Congressional Schedule
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On Sept. 10, 2008, the House passed S. 2617, the Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2008. This legislation amends title 38, United States Code, to codify increases in the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans that were effective as of Dec.1, 2007, to provide for an increase in the rates of such compensation effective Dec. 1, 2008, and for other purposes.
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On Sept. 10, 2008, the House passed H.R. 1527, Rural Veterans Access to Care Act. The legislation amends title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pilot program to permit certain highly rural veterans enrolled in the health system of the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive covered health services through providers other than those of the Department.
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The Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee approved Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Appropriations legislation on Sept. 10, 2008. The bill provides $487.7 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense for functions under the Defense Subcommittee’s jurisdiction; recommends $4 billion below the President’s FY 2009 budget request; provides an additional $750 million to fund high priority intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance initiatives; and adds $750 million for National Guard and Reserve equipment. For specific details, please visit http://appropriations.senate.gov/
Military Health Care News
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Humana Military Healthcare Services (HMHS) and ValueOptions, Inc., the South Region subcontractor for behavioral health, announced new educational features on the AchieveSolutions(R) behavioral health portal at www.humana-military.com.
AchieveSolutions(R), a Web-based behavioral health care tool developed by ValueOptions, offers South Region beneficiaries a private, safe environment to seek information, educational materials and self-assessment tools on behavioral health, addiction and recovery, life events and daily living skills. In the past year, more than 87,000 pages, covering 200 different topics, have been accessed. New enhancements to AchieveSolutions(R) were added in late August, including; Life Manager, Teen Life, and Suicide Awareness videos.
Life Manager is a Web-based instrument bringing together TRICARE resources, benefit information and services to assist members and their families with their individual needs. This tool helps beneficiaries assess moods, focus on concerns and identify solutions to life's challenges. The many benefits to this program include learning how and when to discuss concerns with a professional and receiving a personal action plan with recommendations and a checklist.
Teen Life provides a variety of tools and resources to help teens and their parents tackle life issues. Parents and teens will find information on a variety of topics including alcohol and drugs, managing emotions, choosing a college and obtaining financial aid.
In addition, visitors to AchieveSolutions(R) now have the ability to view two suicide awareness videos — one designed for family members and another for service members. After viewing the videos, individuals are offered the opportunity to access a TRICARE South Region crisis line at 904-254-2313. This service is available 24-hours-a-day to assist these callers in obtaining appropriate behavioral health services. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/humana-military-healthcare-services-valueoptions/story.aspx?guid=%7BA4F09EF1-7151-4C23-9537-6DB85CB49985%7D&dist=hppr
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Harris Corporation announced that Barclay Butler, PhD, has joined the firm to be vice president of military Health care for the company’s Healthcare Solutions initiative. In this position, Dr. Butler leads Harris initiatives focused on solving the IT healthcare challenges faced by military organizations, including research, technical product development, system delivery and service, and the application of innovative technologies.
Prior to joining Harris, he was senior vice president at Apptis, Inc. in Chantilly, Va. He also was vice president-general manager at IMC in Fairfax. Va. and senior program director at Oracle in Reston, Va.
Dr. Butler retired from the U.S. Army in 2003 after a distinguished career. As chief information officer for the U.S. Army Medical Department, he led IT support for the Department of Defense’s largest Integrated Delivery System, composed of eight academic medical centers and 30 hospitals. The medical system provided care for more than 5 million beneficiaries with some 55,000 employees and a combined annual budget of more than $9.7 billion.
Dr. Butler has a PhD in biomechanics, a Master’s degrees in electrical sciences and in bioengineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In addition, he also has a Master’s degree in military arts and sciences from the Command and General Staff College in Kansas and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Marquette University in Wisconsin. http://www.harris.com/view_pressrelease.asp?act=lookup&pr_id=2512
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The Pentagon Memorial opened to the public on Sept. 11, 2008. The opening included a musical tribute featuring the Navy Band and the Sea Chanters Chorus, the official chorus of the U.S. Navy. Recognized as "The World's Finest," the Band features some of the nation's top musicians and performs a wide variety of music.
This was the first opportunity for the general public to view the memorial in remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11 at the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77. The Pentagon Memorial contains 184 memorial units, each of which is dedicated to an individual victim by its unique placement within the collective field. The field is organized as a timeline of the victims' ages, moving from the youngest, 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg, to the oldest, John D. Yamnicky, 71.
