Wednesday, July 10, 2013
DOD REVIEWING POW/MIA OPERATIONS COMMAND
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Department to Review POW/MIA Command Operations
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 9, 2013 - The Defense Department has a sacred obligation to recover missing service members, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters today at a news conference.
An internal review conducted by the office charged with that mission -- the Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command -- has raised concerns within DOD, Little said.
The results of the internal review are now with the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy, which has oversight over the recovery mission. Recent news reports have described organizational problems within the command.
"Sometimes media reports raise attention in ... a department of 3 million people," Little said. "It certainly sometimes helps to have press stories shed light on issues that are out there."
The office of the undersecretary of defense for policy will begin a review of JPAC operations and the issues described in the internal review soon, he said.
"It's the prudent thing to do, if concerns haven't been raised to the appropriate levels, to take a second look and to ensure that we're performing this very important mission to the best of our ability," Little said.
"We're going to review the concerns raised in the report to see how JPAC is or isn't functioning well," he said. "And if steps need to be taken to remedy what's happening inside JPAC, then we'll take action."
Defense Department to Review POW/MIA Command Operations
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 9, 2013 - The Defense Department has a sacred obligation to recover missing service members, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters today at a news conference.
An internal review conducted by the office charged with that mission -- the Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command -- has raised concerns within DOD, Little said.
The results of the internal review are now with the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy, which has oversight over the recovery mission. Recent news reports have described organizational problems within the command.
"Sometimes media reports raise attention in ... a department of 3 million people," Little said. "It certainly sometimes helps to have press stories shed light on issues that are out there."
The office of the undersecretary of defense for policy will begin a review of JPAC operations and the issues described in the internal review soon, he said.
"It's the prudent thing to do, if concerns haven't been raised to the appropriate levels, to take a second look and to ensure that we're performing this very important mission to the best of our ability," Little said.
"We're going to review the concerns raised in the report to see how JPAC is or isn't functioning well," he said. "And if steps need to be taken to remedy what's happening inside JPAC, then we'll take action."
ASTRONAUTS CHECK OUT ORION CREW MODULE
Stepping into the Orion Crew Module
NASA astronauts Cady Coleman and Ricky Arnold step into the Orion crew module hatch during a series of spacesuit check tests conducted on June 13, 2013 at the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Orion crew module will serve as both transport and a home to astronauts during future long-duration missions to an asteroid, Mars and other destinations throughout our solar system. Image-Credit- NASA-Bill Stafford
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
HURRICANE SANDY FEDERAL ASSISTANCE AT $5.3 BILLION
FROM: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
New Jersey Recovery From Superstorm Sandy: By The Numbers
Release date:
July 9, 2013
Release Number:
4086-181
TRENTON, N.J. -- Disaster assistance to New Jersey survivors of Superstorm Sandy by the numbers as of July 8:
Total Federal Assistance: $5.3 billion
$3.5 billion in total National Flood Insurance Program payments made on claims to date
$403.3 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households
$351 million for housing assistance
$56.6 million for other needs
$802 in SBA disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters and businesses
$650.5 million approved in FEMA Public Assistance grants to state agencies,
local communities and certain private nonprofit organizations that serve the public
261,817 people registered with FEMA for assistance
126,797 housing inspections completed
New Jersey Recovery From Superstorm Sandy: By The Numbers
Release date:
July 9, 2013
Release Number:
4086-181
TRENTON, N.J. -- Disaster assistance to New Jersey survivors of Superstorm Sandy by the numbers as of July 8:
Total Federal Assistance: $5.3 billion
$3.5 billion in total National Flood Insurance Program payments made on claims to date
$403.3 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households
$351 million for housing assistance
$56.6 million for other needs
$802 in SBA disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters and businesses
$650.5 million approved in FEMA Public Assistance grants to state agencies,
local communities and certain private nonprofit organizations that serve the public
261,817 people registered with FEMA for assistance
126,797 housing inspections completed
TO REDEFINE MILITARY HEALTHCARE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Fort Belvoir Hospital Aims to Redefine Military Healthcare
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
FORT BELVOIR, Va., July 8, 2013 - When the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital opened its doors in August 2011, it represented a long list of "firsts." It was the nation's newest, most technologically advanced military treatment facility, the first one to receive gold-level LEED "green" construction certification, and one of just two joint hospitals in the Military Health System
Less than two years later, the staff at the Defense Department's newest treatment facility is implementing another first: an ambitious new strategy that its commander hopes will help redefine military healthcare.
