TRICARE Co-Pay Waiver at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Demonstration Project, 59237-59238 [2010-24092]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 186 / Monday, September 27, 2010 / Notices the Secretary of Defense compilation of systems of records notices apply to this system. POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: STORAGE: Center, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301–1155. Written requests must include the name and number of this system of record notice, the Service member’s full name and Social Security Number (SSN) and be signed. CONTESTING RECORDS PROCEDURES: Paper file folders and electronic storage media. RETRIEVABILITY: Name, Social Security Number (SSN), rank/grade. SAFEGUARDS: The data will be housed at computer facilities and terminals located in restricted areas accessible only to authorized persons that are properly screened, cleared and trained. All users are required to provide a valid common access card (CAC) and access is specifically granted by a system administrator. Records will be maintained in a secure, password protected electronic system that will utilize security hardware and software to include: Multiple firewalls, active intruder detection, and role-based access controls. RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: The Office of the Secretary of Defense rules for accessing records, for contesting contents and appealing initial agency determinations are published in Office of the Secretary of Defense Administrative Instruction 81, 32 CFR part 311; or may be obtained from the system manager. RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: Individuals, the Operational Data Store Enterprise system, the Total Force Data Warehouse, and the Defense Casualty Information Processing System. EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM: None. [FR Doc. 2010–24167 Filed 9–24–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001–06–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Disposition Pending. Until the National Archives and Records Administration has approved the retention and disposal of these records, treat them as permanent. Office of the Secretary SYSTEM MANAGER(S) ADDRESS: AGENCY: Principal Deputy for Care Coordination, Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, OUSD (P&R) WWCTP, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332–0800. SUMMARY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of TRICARE Co-Pay waiver at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center demonstration project. srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE: Individuals seeking to determine whether information about themselves is contained in this system should address written inquiries to the Principal Deputy for Care Coordination, Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, OUSD (P&R) WWCTP, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332–0800. Written requests must be signed and contain the individual’s full name, mailing address and Social Security Number (SSN). RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES: Individuals seeking access to information about themselves contained in this system should address written inquiries to the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Joint Staff Freedom of Information Act Requester Service VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:01 Sep 24, 2010 Jkt 220001 TRICARE Co-Pay Waiver at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Demonstration Project This notice is to advise interested parties of a demonstration project entitled ‘‘TRICARE Co-Pay Waiver at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care (FHCC) Demonstration Project.’’ Under this demonstration, there would be no deductibles, cost shares, or co-pays for eligible beneficiaries seeking care at the FHCC. This demonstration would take place under the authority of 10 U.S.C. Section 1092(a)(1)(B) Cost-sharing by eligible beneficiaries. The effectiveness of this demonstration will be tested by comparing the volume of care for beneficiaries that would have paid copayments to the prior year volume to determine if increased utilization actually occurred as a result of the elimination of co-payments. Increased utilization would be an indicator of what to expect in future Department of Defense (DoD)/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mergers of this nature and PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 59237 would influence decisions regarding financial integration. DATES: Effective Date: This five-year demonstration project will be effective October 1, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Kenneth E. Cox, Director, DoD/VA Program Coordination Office, Health Affairs, Telephone (703) 681–4258. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Background: The Captain James A. Lovell FHCC, which is scheduled to open in October 2010, will be the first Federal health care facility in the nation to be operated jointly between the VA and the Navy. New construction will be completed to combine the North Chicago VA Medical Center (NCVAMC) and Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes (NHCGL) into a single, fully integrated federal health care facility. The completely integrated medical center will be led by a VA Chief Executive Officer, and a U.S. Navy medical department officer as the Deputy. Title XVII of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2010 authorized the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Project in North Chicago/Great Lakes, IL. Because the legislation did not address the issue of beneficiary cost sharing, it is being addressed through this notice. DoD and VA have carefully analyzed the impact of requiring co-pays by beneficiaries, and believe that the requirement may adversely impact the success of the integration. At this time, it is estimated that keeping the co-pays in place would result in at least a 50 percent reduction in DoD beneficiaries treated at the FHCC since those patients would see no added benefit to traveling to FHCC