drugs identified as inappropriate or suboptimal for older patients.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> &nbsp; &nbsp;<font face="Arial" size="2">However, older veterans who had received geriatric care in the last year proved less likely to receive inappropriate prescriptions, compared to similar patients who had not received geriatric care. In this study, only 3 percent of patients received geriatric care in the last year.&nbsp; </font> <a href="http://hbns.org/getDocument.cfm?documentID=1645" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://hbns.org/getDocument<wbr></wbr>.cfm?documentID=1645</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top"Back to Top</a></font></p> </ul> <p> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="hcare">Health Care News</a></font></p> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases reports that many U.S. adults are not receiving their recommended vaccinations, according to the CDC's 2007 National Immunization Survey.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The data were based on a survey last summer of about 7000 adults. The survey found that:</font></p> </ul> <ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">69 percent of adults aged 65 or older had received influenza vaccine;</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">66 percent&nbsp; of adults 65 or older had received the pneumococcal vaccine;</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">10 percent of females aged 18 to 26 had been vaccinated against HPV;</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">2 percent of eligible adults had received their respective shingles or DTaP vaccines.</font> </li> </ul> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Meanwhile, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases conducted a separate telephone survey of 1,000 adults on vaccine awareness. At the close of that survey, 41 percent of respondents said they would probably request vaccination at their next office visit, regardless of whether their doctor discussed it.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The foundation notes: "While vaccines that could protect them go unused, more Americans die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases than from breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, traffic accidents and many other causes." </font> <a href="http://www.nfid.org/" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.nfid.org/</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">On Jan. 22, 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that LMI Consulting, a not-for-profit government consulting firm in McLean, Va., in association with the Brookings Institution (Brookings), has been awarded a grant to establish, as a successor to the AHIC, a self-sustaining, public-private partnership based in the private sector. The LMI-Brookings team is expected to fully establish the AHIC's successor -- AHIC 2.0 -- by December 2008.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The team will develop a two-stage collaborative process to ensure that all key stakeholders in the public and private sectors are engaged and represented. Stage one will focus on stakeholder outreach and the design and development of governing documents for AHIC 2.0. This phase is expected to take approximately four months, and HHS has allocated $2 million to this stage. Upon successful completion of phase one, phase two will be funded with $3 million to successfully establish the AHIC 2.0 by December 2008. Additional funding may be allocated to support operations of the AHIC 2.0 once it is established. </font> <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/01/pr20080122a.html" target="_blank"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.hhs.gov/news/press<wbr></wbr>/2008pres/01/pr20080122a.html</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">On Jan. 22, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing a test that simultaneously detects four common respiratory viruses, including the flu, in a patient s respiratory secretions. The ProFlu+ test provides results in as few as three hours. Other diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses are fast but not as accurate or are accurate but not as rapid. </font></li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The real-time test employs a multiplex platform that allows several tests to be processed using the same sample to detect influenza A virus, influenza B virus, and respiratory syncytial virus A and B (RSV). </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">These viruses can cause influenza, an infection of the airways called bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. All are among the leading causes of lower respiratory tract infections. </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">ProFlu+, manufactured by Prodesse, Inc. of Milwaukee, uses a molecular biology process to isolate and amplify viral genetic material present in secretions taken from the back of the throat in patients. </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">An estimated 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population contracts influenza each year, resulting in more than 200,000 hospitalizations and up to 36,000 deaths. Influenza A, one of three types of human influenza, is the most severe and has been the cause of major epidemics. Influenza B is less severe than influenza A. </font><a href="http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01780.html" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics<wbr></wbr>/NEWS/2008/NEW01780.html</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a </font><a href="http://www.cms.hhs.gov/LongTermCareHospitalPPS/downloads/CMS-1393-P.pdf%20." target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>proposed payment rule</u></font></a><font face="Arial" size="2"> designed to assure that long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) continue to receive appropriate payment for services provided while giving them incentives to provide more efficient care to Medicare beneficiaries.