News
TTAG Releases Draft Strategic Plan
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to share their draft for a revised American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Strategic Plan for CMS for the period 2013‐2018.
This is the third AI/AN Strategic Plan for CMS that the Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) has prepared. The previous plans were issued in 2004 and 2009. It is urgent that the plan is updated because there has been legislation that has resulted in policy and regulatory changes since the last plan was issued, which will significantly impact AI/ANs’ access to health care and the Indian health care delivery system. These changes include the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, which also permanently authorized the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA).
The draft plan has goals, objectives, tasks, and budgets organized around the five themes of Tribal consultation, Policy Development, Long Term Care, Outreach and Enrollment, and Data. The Plan requests significant increases in CMS funding for AI/AN initiatives over the 5‐year period.
In addition to providing a roadmap for CMS, the plan is informative and useful, particularly Appendix B, which provides an updated summary of the "Legal Basis for Special CMS Provisions for American Indians and Alaska Natives."
The TTAG would like to hear from you about this plan before we finalize this draft and send it to CMS. Please send your comments to Elizabeth Heintzman via email lheintzman@nihb.org no later than October 30, 2012. Our intention is to complete the plan with your input by the end of the year.
A Word version of the Plan is available HERE, in which you can use to make red edits of your recommendations.
Also, visit the TTAG website HERE.
OMB Sequestration Report Released: Significant Impact on Indian Health Service
On September 14, 2012, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued its Sequestration report. As noted in the report, many of the federal health programs and services provided to and accessed by American Indians and Alaska Natives will experience significant cuts if sequestration goes into effect in 2013. In particular, the Indian Health Service’s discretionary accounts for services and facilities will be subject to an 8.2% across-the-board cut, which is quite different from what many originally understood and reported, and the IHS mandatory account of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians is subject to a 2% cut. The report notes that the 2% limit, as provided for the Indian Health Service’s services and facilities accounts under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, applies “only for a discretionary cap sequestration and such accounts are fully sequestrable under a Joint Committee sequestration.” This means that nearly the entire Indian Health Service’s budget is subject to an 8.2% cut, and the total estimated automatic cut to the IHS budget is $356 million in Fiscal Year 2013.
OMB Sequestration Report (PDF)
NIHB MILESTONE 1 COMPLETED
2,700 HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS SIGN‐UP IN INDIAN COUNTRYWashington, DC September 17, 2012 – The National Indian Health Board has completed Milestone 1 for Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records as mandated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
NIHB Submits Statement on the Special Diabetes Program for Indians
August 24, 2012
On August 22, the National Indian Health Board submitted an official statement to the Senate Finance Committee in response to the August 8th Field Hearing at Crow Agency, MT, titled: Healing in Indian Country: Ensuring Access to Quality Health Care. The purpose of the Field Hearing was to address accessing quality health care in Indian Country. In addition to the tribal testimony provided at the Field Hearing, the statement highlights two additional recommendations: Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) reauthorization and protection of the Indian Health Service budget through any cuts enacted through the sequestration process next January. The SDPI statement will be posted on the Senate Finance Committee website in the coming months as it becomes a part of the official record.
NIHB Field Hearing Statement on SDPI 8.22.12 (PDF)
Today, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services announced the final rule for Stage 2 of meaningful use in the EHR Incentive Payments Program and ONC announced the standards and certification criteria final rule!
To continue positioning yourselves as a trusted advisor, it is important for you to announce this milestone to your stakeholders as soon as possible. Your timely communication reinforces your connection to the federal agencies that make these impactful determinations.
To quickly push out the announcement, utilize the attached template email and below tweets.
Stage 2 Final Rule released on CMS website:
CMS announces new Stage 2 meaningful use rule for #EHRs.
Read more (PDF).
ONC Final Rule released Standards & Certification Criteria (Health Information Technology: Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology, 2014 Edition; Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology): ONC announces new Stage 2 meaningful use rule for #EHRs. Read more (PDF).
CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs: Stage 2 Final Rule (PDF)
ONC Fact Sheet: 2014 Edition Standards & Certification Criteria (S&CC) Final Rule (PDF)
HHS announces next steps to promote use of electronic health records and health information exchange
August 23, 2012
Today, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the next steps in the Obama administration’s work to help doctors and hospitals use electronic health records.
“The changes we’re announcing today will lead to more coordination of patient care, reduced medical errors, elimination of duplicate screenings and tests and greater patient engagement in their own care,” Secretary Sebelius said.
IHS Tribal Consultation Update
The final agenda for the IHS Tribal Consultation Summit being held in Denver, CO on August 7-8, 2012, can be located on the IHS Director’s Blog. Click here to for the final agenda.
Also posted on the Director’s Blog were several new Dear Tribal Leader (DTL) letters providing updates on consultation activities that the DTL letters have initiated a few new consultations. IHS has also developed a summary of all consultation activities initiated since June 2009 with brief updates on their status and outcomes. Click here to view those updates.
Please note that if the letter does not state a deadline for comments, then IHS requests comments be submitted within 60 days from the date of the letter. Comments are should be addressed to Dr. Yvette Roubideaux at IHS Headquarters in Rockville, MD, or by email to consultation@ihs.gov.
CDC Orientation for New Health Officials
October 15–17, 2012
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support is pleased to inform you about the upcoming CDC Orientation for New Health Officials, October 15–17, 2012. The orientation will be held at CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
NIHB Launches New SDPI Resource Center
July 3, 2012
The Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) is set to expire September 2013 unless Congress takes action to renew the program. And, as in past renewal campaigns, it is critical for Congress to renew the program as soon as possible to avoid disruption in programs and staff. That means we must all work together – in this difficult budget and political climate – to convince Congress to RENEW SDPI THIS YEAR. And it will take all of us working together and sharing information.
That is why NIHB has created a new resource to share information and new tools to make it easy for you and your communities to get involved. Today, we are happy to announce the launch of our new NIHB SDPI Resource Center! Click Here to visit this new site and to start using this valuable tool.
This website will contain up to date information on the status of the renewal campaign in Congress; materials created by grantees and tribes that showcase successes and personal stories, state specific information, and a new tool – a Congressional Tracker – that will give you current information on your Member of Congress relevant to the SDPI renewal campaign.
It’s Official! Indian Health Care Improvement Act Permanent! Affordable Care Act Stands!
NIHB Celebrates the Supreme Court’s Health Reform Decision
June 28, 2012
In today’s landmark decision of National Federation of Independent Business et al. vs. Sebelius, the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and affirms the permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) included in the ACA. Now, with this important Supreme Court decision regarding the ACA with it permanent reauthorization of the IHCIA, the Indian health care system can begin a new chapter in the delivery of quality health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives. NIHB will continue to fight to protect the ACA and the continuous improvement of health care for American Indians and Alaska Natives...
U.S. Supreme Court rules for the Tribes in the Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, Contract Support Cost (CSC) Case
On Monday, June 18th the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government must fully reimburse the Ramah Navajo Chapter and other Native American tribes for millions of dollars they spent on federal programs. The federal government had agreed to pay contract support costs to tribes that entered into agreements to manage federal programs, but Congress capped the amount of money earmarked for that reimbursement. The tribes sued, and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver and said the money must be fully reimbursed. “Consistent with longstanding principles of government contracting law, we hold that the government must pay each tribe’s contract support costs in full,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the majority. The U.S. Congress has long been keen to the funding issues that plague tribes, but it has never taken legislation actions for an appropriation solution. The high court now states that the executive branch must now make up the difference.
Attached below are both the April 18, 2012 Oral Argument transcript and the June 18, 2012 Decision of the Court.
Click here to view the Oral Argument.
Click here to view the Decision of the Court.