and will seek care at facilities closer to home. Furthermore, beneficiaries who had previously received care at the NHCGL when it was designated as an MTF, would be required to make a co-payment for medical care provided, including emergency, hospitalization, and behavioral health services. Since the VAMC will no longer be a separate authorized TRICARE provider, but will be under the integrated structure, there will be no health care claim prepared to bill TRICARE. The organizations are merged financially in accordance with the Executive Agreement. The Department will therefore test whether waiver of the co-pay by the beneficiary will impact the utilization and cost effectiveness of the demonstration. B. Details of the Demonstration: The April 23, 2010, Executive Agreement (EA) between VA and DoD reads ‘‘Active E:\FR\FM\27SEN1.SGM 27SEN1 59238 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 186 / Monday, September 27, 2010 / Notices Duty members and Active Duty dependents enrolled in TRICARE Prime pay no co-payments for inpatient or outpatient health care services. DoD may establish special co-pay rules for the FHCC under demonstration project authority of 10 U.S.C. 1092 for other beneficiaries.’’ Under this demonstration, co-pays will be waived for any eligible DoD beneficiary seeking healthcare at the FHCC. The waiver of cost sharing applies to all impatient, outpatient, and ancillary services and all outpatient prescription drugs provided at the FHCC. The waiver is consistent with current policies and procedures followed at all MTFs. According to an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), it is estimated that waiving the co-pays for all beneficiaries including Medicareeligible beneficiaries will cost DoD an additional $101,518 a year. This cost assumes that the lack of co-pays would lead to a 20 percent increase in utilization by the affected groups (i.e. induced demand) at this facility. Without this assumption, the waiver would cost DoD an additional $84,599 annually. The cost of additional staffing required to compute and collect copayments could easily be more than $100,000 per year. The effectiveness of this demonstration will be tested by comparing the volume of care for beneficiaries that would have paid copayments to the prior year volume to determine if increased utilization actually occurred as a result of the elimination of co-payments. Increased utilization would be an indicator of what to expect in future DoD/VA mergers of this nature and would influence decisions regarding financial integration. The final report on this demonstration will accompany the final report on the FHCC demonstration required by Section 1701, NDAA 2010. Dated: September 20, 2010. Patricia L. Toppings, OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense. [FR Doc. 2010–24092 Filed 9–24–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001–06–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES Department of the Air Force [Docket ID USAF–2010–0022] Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, DoD. ACTION: Notice. VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:01 Sep 24, 2010 Jkt 220001 In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Department of the Air Force announces a proposed new public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by November 26, 2010. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. • Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 1160 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301–1160. Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and associated collection instruments, please write to Air Force Institute of Technology, 2950 Hobson Way, WPAFB, OH, 45433, 937–255–3636 x4674. Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Leading Edge Supply Chain Survey; OMB Number 0701–TBD. Needs and Uses: This study seeks to uncover the emerging trends in supply chain management (SCM) practices, processes and metrics that could be beneficial to the Department of Defense, with particular emphasis on the U.S. Air Force. Affected Public: Business or other for profit. Annual Burden Hours: 613.5. PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Number of Respondents: 818. Responses per Respondent: 1. Average Burden per Response: 45 minutes. Frequency: On occasion. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Summary of Information Collection Potential respondents to this survey are individuals with in depth experience in commercial supply chain management. Dated: August 27, 2010. Patricia L. Toppings, OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense. [FR Doc. 2010–24090 Filed 9–24–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001–06–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy [Docket ID: USN–2010–0032] Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records U.S. Marine Corps, Department of the Navy, DoD. ACTION: Notice to reinstate a system of records. AGENCY: The U.S. Marine Corps proposes to reinstate a system of records to its inventory of record systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended. After review, it has been determined that the records covered under this previously deleted notice (see 75 FR 43502, July 26, 2010) are not covered elsewhere as stated; therefore this notice is being reinstated. DATES: This proposed action will be effective without further notice on October 27, 2010, unless comments are received which result in a contrary determination. SUMMARY: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods: * Federal Rulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. * Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, Room 3C843 Pentagon, 1160 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301–1160. Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov as they are ADDRESSES: E:\FR\FM\27SEN1.SGM 27SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 186 (Monday, September 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59237-59238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24092]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