&nbsp; LTCHs are a type of acute care hospital that treats some of Medicare s most severely ill or medically complex patients.&nbsp; The new policies and payment rates would apply to services provided to individuals who are discharged from these hospitals on or after July 1, 2008.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The proposed rule would affect the nearly 400 LTCHs across the nation.&nbsp; These hospitals are generally defined as inpatient hospitals where the average length of stay for Medicare patients is greater than 25 days.&nbsp; They provide extended medical and rehabilitative care for patients with clinically complex conditions.&nbsp; Treatment provided in these hospitals typically includes weaning patients from ventilators so they can breathe without this assistance, pain management, and rehabilitation.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">CMS is proposing a standard federal rate of $39,076.28 for the 2009 rate year (RY).&nbsp; This is based on a proposed update of 2.6 percent compared with the standard federal rate for RY 2008, as revised to comply with provisions of the recently enacted Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007( Medicare Extension Act ). The update represents a 3.5 percent increase in the hospital marketbasket (a measure of inflation in the costs of goods and services used in providing inpatient care), less a 0.9 percent adjustment to offset coding changes in RY 2006 that do not reflect real changes in the severity of the cases treated by these hospitals. </font><a href="http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=2845&intNumPerPage=10&checkDate=&checkKey=&srchType=1&nu" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>CMS NR 01-22-08</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced a new guide: </font><a href="http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/incentives.htm" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><i><u> </u></i><u>Consumer Financial Incentives: A Decision Guide for Purchasers, </u></font></a><font face="Arial" size="2"> to help employers, private health plans, the federal government, and state Medicaid agencies as they consider consumer financial incentives as part of an overarching strategy to improve the quality of health care and get better value for what they spend on services.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Consumer financial incentives are either a reward offered to influence patients to behave in a particular way, or, less often, a penalty for failing to do so.&nbsp; By using financial incentives, health care purchasers hope to encourage patients to take actions that either may improve the results of their treatment such as selecting a high-quality physician, reducing or eliminating high-risk behaviors and using preventive services or may reduce costs by eliminating unnecessary emergency room visits and decreasing preventable hospitalizations.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Using incentives to promote better value in health care is one of the four cornerstones of HHS' Value-Driven Care Initiative, which has a goal of providing consumers with the information necessary, and the incentive, to choose health care providers based on value.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The decision guide was developed by a team of researchers with the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco, in partnership with representatives of the purchaser and consumer communities.&nbsp; It consists of a summary organized around a series of 21 questions that purchasers need to consider when implementing consumer financial incentives. They span incentive design and implementation decisions. The guide reviews the application of incentives to five types of consumer decisions, including selecting a high-value provider, selecting a high-value health plan, deciding among treatment options, reducing health risks by seeking preventive care and reducing health risks by decreasing or eliminating high-risk behavior.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">In addition to a summary, the guide includes examples of consumer financial incentives currently being offered, criteria for selecting performance measures, elements to enable patients to participate in medical decision-making and in managing their chronic diseases, and characteristics that increase the likelihood that a consumer will respond to financial incentives.