NIHB Submits Comments on Federally Facilitated Exchange (FFE)
On May 16th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance documents to advance the implementation of Insurance Exchange under the Affordable Care Act. One of these documents addressed the federally facilitated exchange. If a state decides not to operate an exchange, HHS will operate a federally facilitated exchange (FFE) in that state. This guidance describes how HHS will consult with stakeholders to implement a federally facilitated exchange, how states can collaborate with HHS through a state partnership exchange to implement certain functions of this exchange, and key policies for the exchange. Through the work of the MMPC, NIHB submitted comments regarding the FFE to the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday, June 18th.
Click here to read the comments.
NIHB Submits Comments on IHS-VA Draft Agreement Summary
On April 4, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) submitted comments to the Indian Health Service (IHS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding the agencies’ draft agreement for reimbursement for direct health care services.
Click here to read the comments
TRIBAL INTEREST IN SUPREME COURT HEALTH REFORM CASE
NIHB, and Tribes, Make the Case to Protect Indian-Specific Provisions
With 449 Tribes and Tribal organizations from across the nation, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) filed an amicus brief to protect the permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) and other Indian-specific provisions included in the ACA in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) case in the United States Supreme Court...
Read More
NIHB Celebrates the 2nd Anniversary of Health Care Reform
Click Here for more information (PDF)
February 10, 2012 -
NIHB Co-Hosts a Tribal and State Health Collaborative Roundtable
February 3, 2012 - Atlanta, GA
On February 3, 2012, a Tribal and State Health Collaborative Roundtable was hosted by ASTHO, the National Indian Health Board, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, and the Centers for Disease Control at the Marriott Century Center in Atlanta, GA. The meeting began with dinner at 6pm on Thursday, February 2nd and ended at 3pm on Friday, February 3rd. The purpose of this meeting was to assemble state and tribal health leaders to identify opportunities to improve state health and Medicaid agencies’ collaboration with tribal health leaders and to discuss pertinent issues in regard to public health programming, federal funding, and strategic relationships. Preliminary steps were taken to develop an action plan for on-going work among states, tribes, CDC and Center for Medicare and Medicaid. Based on discussions and work at this meeting, a primer will be developed to promote enhanced communication between new State Health Officers and Tribal Leaders and enhance collective understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
February 9, 2012 -
NIHB Participates in Drafting a Consensus Statement for the Internal Revenue Service’s Community Health Needs Assessment for Tax-exempt Hospitals
NIHB participated in the ASTHO Community Benefits Consensus Statement Meeting on February 6, 2012. The purpose of this meeting was to convene stakeholders to create a consensus statement to inform the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and non-profit hospitals on specific state and local public health expertise and inputs for community health needs assessments. NIHB attended the meeting on behalf of all federally recognized Tribes who may be running 501(c)(3) hospitals in Indian Country to ensure that AI/AN input was provided.
Meeting objectives included:- Identify key principals of consensus
- Identify specific parameters to assure true engagement of public health experts in IRS required CHNA
- Agree on common definitions which will be core guiding consensus recommendations
- Identify current collaborations and opportunities among non-profit hospital for local and state health agencies to support of community health needs assessments
- Identify next steps for stakeholders in addressing the role of public health in collaborating with hospitals conducting community health needs assessments, including a concept outlines and possible tools for departments of health and hospitals on leveraging public health
NIHB has since sent out information on the pending policy changes to Tribal leaders and health organizations potentially impacted. Please contact Paul Allis, Senior Public Health Manager at pallis@nihb.org for any questions or comments. The deadline for comments included in the draft consensus statement are due to ASTHO on February 9, 2012.
Events
Southwest American Indian RAINBOW Gathering – Circle of Diversity
October 19-20, 2012, Phoenix College
The Gathering provides community resources, benefit services, current updates and networking opportunities with healthcare providers and community organizations serving the Native American LGBTQ community. Several events are currently in the planning process and include a youth- focused event on October 20, 2012 from 9AM to 2PM with presentations on topics that target LGBTQ Youth and end with a Native American LGTBQ Youth Panel.
For more information, please contact:
Kimberly Yellow Robe
(866)964-1941 ext. 14050
Planning Committee Co-Chair
NIHB Focus Areas
Click links above
Announcements
2012 Tribal Public Health Summit Materials Now Available!