Each memorial unit is specifically positioned in order to distinguish victims on board American Airlines Flight 77 from victims within the Pentagon. The memorial units representing the 59 lives lost on American Airlines Flight 77 are positioned so that a visitor to the park will face the sky when reading the name of the victim to whom that unit is dedicated. When standing at a memorial unit dedicated to a victim who was inside the Pentagon, the visitor sees the victim's name and the Pentagon in the same view for the 125 victims who lost their lives in the building.
For information on how to access the Pentagon Memorial, please refer to the Memorial Visitors section.
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The Army announced that Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, assistant surgeon general for force projection, Office of The Surgeon General, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C., has been assigned to be the director of comprehensive soldier fitness, Office of the G-3/5/7, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
Veterans Health Care News
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Design a study that will identify suicide risk among veterans of different conflicts, ages, genders, military branches and other factors. VA has committed to work with other federal agencies to design such a study within 30 days.
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Improve VA’s screening for suicide among veterans with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). VA is in the process of designing a new screening protocol, with pilot test undertaken during the fiscal year quarter beginning Oct. 1, 2008.
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Ensure that evidence-based research is used to determine the appropriateness of medications for depression, PTSD and suicidal behavior. VA is providing written warnings to patients about side effects, and the Department’s suicide prevention coordinators are contacting health care providers to advise them of the latest evidence-based research on medications.
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Devise a policy for protecting the confidential records of VA patients who may also be treated by the military’s health care system. VA is already developing a plan to clarify the privacy rights of patients who come to VA while serving in the military.
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Increase research about suicide prevention. VA has announced several funding opportunities this year for research on suicide prevention and is developing priorities for suicide prevention research.
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Develop educational materials about suicide prevention for families and community groups. VA is examining the effectiveness of support groups and educational material for the families of suicidal veterans, and producing a brochure for the families of veterans with traumatic brain injury about suicide, which will be available within 30 days.
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Increase training for VA chaplains about the warning signs of suicide. VA offices responsible for chaplains and mental health professionals are studying ways to implement this recommendation, with a report due by Nov. 1.
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Develop a gun-safety program for veterans with children in the home, both as a child-safety measure and a suicide prevention effort. A VA directive establishing the program is being developed, with full implementation expected during the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2008.
VA is the nation’s largest provider of mental health care. More than 17,000 mental health professionals, including dedicated suicide prevention coordinators in each of VA’s 153 medical centers, are available to care for veterans. The Department’s mental health program this year is funded at more than $3 billion. http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1566
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On Sept. 8, 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it has clarified its policy on assisting veterans’ voter registration activities, with particular focus on inpatients and residents of VA community living centers, domiciliaries and patients with limited access to community voter registration resources.
VA will welcome state and local election officials and non-partisan groups to its hospitals and outpatient clinics to assist VA officials in registering voters at VA facilities. Such assistance, however, must be coordinated by those facilities in order to avoid disruptions to patient care.
The policy requires that information about the right of VA patients to register and vote and other patients’ rights be posted in every VA hospital. In addition, all VA patients must be provided a copy of these rights when they are admitted to a VA facility.
Every hospital is now also required to publish a written policy on voter assistance, allowing patients to leave the hospital to register and vote, subject to the opinions of their health care providers. Patients unable to leave the facility must be assisted to register and to vote by absentee ballot.
In their written policies, VA hospitals are required to establish the criteria they will use to evaluate requests from outside agencies to register voters, and to determine where, when, and how such registration activities will be conducted. They will also develop procedures to coordinate offers of assistance from state and local governments and from non-partisan organizations, and how to work with VA’s Regional Counsel offices to determine whether or not groups offering registration help are non-partisan, as required by law.
Voluntary Service Program Managers at each of VA’s 153 hospitals will be responsible for implementing the new policy, and for providing timely and accurate voting information to veterans cared for at their facilities. They will also obtain and maintain materials that are needed to assist veterans with voter registration requirements. http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1564
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$976,702 for improvements to Wisconsin State Veterans Home in Union Grove
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$2 million and approving a land transfer to the state facility in Salisbury, N.C.
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$723,000 for a dementia unit at the Luverne, Minn., facility.
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$670,000 for improvements at the Holyoke, Mass., facility.
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$32.7 million for construction of a new nursing home at the American Lake VA Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash.
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$552,000 for roof improvements at the Sandusky, Ohio, facility.