One of the most striking things about the gleaming new hospital is that despite its 1.3-million-square foot footprint, it has only 120 inpatient beds. Most of the facility is built around 440 examination rooms and 55 clinics that concentrate on outpatient care and preventive medicine, Army Col. Chuck Callahan, the hospital commander, told American Forces Press Service.
"The outpatient arena is where healthcare takes place in 2013," he said. "Good healthcare is focused on prevention, which means you don't need to get hospitalized."
With that goal in mind, the hospital staff is working to keep patients healthy and, when they need medical care, to make it the most positive experience possible.
This is the foundation of the new strategy Callahan began rolling out last year. Tapping the hospital staff and patients directly, he incorporated almost 700 of their suggestions into a plan designed to improve the care provided.
"This strategy we have embraced really belongs to the staff and patients of the organization, and we are now in the process of beginning to implement them," Callahan said.
Early indications are positive, he said. Making appointments is easier than ever before. Parking is convenient. The facility itself is inviting. And most important of all, Callahan said, everything about the hospital operation is focused directly on patients and their families.
People who have tried to see a doctor when they are sick probably know the pitfalls of a reactionary healthcare system. Getting squeezed in for a same-day appointment can be difficult, at best. If a condition requires a visit with a specialist, that draws treatment out even longer and often requires multiple appointments.
"The notion of patient- and family-centered care means we look at the way care is delivered from the perspective of the patient, both individually and as a population," Callahan said. It's a proactive approach that boils down to "'What health care do you need and how do we provide it to you?' rather than the opposite, 'Here is what we have and sorry if it is not what you need,'" he said.
The centerpiece of this model is an ongoing relationship between patients and their providers.
Patients are assigned to a "medical home" -- a team of doctors, nurses and specialists who oversee their care. "This is a group that puts their arms around that group of patients and manages their health -- not just treats their disease," Callahan said.
As a result, patients know who to call when they have health issues or questions. When they need to make an appointment, they can feel confident that they'll get one, and be seen by providers who know their conditions and medical histories.
Patients with complex medical issues also have ready access to the "medical neighborhood" within the hospital, Callahan said. No longer do they need to schedule multiple visits with a series of specialists who may never communicate with each other. Instead, providers from across the "neighborhood" coordinate through medical home to provide interdisciplinary care.
"That's all the providers, plus the patient and family, in the same room, talking through the treatment and management plan," Callahan said. "It's the model we are evolving as a hospital."
The facility itself incorporates what Callahan called "evidence-based design" that supports healing. Design decisions were made to be therapeutic, incorporating natural light, outside views, healing gardens and pavilions inspired by nature: Eagle, River, Sunrise, Oak and Meadow.
Sections of the hospital are color-coded so visitors can quickly get their bearings. All in-patient rooms have just one bed, and a pull-out sofa that family members can sleep on. The design team tapped the Disney Corporation's concepts of "on-stage" versus "off-stage" operations, relegating non-medical services to back hallways or non-prime hours.
While improving access to care when patients are sick and making the hospital experience as positive as possible are major goals of the new strategy, a foundation of the medical home concept is taking care of patients when they are healthy, Callahan said.
Instead of waiting for patients to call, he said, providers reach out to initiate required tests and procedures. They also rely heavily on social media and a secure Internet-based messaging system to answer patients' health-related questions and provide healthcare information aimed at promoting health and well-being.
"The focus is on managing the patients so they get what they need and what they don't even know that they need," Callahan said. "It's not just a matter of 'What are you here for today?'
The goal is to keep you out of the hospital and keep you healthy. That's much better than waiting until you are sick."
Making these investments up front changes the paradigm in delivering healthcare, creating healthier beneficiaries and improving their quality of life, Callahan said.
As the Defense Department struggles with tough budget choices amidst skyrocketing medical costs, this proactive approach makes financial sense, he added.
"Treatment of disease is almost always more expensive than screening for and preventing disease. Almost always," Callahan said. "So we are making the investment up front. As we move toward health and well-being, we are not only providing better healthcare to our beneficiaries. We are also going a long way toward saving healthcare costs in the long run."
Callahan said he expects the new strategy to be fully in place within the next five years, but emphasized that he doesn't anticipate a point where the staff will ever fully declare "mission accomplished."
"Performance improvement is a journey. It is not a destination," he said "Getting better as an organization is a journey, so we are going to continue to evolve our strategy to adapt to healthcare changes and better ways to provide for our patients.
"So there is never going to be a point of 'arriving,'" he said. "In terms of healthcare, there will always be traveling."