</font></p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">In 2006, nearly 9.7 million children under age five died worldwide, mostly from preventable causes such as malnutrition, diarrhea or malaria, according to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) annual report&nbsp; </font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">According to the report </font><a href="http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/The_State_of_the_Worlds_Children_2008.pdf" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><i><u>"The State of the World s Children 2008",</u></i></font></a><font face="Arial" size="2"> on average<b>, </b>more than 26,000 children under age five die each day. The agency said many of those deaths could be prevented through simple measures, such as vaccinations, insecticide-treated bed nets and vitamin supplements. </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">In 2006, Sierra Leone had the highest child death rate (270 per 1,000 births), followed by Angola with 260, and Afghanistan with 257. The worldwide rate was 72 deaths per 1,000 births and the average rate in industrialized countries was six deaths per 1,000 births. </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">But the U.N. agency noted that there has been some progress. The global death rate for children under age 5 has declined 23 percent since 1990. Nearly one-third of the world's 50 least developed countries have reduced child death rates by at least 40 percent since 1990. </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The rate of improvement must increase, however to reach a U.N. goal of decreasing the 1990 global child death rate by two-thirds before 2015. </font> </p> </ul> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The U. S. Medicine Institute features Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, this month in its <i>Spotlight</i> section.&nbsp; In the commentary, Dr. Fauci explains how the new Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS) funded by NIAID enhance current efforts in these areas. Please visit </font><a href="http://www.usminstitute.org/" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>www.usminstitute.org</u></font></a><font face="Arial" size="2">.</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">According to <i>KaiserNetwork.org</i>, during an annual meeting, Wal-Mart Stores CEO Lee Scott announced plans to begin a pilot program to help employers "manage how they process and pay prescription claims." Analysts believe that this is indication that Wal-Mart seeks to enter the pharmacy benefit manager business.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">Scott claimed that Wal-Mart s new pilot program could save companies more than $100 million a year. According to a Wal-Mart spokesperson, the employers might contract with the company to fill all or a majority of prescriptions for employees. Wal-Mart could reduce health care costs for the employers through a program that offers prescriptions of generic medications for $4.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">In addition, Wal-Mart plans to work with health care providers to increase the use of electronic prescriptions and establish electronic health records for U.S. employees. </font><a href="http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_hpolicy.cfm#50005" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.kaisernetwork.org<wbr></wbr>/daily_reports/rep_hpolicy.cfm<wbr></wbr>#50005</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top">Back to Top</a></font></p> </ul> <h1> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="reserve">Reserve/Guard</a></font> </h1> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The total number of Guard and Reserve currently on active duty has <b>decreased</b> by 110 from the last report to 94,729. The totals for each service are Army National Guard and Army Reserve, 73,558; Navy Reserve, 5,043; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 7,118; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,677; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 333. </font><a href="http://www.defenselink.mil/" target="_blank"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>www.defenselink.mil</u></font></a> </li> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top">Back to Top</a></font></p> </ul> <p> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="reports">Reports/Policies</a></font></p> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published <i> Research Priorities in Emergency Preparedness and Response for Public Health Systems: A Letter Report, </i> on Jan. 22, 2008.&nbsp; The report defines a set of near-term research priorities for emergency preparedness and response in public health systems: enhancing the usefulness of training; improving timely emergency communications; creating and maintaining sustainable response systems; and generating effectiveness criteria and metrics. </font><a href="http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3740/48812/50685.aspx" target="_blank"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3740<wbr></wbr>/48812/50685.aspx</u></font></a> </li> </ul> &nbsp;<br /> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The GAO published <i> Influenza Pandemic: Efforts Under Way to Address Constraints on Using Antivirals and Vaccines to Forestall a Pandemic, </i> (GAO-08-92) on Jan 23, 2008.&nbsp; This report examines constraints upon the use of anti-virals and vaccines to forestall a pandemic and efforts under way to overcome these constraints.&nbsp; </font><a href="http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0892.pdf" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.gao.gov/new.items<wbr></wbr>/d0892.pdf</u></font></a> </li> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top">Back to Top</a></font></p> </ul> <p> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="contracts">Contracts</a></font></p> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The Department of Defense (DoD), TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) announced that it intends to issue a solicitation on or about Feb. 6, 2008 for the provision of pharmacy benefits services to eligible TRICARE beneficiaries through retail pharmacies and a mail order pharmacy(ies). The DoD currently offers worldwide pharmacy services dispensed to eligible TRICARE beneficiaries through three venues: direct care pharmacies located at Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs); retail network pharmacy services (TRRx); and the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy (TMOP). Claims processing for prescriptions dispensed at non-network retail pharmacies are currently processed under TRRx.