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$638,872 for improvements at the Cape Girardeau, Mo., facility;
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$404,000 to renovate an Alzheimer's wing at the Scarborough, Mass., facility
For more information on any of these awards, please visit www.va.gov
Health Care News
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has posted on its Web site its first quarterly report that lists certain drugs that are being evaluated for potential safety issues. The list, "Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information" identifies drugs based on a review of reports in FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS).
The information is being provided under provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act, which was signed into law Sept. 27, 2007. The law requires that FDA inform the public each quarter of new safety information or potential signals of serious risk, based on the agency's review of adverse event reports contained in AERS.
The appearance of a drug on this list does not mean that FDA has concluded that the drug has the listed risk or that FDA has identified a causal relationship between the drug and the listed risk. It is on the list only because FDA has identified a potential safety issue.
This first quarterly report lists 20 drugs along with the potential safety issue associated with each drug. Each quarter, a new report will be posted to FDA's Web site listing additional drugs for which new safety information or potential signals of serious risks have been identified through AERS. The quarterly reports will not be cumulative. The new reports will list only drugs for which new safety information or potential signals of serious risks have been identified through AERS during the previous quarter.
A new quarterly report listing additional drugs for which new safety information or potential signals of serious risks have been identified through AERS will be posted to the FDA's Web site every three months. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01881.html
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded three grants, totaling approximately $3 million over three years, to help Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) reduce the costs of basic accreditation education and accreditation/reaccreditation surveys or site visits.
The total approximate amount for the grant award period, which ranges from one to three years, is $3 million. First-year funding totals nearly $1 million. The three awards are for up to almost $1 million the first year and are renewable for up to three years in all. Continuation of these awards is subject to availability of funds and progress achieved by awardees.
Grants were made to:
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The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. -- $435,000 in first-year funding to provide accreditation and re-accreditation services and education to more than 300 OTPs nationwide. Accreditation services include the provision of written and electronic materials to assist OTPs with accreditation preparation, surveys, accreditation decision reports and periodic performance reviews.
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The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation, Tucson, Ariz. -- $500,000 in first-year funding to continue to publish and maintain accreditation standards of quality; recruit, train and retain a cadre of experienced surveyors; conduct on-site accreditation surveys of OTPs to determine conformance to the commission’s standards and to provide consultation; and provide technical assistance, and regional training on standards and the accreditation process.
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The National Commission on Correctional Health Care, Chicago -- $39,500 in first-year funding to provide quality accreditation services that will help promote improved health access and services to incarcerated populations and will promote a plan for OTPs to be self-sufficient in maintaining their accreditation status. Quality of care and expansion of services will remain priorities among accredited OTPs.
For additional information about this grant and other SAMHSA programs, please visit www.samhsa.gov.
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According to the Washington Post, Revolution Health Network, the online health-care business launched by former AOL chairman Steve Case, is in discussions to merge with Everyday Health. This would join two of the three most-visited online health information networks.
Sources familiar with the discussions said that the merger was still in the negotiation stage and that Case's role had not been decided. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the companies had not authorized anyone to disclose details of the private talks.
Everyday Health is owned by New York-based Waterfront Media and provides consumers with online health and wellness information. It includes information from 20 nationally recognized specialists from leading medical institutions, a three-minute health check and condition-specific meal plans.
If the merger goes through, the combined company would be likely to eclipse the online traffic at WebMD, which has led the category for years.
In data released by Web-ratings firm ComScore, WebMD led the health information category with 17.3 million visitors in July. Waterfront was second with 14.7 million, and Revolution Health Network was third with 11.3 million monthly visitors.
ComScore said yesterday that the health information category had grown 21 percent during the past year, more than four times faster than the U.S. Internet audience as a whole.
Revolution Health Network is one of five health-related units in Case's Revolution Health Group. The other units are not part of the merger talks. The other companies include Redi-Clinic, Extend Health, BrainScope and SparkPeople.
Revolution Health Network has had two rounds of layoffs over the past year totaling more than 100 employees as the company reorganized operations following two acquisitions. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090902948_pf.html
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The Fogarty International Center, part of the National Institutes of Health, announced it will award $4.6 million over three years to expand its network of global health education programs to include 12 additional campuses in the United States, China and Mexico. The Framework Programs for Global Health aim to raise awareness of global health within the academic community and support development of new curricula and degree programs that cut across departments and schools to create a pipeline for the next generation of global health researchers.
