CMS News: All Tribes Calls

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Posted on September 23, 2017 in News

The All Tribes Calls and Webinars are sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Division of Tribal Affairs (DTA). All Tribes Calls and Webinars provide an opportunity for CMS to solicit input from Indian Health Services (IHS), tribal, and urban programs (I/T/U) on the implementation of or changes to CMS legislative and regulatory provisions impacting AI/AN beneficiaries in the operation of IHS, or Indian health programs in the Indian health program delivery system. The topics for the calls will be identified and developed as the Affordable Care Act is implemented and information will be presented by subject matter experts using cleared materials. Please plan to call in approximately fifteen minutes prior to the call and identify yourself by name and tribe. There will be limited lines available so to the extent possible, please share a phone line.

The CMS calls are not considered consultation but rather technical listening. The purpose of the calls is to solicit input from IHS, Tribal, and urban programs on how the provision impacts AI/AN beneficiaries and the operation of the Indian health program delivery system. After each call, CMS will make available a summary of the provision or provisions discussed and the major issues and questions asked on the call. These summaries will be posted in the download section below. In addition, DTA has established a mailbox for participants on the calls to submit additional questions, feedback, and suggestions for future topics to be discussed on the calls. That mailbox is tribalaffairs@cms.hhs.gov.

CMS Trainings

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to helping the Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Programs to maximize their ability to access third party resources. To meet this objective, CMS, in partnership with the States, the Veterans Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the IHS, provides training to patient benefits advocates on the programs and benefits available through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

The target audience for the CMS ITU trainings is:

Business Office staff
Benefits Coordinators
Patient Registration staff
Medical Records staff
Contract Health Services staff

Once registration is open, the link to register can be accessed at: http://www.cmsitutrainings.com

Tribal Consultations

The United States recognizes Indian tribes as sovereign nations. This unique government-to-government relationship between the tribes and the federal government is grounded in:

The U.S. Constitution
Treaties
Statutes
Federal case law
Regulations
Executive orders

Executive Order 13175 requires federal agencies to engage in meaningful consultation with tribes. States are also held to certain requirements in their relationships with tribes.

To share information about effective state-tribal consultation on healthcare, CMS conducted guided discussions in Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. These states possess CMS-approved State Plan Amendments and established histories of successful consultation practices. State and tribal participants in Medicaid and CHIP consultations identified the strengths and weaknesses of current consultation processes in each location.

State-Tribal Consultations: A Summary of Best Practices (PDF)
Best Practices in State-Tribal Consultations: Findings from Minnesota (PDF)
Best Practices in State-Tribal Consultations: Findings from Oregon (PDF)
Best Practices in State-Tribal Consultations: Findings from Washington (PDF)

New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) – A Tale of Two Epidemics: HCV Treatment among Native Americans and Veterans

Jessica Leston, M.P.H. and Brigg Reilley, M.P.H., N Engl J Med 2017; 377:801-803. August 31, 2017 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1705991

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