Fort Belvoir Hospital Aims to Redefine Military Healthcare
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
FORT BELVOIR, Va., July 8, 2013 - When the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital opened its doors in August 2011, it represented a long list of "firsts." It was the nation's newest, most technologically advanced military treatment facility, the first one to receive gold-level LEED "green" construction certification, and one of just two joint hospitals in the Military Health System
Less than two years later, the staff at the Defense Department's newest treatment facility is implementing another first: an ambitious new strategy that its commander hopes will help redefine military healthcare.
One of the most striking things about the gleaming new hospital is that despite its 1.3-million-square foot footprint, it has only 120 inpatient beds. Most of the facility is built around 440 examination rooms and 55 clinics that concentrate on outpatient care and preventive medicine, Army Col. Chuck Callahan, the hospital commander, told American Forces Press Service.
"The outpatient arena is where healthcare takes place in 2013," he said. "Good healthcare is focused on prevention, which means you don't need to get hospitalized."
With that goal in mind, the hospital staff is working to keep patients healthy and, when they need medical care, to make it the most positive experience possible.
This is the foundation of the new strategy Callahan began rolling out last year. Tapping the hospital staff and patients directly, he incorporated almost 700 of their suggestions into a plan designed to improve the care provided.
"This strategy we have embraced really belongs to the staff and patients of the organization, and we are now in the process of beginning to implement them," Callahan said.
Early indications are positive, he said. Making appointments is easier than ever before. Parking is convenient. The facility itself is inviting. And most important of all, Callahan said, everything about the hospital operation is focused directly on patients and their families.
People who have tried to see a doctor when they are sick probably know the pitfalls of a reactionary healthcare system. Getting squeezed in for a same-day appointment can be difficult, at best. If a condition requires a visit with a specialist, that draws treatment out even longer and often requires multiple appointments.
"The notion of patient- and family-centered care means we look at the way care is delivered from the perspective of the patient, both individually and as a population," Callahan said. It's a proactive approach that boils down to "'What health care do you need and how do we provide it to you?' rather than the opposite, 'Here is what we have and sorry if it is not what you need,'" he said.
The centerpiece of this model is an ongoing relationship between patients and their providers.
Patients are assigned to a "medical home" -- a team of doctors, nurses and specialists who oversee their care. "This is a group that puts their arms around that group of patients and manages their health -- not just treats their disease," Callahan said.
As a result, patients know who to call when they have health issues or questions. When they need to make an appointment, they can feel confident that they'll get one, and be seen by providers who know their conditions and medical histories.
Patients with complex medical issues also have ready access to the "medical neighborhood" within the hospital, Callahan said. No longer do they need to schedule multiple visits with a series of specialists who may never communicate with each other. Instead, providers from across the "neighborhood" coordinate through medical home to provide interdisciplinary care.
"That's all the providers, plus the patient and family, in the same room, talking through the treatment and management plan," Callahan said. "It's the model we are evolving as a hospital."
The facility itself incorporates what Callahan called "evidence-based design" that supports healing. Design decisions were made to be therapeutic, incorporating natural light, outside views, healing gardens and pavilions inspired by nature: Eagle, River, Sunrise, Oak and Meadow.
Sections of the hospital are color-coded so visitors can quickly get their bearings. All in-patient rooms have just one bed, and a pull-out sofa that family members can sleep on. The design team tapped the Disney Corporation's concepts of "on-stage" versus "off-stage" operations, relegating non-medical services to back hallways or non-prime hours.
While improving access to care when patients are sick and making the hospital experience as positive as possible are major goals of the new strategy, a foundation of the medical home concept is taking care of patients when they are healthy, Callahan said.
Instead of waiting for patients to call, he said, providers reach out to initiate required tests and procedures. They also rely heavily on social media and a secure Internet-based messaging system to answer patients' health-related questions and provide healthcare information aimed at promoting health and well-being.
"The focus is on managing the patients so they get what they need and what they don't even know that they need," Callahan said. "It's not just a matter of 'What are you here for today?'
The goal is to keep you out of the hospital and keep you healthy. That's much better than waiting until you are sick."
Making these investments up front changes the paradigm in delivering healthcare, creating healthier beneficiaries and improving their quality of life, Callahan said.
As the Defense Department struggles with tough budget choices amidst skyrocketing medical costs, this proactive approach makes financial sense, he added.
"Treatment of disease is almost always more expensive than screening for and preventing disease. Almost always," Callahan said. "So we are making the investment up front. As we move toward health and well-being, we are not only providing better healthcare to our beneficiaries. We are also going a long way toward saving healthcare costs in the long run."
Callahan said he expects the new strategy to be fully in place within the next five years, but emphasized that he doesn't anticipate a point where the staff will ever fully declare "mission accomplished."