Each site will receive approximately $400,000 over three years through the flexible program that encourages each institution to develop a structure and activities that best suit its existing strengths and research capabilities. The new awardees will join the existing network of 19 sites that have received Framework grants since the program's inception in 2005. Within these institutions, faculty from more than 17 different disciplines have participated including those from schools of medicine, public health, anthropology, law, engineering, environmental sciences, journalism, business and others.
2008 Framework Awards:
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Brown University, Providence, R.I. – will develop a global health program to offer students a set of foundation courses, intensive faculty mentoring and a foreign site experience.
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Duke University, Durham, N.C. – will establish an interdisciplinary master's degree program in global health that will promote the sharing of foreign field sites among the network's members, leveraging existing relationships and fostering new research collaborations abroad.
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Fudan University, Shanghai, China – will create a teaching network to address the country's persistently high rates of maternal and child mortality, reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
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Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. – will join with partners in India, Tanzania and Brazil to address various aspects of nutrition and its impact on health – both under-nutrition and the emergence of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in developing countries
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National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico – will form a global health training consortium with eight academic partners in North and South America focused on topics of critical importance such as infectious diseases, tobacco and nutrition
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Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. – will offer its students public health study abroad programs, in collaboration with partner institutions in Mexico, China, South Africa, Uganda and France.
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Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio – will include global health courses for college-preparatory students, a minor in global health for undergraduates and an interdisciplinary specialization for graduate students
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Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Ore. – will build on its strengths in environmental science, cancer and neuroscience.
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Tulane University, New Orleans – will expand its existing relationships with collaborating sites in Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Thailand, China and Mali
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University of California, San Francisco – will partner with colleagues at UC Berkeley to transform global health offerings in the Bay Area.
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University of Pittsburgh -- will integrate certificate programs from four participating schools -- public health, medicine, public and international affairs and law -- to prepare the next generation of scientists, physicians, policy makers and lawyers to tackle global health issues.
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University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas – will leverage its expertise in telemedicine.
In addition to Fogarty, the new awards are being supported by NIH partners including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
For more information, see the Web site for the Framework Program at: www.fic.nih.gov/programs/training_grants/framework/index.htm
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The American Hospital Association (AHA) published an advisory requesting all hospitals to start using three standardized colors for alert wristbands to improve patient safety. The colors, which have already been adopted in numerous states, include red for patient allergies, yellow for a fall risk and purple for “do not resuscitate” patient preferences.
To date, more than 25 state hospital associations have provided their hospitals with voluntary guidelines on standardized patient wristband colors. Caregivers working in states that have adopted the wristband colors have welcomed the standardization and have reported reduced confusion caused by the numerous previous variations, according to the AHA. http://www.aha.org/aha/advisory/2008/080904-quality-adv.pdf
Reserve/Guard
- The total number of Guard and Reserve currently on active duty has increased by 4,050 from the last report to 114,648. The totals for each service are Army National Guard and Army Reserve, 87,818; Navy Reserve, 5,619; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 12,466; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,007; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 738. www.defenselink.mil
Reports/Policies
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The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a summary of its workshop “Community Perspectives on Obesity Prevention in Children,” which was held in June 2008. This workshop featured site-leaders and evaluators representing different locally-based childhood obesity prevention programs. These participants are key stakeholders in community-led initiatives for obesity prevention. The workshop included a discussion about the challenges and promising approaches for evaluating and acting on complex policy and programmatic interventions to prevent obesity and its health consequences. http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/57911.aspx
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The Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs published a memorandum “Year 2009 Medical and Dental Officer Special Pay Plan,” on Sept. 3, 2008. The memorandum outlines the FY 2009 rates for medical officer special pay program. http://www.health.mil/Content/docs/pdfs/policies/2008/08-011.pdf
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The GAO published “Veterans Health Administration: Improvements Needed in Design of Controls over Miscellaneous Obligations,” (GAO-08-976) on Sept. 11, 2008. The report reviewed how VHA used miscellaneous obligations during fiscal year 2007; and whether Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policies and procedures were designed to provide adequate controls over their authorization and use. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08976.pdf
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The GAO published “Health Resources and Services Administration: Many Underserved Areas Lack a Health Center Site, and the Health Center Program Needs More Oversight.” (GAO-08-723) on Aug. 8, and released it Sept. 11, 2008. In this report, the GAO examined to what extent medically underserved areas (MUA) lacked health center sites in 2006 and 2007; and HRSA's oversight of training and TA cooperative agreement recipients' assistance to grant applicants and its provision of written feedback provided to unsuccessful applicants. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08723.pdf
Legislation
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H.R.6832 (introduced Sept. 9, 2008): To authorize major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2009, to extend certain authorities of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. The motion was postponed.
