Kathleen Sanford

When Medicare Advantage executives seek to better understand the veterans in their population, I have often encountered confusion between TRICARE and VA Healthcare. Generally speaking, for a Veteran to be on TRICARE for Life, that veteran needs to have been retired from the military (either due to length of service or service connected disability). To qualify for care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, a veteran needs to meet the requirements of 1 of the 8 priority groups (link below). TRICARE for Life functions as wrap-around coverage for veterans with Medicare. On the other hand, VA Health is not designed to coordinate with Medicare and, at least for Medicare recipients, often functions as a fully siloed system. This is particularly challenging because veterans with both VA and MA are very prevalent (about 8% of the overall MA population is enrolled in VA Healthcare). Now, more than ever, it is crucial for Medicare Advantage plans to understand who the veterans they serve are, and what other care they might be receiving. If you don't have a plan to capture VA Healthcare for your veterans, you are missing out on everything from Stars gap closure opportunities, to risk adjusted revenue, to clinical care coordination opportunities. BeneLynk can help. Drop me a note if you want to chat. https://lnkd.in/eKR7v76u

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Honoring the Legacy of Chad Epps One of the current initiatives being supported by the SSH Fund is the Chad Epps Keynote Lecture at IMSH. $5,000 is being directed toward the endowment. Learn more: sshfund.org #healthcare #simulation #patientsafety

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Addressing the Knowledge Gap in Civilian Healthcare for Post-9/11 Veterans is key educational pillar within HunterSeven Foundation Recent findings underscore that many civilian providers lack essential knowledge in critical areas such as war-related illnesses, traumatic brain injuries, and the psychological impacts of military service. This deficiency not only places veterans at risk of misdiagnosis and delayed treatment but also exposes them to the dangers of anchoring bias—where providers may prematurely fixate on mental health diagnoses, overlooking severe physical health concerns like cancers linked to military exposures. As the veteran population grows, the need for evidence-based, culturally competent healthcare becomes more urgent. It’s time to bridge this knowledge gap by integrating comprehensive military health education into civilian healthcare training and practice. While the mental health burden experienced by post-9/11 veterans is well-recognized, it has not been acknowledged as a potential barrier to accessing healthcare. With cancers being more prevalent in younger veterans of the post-9/11 era, mental health concerns and other comorbidities can present as "psychosomatic," potentially interfering with early cancer identification and treatment. Our study showed that 92% of civilian provider respondents believed mental health concerns were the most frequently occurring issues in post-9/11 veterans, and 72% of those providers believed that post-9/11 veterans routinely experience psychosomatic (mental health-related, physical) symptoms. This focus on mental health places minimal concern on the actual physical health, risking delayed diagnoses of severe conditions like cancer. The consequences are clear: civilian providers may inadvertently contribute to prolonged diagnoses and suboptimal care without targeted education and training. Read the publication on JMVFH - The Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health - https://lnkd.in/gPM2a-XY Special thanks to the RAND team, Carrie Farmer and Terri Tanielian for starting the conversation.

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DAX Copilot automatically documents the patient/physician conversation, reducing physician burnout and increasing productivity. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/e86xfcb7

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Great insights and a focus on preparedness is key.

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Ending Veteran Homelessness Together: The Power of "One Team" 🇺🇸🛡️ The Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System is leading a transformative effort to end veteran homelessness through its "One Team" initiative! 🌟 This groundbreaking program unites VA staff, community partners, and local organizations to deliver comprehensive services and unwavering support to our homeless veterans, focusing on: 🏠 Coordinated Entry: Streamlining access to vital services and housing. 🤝 Community Engagement: Leveraging local partnerships to amplify resources and expertise. 📊 Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilizing real-time data to track progress and improve outcomes. One Team is a commitment to providing every veteran with a place to call home. By prioritizing permanent housing and supportive services, they’re working to eliminate veteran homelessness in the Greater Los Angeles area. Let's join forces and support this mission! Together, we can ensure every veteran receives the care, respect, and housing they deserve. 💪 #VeteranHomelessness #OneTeam #VAHealthcare #CommunityPartnership #HousingForAll #SupportOurVeterans #EndHomelessness #CollaborationMatters #VeteranSupport