"Performance improvement is a journey. It is not a destination," he said "Getting better as an organization is a journey, so we are going to continue to evolve our strategy to adapt to healthcare changes and better ways to provide for our patients.
"So there is never going to be a point of 'arriving,'" he said. "In terms of healthcare, there will always be traveling."
U.S. MARINES-GEORGIAN SOLDIERS CONDUCT OPERATION NORTHERN LION II
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey taxis before transporting U.S. Marines and Georgian soldiers conducting operation Northern Lion II on Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand province, July 3, 2013. The aircraft crew is assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alejandro Pena
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey crew chief provides security while transporting U.S. Marines and Georgian soldiers during operation Northern Lion II on Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand province, July 3, 2013. The crew chief is assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alejandro Pena.
Monday, July 8, 2013
COMPANY TO PAY $14.5 MILLION TO SETTLE OVERBILLING ALLEGATIONS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Tacoma, Wash., Medical Firm to Pay $14.5 Million to Settle Overbilling Allegations
Bills Claimed Higher Level of Service Than Was Documented
Sound Inpatient Physicians Inc. will pay $14.5 million to settle allegations that it overbilled Medicare and other federal health care programs, the Justice Department announced today. Sound Physicians is a Tacoma, Wash.-based provider of hospitalists and other physicians to hospitals and other medical facilities. It employs more than 700 hospitalists and post-acute physicians, who provide services at 70 hospitals and a growing network of post-acute facilities in 22 states.
"Physicians who participate in Medicare and other federal health care programs must document and bill for their services accurately and honestly," said Stuart F. Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. "The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that Medicare and other federal funds are expended appropriately."
Today’s settlement addresses allegations that, between 2004 and 2012, Sound Physicians knowingly submitted to federal health benefits programs inflated claims on behalf of its hospitalist employees for higher and more expensive levels of service than were documented by hospitalists in patient medical records. Hospitalists are physicians, typically trained in internal medicine, who provide care exclusively to hospital inpatients and have no office or outpatient practice.
"Fraudulently inflated billing of government health care programs puts those programs at risk, and impacts the system’s ability to care for the neediest in our communities," said Jenny A. Durkan, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. "During this time of tight government budgets, we will do all we can to make sure everyone plays by the rules and does not run up the taxpayers’ tab."
Allegations that Sound Physicians had improperly billed a variety of federal health care programs were brought to the government’s attention through a lawsuit filed by a former Sound Physicians employee, Craig Thomas, under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. The act allows private citizens to bring civil actions on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Thomas will receive $2.7 million of the $14.5 million settlement for exposing Sound Physicians’ inflated claims.
This civil settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $14.7 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $10.7 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.
The Sound Physicians settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington; the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General; the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office of Inspector General; and the TRICARE Management Activity Office of General Counsel.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Tacoma, Wash., Medical Firm to Pay $14.5 Million to Settle Overbilling Allegations
Bills Claimed Higher Level of Service Than Was Documented
Sound Inpatient Physicians Inc. will pay $14.5 million to settle allegations that it overbilled Medicare and other federal health care programs, the Justice Department announced today. Sound Physicians is a Tacoma, Wash.-based provider of hospitalists and other physicians to hospitals and other medical facilities. It employs more than 700 hospitalists and post-acute physicians, who provide services at 70 hospitals and a growing network of post-acute facilities in 22 states.
"Physicians who participate in Medicare and other federal health care programs must document and bill for their services accurately and honestly," said Stuart F. Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. "The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that Medicare and other federal funds are expended appropriately."
Today’s settlement addresses allegations that, between 2004 and 2012, Sound Physicians knowingly submitted to federal health benefits programs inflated claims on behalf of its hospitalist employees for higher and more expensive levels of service than were documented by hospitalists in patient medical records. Hospitalists are physicians, typically trained in internal medicine, who provide care exclusively to hospital inpatients and have no office or outpatient practice.
"Fraudulently inflated billing of government health care programs puts those programs at risk, and impacts the system’s ability to care for the neediest in our communities," said Jenny A. Durkan, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. "During this time of tight government budgets, we will do all we can to make sure everyone plays by the rules and does not run up the taxpayers’ tab."
Allegations that Sound Physicians had improperly billed a variety of federal health care programs were brought to the government’s attention through a lawsuit filed by a former Sound Physicians employee, Craig Thomas, under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. The act allows private citizens to bring civil actions on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Thomas will receive $2.7 million of the $14.5 million settlement for exposing Sound Physicians’ inflated claims.
This civil settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $14.7 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $10.7 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.
The Sound Physicians settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington; the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General; the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office of Inspector General; and the TRICARE Management Activity Office of General Counsel.
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