Sponsor: Representative Bob Filner [CA-51]
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S.3468 (introduced Sept. 10, 2008): A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to continue the ability of hospitals to supply a needed workforce of nurses and allied health professionals by preserving funding for hospital operated nursing and allied health education programs was referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sponsor: Senator Charles E. Schumer [NY]
Hill Hearings
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The House Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Sept. 18, 2008, to examine the effectiveness of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s training, performance management and accountability.
Meetings / Conferences
- The 3rd National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery will be held on Sept.15-17, 2008, in Tampa, Fla. http://www.fadaa.org/women/
- The Military Officers Association of America and the U.S. Naval Institute will hold a follow-up to last years Wounded Warrior Defense Forum on Sept. 17, 2008, in Washington D.C. http://www.usni.org/conferences/details.asp?id=23
- The 45th ARHP Annual Meeting: Reproductive Health 2008 will be held Sept. 17-20, 2008, in Washington D.C. http://www.arhp.org/conferences
- The AAFP Annual Scientific Assembly will be held Sept. 17-21, 2008, in San Diego, Calif. http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/cme/aafpcourses/conferences/assembly.html
- The Biometric Consortium Conference will be held Sept. 23-25, 2008, in Tampa, Fla. http://www.biometrics.org/BC2008/
- The HIMSS Electronic Prescribing Solutions Showcase will be held on Oct. 6-7, 2008, Boston, Mass. www.himss.com
- CMS will host National E-Prescribing Conference on Oct. 6-7, 2008, in Boston, Mass. http://www.epsilonregistration.com/er/EventHomePage/CustomPage.jsp?ActivityID=378&ItemID=1117
- HHS will host a Medical Identity Theft Town Hall on Oct. 15, 2008, in Washington D.C.? http://www.hhs.gov/healthit
- The 2008 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Exposition will be held on Oct. 25-29, 2008, in San Diego, Calif. http://www.apha.org/meetings/
- The Altered Standards of Care & Surge Capacity Training Conference will be held on Oct. 27-28, 2008, in Washington, D.C. http://www.governmenthorizons.org/SurgeCapacityConference
- The AAMC 2008 Annual Meeting will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 5, 2008, in San Antonio, Texas. www.aamc.org/annualmeeting
- The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) 114th Annual Meeting, Building the Next Generation: Collaborative Partnerships for the Future, will be held November 9-14, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.? http://www.amsus.org/convention/
- The DMAA: The Continuum Care Alliance's annual conference will be Nov. 23-25, 2008, in Hollywood, Fla. http://www.dmaa.org/
- The Third Annual NCQA Policy Conference will be held on Dec. 5, 2008, in Washington, D.C. http://www.ncqa.org/tabid/742/Default.aspx
- The 4th Annual World Healthcare Innovation & Technology Congress (WHIT 4.0) will be held on Dec. 8 11, 2008, in Washington, DC. http://www.worldcongress.com/events/HT08010/index.cfm?confCode=HT08010
- The 20th Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care will be held Dec. 8-11, 2008, in Nashville, Tenn. http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/ConferencesAndSeminars/20thNationalForumonQualityImprovement.htm
- The Annual Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Conference will be held on Dec. 10-12, 2008, in Atlanta, Ga. http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MCHEpi/2008/AboutConference.htm
- The 3rd Annual World Congress Leadership Summit on Healthcare Supply Chain Management will be held on Jan 21-22, 2008, In Las Vegas, Nev. http://www.worldcongress.com/events/HL09006/index.cfm?confCode=HL09006
- The National Conference on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control: Cultivating Healthy Communities will be held on Feb. 23-25, 2009, in Washington, D.C. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/conference/
- The 17th Annual Congress on Women's Health will be held on March 27-29, 2009, in Williamsburg, Va.http://www.bioconferences.com/conferences/WomensHealth/index.aspx
- The 6th Annual World Health Care Congress (WHCC) will be held on April 14-16, 2009, in Washington, D.C. http://www.worldcongress.com/whcc/
- The 12th World Congress on Public Health will be held on April 27 to May 1, 2009, in Istanbul, Turkey http://www.worldpublichealth2009.org/
- The first HIMSS Middle East conference will be held on May 12-14, 2009, in Manama, Bahrain.? http://www.himssme.org/09/
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