December 2014 Blogs
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
We hope you've enjoyed catching up with us in the last few days with all the blogs from the last few months. We were so busy with all the events, we got behind. Our New Year's resolution is to try to better keep up with the blogs! You can contact our Public Affairs office if you would like a better resolution copy of any photos, and also if you did not see a photo we took with you on the blog. We are working on a new Flickr site where it will be easier to access photos starting in 2015.
On behalf of the Indian Health Service, we hope you have had a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to working with you in the new year!
Here is a copy of our IHS Senior Staff holiday photo:
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Tribal Delegation Meetings
IHS held Tribal Delegation Meetings with the following Tribes in December: Smith River Rancheria, Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California, Wilton Rancheria, and the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association. Here are pictures from the meetings:
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Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting
The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee met in December. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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2014 White House Tribal Nations Conference
The 2014 White House Tribal Nations Conference was held December 3, 2014, at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C. IHS participated in the conference, including two breakout sessions involving behavioral health, access to healthcare, and the Affordable Care Act. If you have not heard the President's speech yet, please make sure you take time to do so. He talks about how his meeting with the Standing Rock youth moved him to direct the federal government to do more for Native youth, and he makes announcements about new initiatives. Here's the link to the speech, and here are pictures from the conference:
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IHS-Nike MOU Signing Ceremony
IHS held a signing ceremony for our updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nike USA, Inc., on December 2, 2014. The MOU will support collaborative efforts to improve the health and fitness of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Here are pictures from the ceremony and the press release from earlier this month.
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Standing Rock Youth Visit to Washington, D.C.
Youth from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe visited Washington, D.C., in November to meet with federal officials, including the President, as a follow up from their meeting with him during the President's trip to their reservation in June. The youth met with the President and the First Lady in the Oval Office, and had lunch with them on Capitol Hill. They met with other White House and Agency officials during their trip; attended events with NCAI, SAMHSA, and Let's Move in Indian Country interagency staff; and learned about health careers at George Washington University. Here are some pictures from the trip.
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Contract Support Costs Settlement Update
Here is the latest update on Contract Support Costs (CSC) settlements to date, compared to last November. We have made significant progress as of December 19, 2014, with 833 claims with settlements totaling $676 million. In addition, 1163 claims have offers extended, and 1298 claims have been analyzed or are in the process of being analyzed. Overall, 98% of claims have been analyzed or are in analysis; 88% of claims have had offers extended; and 63% of claims have been settled. I very much appreciate the hard work of our staff and the support of HHS in helping us make this huge progress during 2014. I also appreciate Tribes working with us to put these claims in the past.
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Tribal Delegation Meetings
IHS held Tribal Delegation Meetings in November with the Havasupai Indian Tribe and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Here are pictures from the meetings:
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NCUIH Leadership Conference
I attended the National Council on Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) Leadership Conference in November in Denver, Colorado. In addition to providing an IHS Update, we also held urban delegation meetings with all the programs. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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SAMHSA Native Youth Conference
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) held a Youth Conference in November at Gaylord National Harbor, MD. I participated in a federal panel and the youth participants asked us questions. The focus was on how to improve health and behavioral health issues for our communities and our youth. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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IHS Facilities Appropriations Advisory Board Meeting
The IHS Facilities Appropriation Advisory Board met in Sacramento, California, in August. Here is a picture from the meeting:
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2013 IHS National Director’s Awards Ceremony
IHS held the 2013 IHS National Director’s Awards Ceremony in Bethesda, Maryland, at the NIH Natcher Conference Center in November. Individuals and teams were awarded for outstanding performance during 2013. In addition, individuals and groups received Special Recognition Awards and Customer Service Awards. The 2014 award nomination forms will be available in January. Here are pictures from the ceremony:
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IHS Area Director Meeting
In November, IHS held a meeting with its Area Directors to discuss current issues and to review progress on IHS reforms. Here is a picture from the meeting:
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National Congress of American Indians Annual Conference
I attended the National Congress of American Indians Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, in October and provided an IHS update. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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Tribal Delegation Meetings
IHS held Tribal Delegation Meetings in October with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah, and the Santa Clara Pueblo. Here are pictures from the meetings:
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Direct Service Tribes Advisory Committee
The IHS Direct Service Tribes Advisory Committee held their quarterly meeting in October in Washington, D.C. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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Urban Delegation Meetings
IHS held its first urban delegation meetings under the new urban confer policy with the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic and with the National Council of Urban Indian Health. Here are pictures from these meetings:
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IHS Tribal Budget Summit
IHS and Tribes hosted a Budget Summit in October as a result of recommendations from Tribes. The purpose of the Summit was to review the budget formulation process and the budget context, and to make recommendations on how to better formulate the IHS budget. Presentations on the budget formulation process from federal, tribal, and academic officials helped update the audience on factors that impact development and enactment of the budget. Interactive sessions were held, and Tribes are putting together the recommendations. Overall it was a very positive, informative meeting, and IHS plans to hold another Budget Summit in 2015. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee
The IHS Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee held their quarterly meeting in Washington, D.C., in October. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellows
I met with this year’s group of Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellows and answered questions about the Indian Health Service. Here is a picture from the visit:
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Western Oregon Service Unit Site Visit
I visited the Western Oregon Service Unit in August, where they are doing an excellent job of improving access to quality healthcare for the patients and students they serve. Here are pictures from the site visit:
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September 2014 Tribal Delegation Meetings
IHS held Tribal Delegation Meetings with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in September. Here are pictures from those meetings:
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Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting
Secretary Burwell attended her first HHS Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee Meeting in September. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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IHS Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee
I attended the IHS Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee (TLDC) meeting held after the NIHB Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in September. I had the opportunity to thank Chairman Buford Rolin for his many years of service as the Chair of the TLDC. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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NIHB Annual Consumer Conference
I attended the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) Annual Consumer Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in September. I held a listening session right before the conference and provided an IHS update during the conference. Here are pictures from the conference:
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NICOA Conference
I attended the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in September. Here are pictures from the conference:
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IHS Great Plains Area Tribal Listening Session
I held a listening session with Tribes in the IHS Great Plains Area in September. Here are pictures from the session:
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Portland Area IHS Tribal Listening Session
I held a listening session with Tribes in the IHS Portland Area in August. Here is a picture from the meeting:
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IHS Information Systems Advisory Committee Meeting
I met via teleconference with the IHS Information Systems Advisory Committee during their meeting in August. Here are pictures from the meeting:
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Oklahoma City Area Tribal Listening Session
I held a listening session with Tribes in the IHS Oklahoma City Area in August. Here are pictures from the session:
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Administration for Community Living Tribal Consultation
I attended the Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging 2014 National Title VI Training and Technical Assistance Conference Tribal Consultation Session in August. Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee and I listened to recommendations on how to improve elder care and long-term services and supports, and heard concerns about many elder issues. Here are pictures from the session:
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Secretary Burwell Tribal Site Visit
HHS Secretary Burwell visited the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe in August and toured several programs, including the health clinic. She also met with several Portland Area tribal leaders in a listening session. Here are pictures from the visit:
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Affordable Care Act Update - Deadline Today
Please note that there are two important deadlines today related to the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment:
- If you purchased a health insurance plan through the Marketplace in 2014, you are encouraged to update your information by the end of today – including updating your income information and reviewing your coverage, as well as comparing it to other available plans, some of which may be new and better than your current coverage; or
- While open enrollment goes until February 15, 2015, if you want to purchase coverage that starts on January 1, 2015, you need to enroll by today.
Remember, if you are eligible for IHS but are not a member of a Tribe, your only chance to enroll is during the Open Enrollment period, which ends on February 15, 2015. Members of Tribes can enroll monthly even after Open Enrollment ends.
For more information, please go to www.healthcare.gov .
Notice of Proposed Rule-Making: Medicare-Like Rates
Today, a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) was published in the Federal Register to amend the current rule to apply Medicare payment methodology to all physician, other health care professional, and non-hospital based services that are authorized for purchase by the IHS and tribal Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) program or urban Indian health programs. Comments provided by Tribes during consultation in the last year provided overwhelming support for Medicare-Like Rates (MLR) for physician and non-hospital-based services similar to the current authorization for hospital-based services, and the Government Accountability Office has estimated that this could save IHS millions of dollars on referred care. The NPRM is seeking comment on how to establish reimbursement that is consistent across federal health care programs, aligns payment with inpatient services, and enables IHS to expand beneficiary access to medical care. It also is seeking comment on whether facilities should be allowed to negotiate a rate higher than the MLR in certain circumstances. Comments are due 45 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register. IHS plans to convene the PRC Tribal Workgroup to review the proposed rule during the comment period, and encourages Tribes to comment. Here is a fact sheet [PDF - 45K] on the NPRM, and the Federal Register notice can be found here .
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