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Did you know... ...all of the top 20 hospitals from 2020 - 2021, as identified by U.S. News & World Report, employed professional chaplains to provide spiritual care to patients, families, & employees? --- 85% function as their own independent departments --- 90% use "Spiritual Care" within the title of their department (versus pastoral care or chaplaincy) --- 65% provided 24/7 in-house coverage In terms of staffing, these top 20 hospitals reported... --- 2.5 total department FTEs per 100 in ADC (SD = 1.3) --- 1.6 clinical* FTEs per 100 in ADC (SD = 0.8) FTE = full time equivalent; ADC = average daily census; SD = standard deviation * clinical = FTEs allotted for direct spiritual care (versus administration/managerial responsibilities) How does your hospital compare?! #Transformchaplaincy #healthcare #chaplain Transforming Chaplaincy, ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, Association of Professional Chaplains, National Association of Catholic Chaplains, Association of Muslim Chaplains, Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains, Spiritual Care Association, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network Check out the article: Tartaglia, A., Corson, T., White, K.B., Charlescraft, A., Jackson-Jordan, E., Johnson, T. & Fitchett, G. (2024). Chaplain staffing and scope of service: benchmarking spiritual care departments. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 30;1, 1-18. https://lnkd.in/egu-eaFk

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“Vaccine requirements in places like schools or hospitals are important for preventing the spread of disease and protecting vulnerable people and kids,” - from my interview with Colorado Public Radio School vaccine requirements play a crucial role in boosting vaccination rates, creating healthier schools, protecting children, and strengthening community health. Most parents agree: a nationwide survey this year found that 77% support vaccine requirements for school attendance, while only 8% believe they are unimportant (source in comments). Let’s join the majority of parents in standing up for healthier schools and communities. We must work together to ensure all children have the protection they need to thrive by advocating for policies prioritizing community health. #vaccine #vaccines #socialnorming

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It's #NationalHospitalWeek which provides an opportunity to highlight the innovative ways that hospitals and health systems are supporting their communities. Take it from me, many pioneering and cutting edge hospitals are deploying geographic information systems (#GIS) in myriad ways to manage population health, understand accessibility issues, examine inequitable outcomes, improve the use of their brick and mortar facilities, and streamline their planning and operations. My paper shares several example use cases that are making hospitals stronger and communities more resilient. https://lnkd.in/euQ2xAha #HealthGIS #Hospitals #HealthSystems #DigitalTransformation

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Worried about implementing a new call system? Learn more on how easy Clarus technology is for providers, patients and staff!

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🤔Pondering a SIGNIFICANT barrier to Midwifery care by insurance plan for families that receive TriCare (a Federal carrier). Can someone explain how the federal government has allocated millions of dollars to educate more midwives that attend accredited education programs that lead to the CM and CPM credential, but TriCare will not reimburse the Certified Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives that complete these academic pathways, also endorsed by ACOG? https://lnkd.in/gYtWnZwf https://lnkd.in/gHiuj5U9 “TRICARE doesn't cover midwife services by a lay midwife, Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) or Certified Midwife (CM).” https://lnkd.in/gZXqR88C 👉Perhaps aggressive education and advocacy needs to be prioritized with CMS and TriCare so the very professionals you are espousing needed in the workforce are reimbursed for services they provide! #GrowMidwives #knowledgeispower #RemoveTheBarriers

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The Impact of Involvement in Whole Health System for Veterans or Participating in It for Oneself on Job Attitudes in VA Employees Schult, Tamara M. PhD, MPH; Mohr, David C. PhD; Greenfield, Russell H. MD; Reddy, Kavitha P. MD, FACEP, ABoIM Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 66(4):p e131-e136, April 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003062 Veterans Health Administration is undergoing a system-wide transformation. The Whole Health System (WHS) is designed to empower and equip all people to take charge of their health and well-being. Based on the WHS, an employee well-being initiative was implemented. Providing WHS care and experiencing it for oneself impact job attitudes. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Describe the influence of providing the Whole Health System of care to veterans on job attitudes. Describe the influence of participating in Whole Health for oneself on job attitudes. Appraise the potential impacts of an employee well-being initiative, Employee Whole Health, that is being implemented within the context of a larger healthcare delivery system transformation. https://lnkd.in/dSXCiBUx #JOEM #veterans #healthcaresystems #healthcare

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The editorial team at Journal Of Emergency Nursing would love to hear about what you are reading in the May issue of JEN. Thank you Casey Green BSN, RN, RRNA, CCRN-CMC, CTRN, CFRN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN, CNRN, NRP and Sarah Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL for giving our readers a tour of the May issue and starting this trend. What is your favorite article in the May issue? What would you like to see published in JEN?

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20 years… still so relevant.

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