</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The anticipated solicitation will be for a TRICARE Pharmacy Program Services (TPharm) contract that will consolidate the TRICARE retail network pharmacy, the mail order pharmacy(ies), and claims processing for prescriptions dispensed at non-network retail pharmacies, together with required beneficiary support services, into a single set of services to be operated by a contracted pharmacy benefits manager (PBM). The period of performance is anticipated to be six years, six months from the date of award, comprised of: a base period that will facilitate the phase-in for delivery of the mail order pharmacy requirements first, followed by the retail network pharmacy requirements transition three months later; and option periods for delivery of services. All interested sources capable of performing these services will be considered. &nbsp; </font> </p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The proposed contract type is hybrid, with primarily fixed price per unit Indefinite Quantity/Requirements type contract line items for prescription claims and clinical services.&nbsp; It will also contain Firm Fixed Price line items for phase-in, phase-out, and information security certification requirements, as well as Cost Reimbursable line items for those pharmaceuticals dispensed at the mail order pharmacy(ies) for which replenishment cannot be obtained from the Department of Defense designated Prime Vendor.&nbsp; The proposed contract will also contain contractor proposed pharmaceutical price guarantees for prescriptions dispensed at network retail pharmacies.</font></p> </ul> <ul> <p> <font face="Arial" size="2">The date for receipt of proposals is anticipated to be on or about April 7, 2008 based on the solicitation being issued on or about Feb. 6, 2008.&nbsp; To access the solicitation, go to the above website. Interested parties wishing to receive information regarding the request for proposal during the solicitation process may register on the </font><a href="http://www.tricare.mil/contracting/healthcare/solicitations/index.cfm" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>TMA Solicitation Web site</u></font></a><font face="Arial" size="2">. </font><a href="http://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/OSD/TRICAREMA/H94002-07-R-0004/SynopsisP.html" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><u>http://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/OSD<wbr></wbr>/TRICAREMA/H94002-07-R-0004<wbr></wbr>/SynopsisP.html</u></font></a></p> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top">Back to Top</a></font>&nbsp;<br /> </p> </ul> <p> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="leg">Legislation</a></font></p> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2"><b>H.R.5089</b> (introduced Jan. 22, 2008): To reform the veterans' disability determination process by requiring the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay disability compensation to certain veterans based on the concurring diagnosis of two physicians was referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.&nbsp;<br /> Sponsor: Representative John Barrow [GA-12] </font></li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2"><b>H.R.5090</b> (introduced Jan. 22, 2008): To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to permit a family member of a wounded veteran to take leave under such Act after a lesser period of service with an employer was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.&nbsp;<br /> Sponsor: Representative John Barrow [GA-12] </font></li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2"><b>S.2536</b> (introduced Jan. 22, 2008): A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting certain debts to the United States in the case of veterans who die as a result of a service-connected disability incurred or aggravated on active duty in a combat zone, and for other purposes was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.&nbsp;<br /> Sponsor: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison [TX] </font></li> <li><font color="#333333" face="Arial" size="2"><b>S.2550</b> (introduced Jan. 23, 2008): A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting certain debts owed to the United States by members of the Armed Forces and veterans who die as a result of an injury incurred or aggravated on active duty in a combat zone, and for other purposes was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. &nbsp;<br /> Sponsor: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison [TX]</font> </li> </ul> <ul> <p align="right"> <font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"><a href="#top">Back to Top</a></font> </p> </ul> <p> <font face="Arial Black" size="3"><a name="hill">Hill Hearings</a></font></p> <ul type="DISC"> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on <b>Jan. 29, 2008</b>, to examine the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Credentialing and Privileging: A Patient Safety Issue.</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The House Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on <b>Feb. 7, 2008</b>, examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2009 for Veterans programs.</font> </li> <li><font face="Arial" size="2">The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on <b>F