TRICARE Co-Pay Waiver at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health 
Care Center Demonstration Project

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of TRICARE Co-Pay waiver at Captain James A. Lovell 
Federal Health Care Center demonstration project.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice is to advise interested parties of a demonstration 
project entitled ``TRICARE Co-Pay Waiver at Captain James A. Lovell 
Federal Health Care (FHCC) Demonstration Project.'' Under this 
demonstration, there would be no deductibles, cost shares, or co-pays 
for eligible beneficiaries seeking care at the FHCC. This demonstration 
would take place under the authority of 10 U.S.C. Section 1092(a)(1)(B) 
Cost-sharing by eligible beneficiaries. The effectiveness of this 
demonstration will be tested by comparing the volume of care for 
beneficiaries that would have paid co-payments to the prior year volume 
to determine if increased utilization actually occurred as a result of 
the elimination of co-payments. Increased utilization would be an 
indicator of what to expect in future Department of Defense (DoD)/
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mergers of this nature and would 
influence decisions regarding financial integration.

DATES: Effective Date: This five-year demonstration project will be 
effective October 1, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Kenneth E. Cox, Director, DoD/VA 
Program Coordination Office, Health Affairs, Telephone (703) 681-4258.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    A. Background: The Captain James A. Lovell FHCC, which is scheduled 
to open in October 2010, will be the first Federal health care facility 
in the nation to be operated jointly between the VA and the Navy. New 
construction will be completed to combine the North Chicago VA Medical 
Center (NCVAMC) and Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes (NHCGL) into a 
single, fully integrated federal health care facility. The completely 
integrated medical center will be led by a VA Chief Executive Officer, 
and a U.S. Navy medical department officer as the Deputy.
    Title XVII of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 
Fiscal Year 2010 authorized the Department of Defense and Department of 
Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Project in North 
Chicago/Great Lakes, IL. Because the legislation did not address the 
issue of beneficiary cost sharing, it is being addressed through this 
notice.
    DoD and VA have carefully analyzed the impact of requiring co-pays 
by beneficiaries, and believe that the requirement may adversely impact 
the success of the integration. At this time, it is estimated that 
keeping the co-pays in place would result in at least a 50 percent 
reduction in DoD beneficiaries treated at the FHCC since those patients 
would see no added benefit to traveling to FHCC and will seek care at 
facilities closer to home. Furthermore, beneficiaries who had 
previously received care at the NHCGL when it was designated as an MTF, 
would be required to make a co-payment for medical care provided, 
including emergency, hospitalization, and behavioral health services. 
Since the VAMC will no longer be a separate authorized TRICARE 
provider, but will be under the integrated structure, there will be no 
health care claim prepared to bill TRICARE. The organizations are 
merged financially in accordance with the Executive Agreement. The 
Department will therefore test whether waiver of the co-pay by the 
beneficiary will impact the utilization and cost effectiveness of the 
demonstration.
    B. Details of the Demonstration: The April 23, 2010, Executive 
Agreement (EA) between VA and DoD reads ``Active

[[Page 59238]]

Duty members and Active Duty dependents enrolled in TRICARE Prime pay 
no co-payments for inpatient or outpatient health care services. DoD 
may establish special co-pay rules for the FHCC under demonstration 
project authority of 10 U.S.C. 1092 for other beneficiaries.'' Under 
this demonstration, co-pays will be waived for any eligible DoD 
beneficiary seeking healthcare at the FHCC. The waiver of cost sharing 
applies to all impatient, outpatient, and ancillary services and all 
outpatient prescription drugs provided at the FHCC. The waiver is 
consistent with current policies and procedures followed at all MTFs. 
According to an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), it is 
estimated that waiving the co-pays for all beneficiaries including 
Medicare-eligible beneficiaries will cost DoD an additional $101,518 a 
year. This cost assumes that the lack of co-pays would lead to a 20 
percent increase in utilization by the affected groups (i.e. induced 
demand) at this facility. Without this assumption, the waiver would 
cost DoD an additional $84,599 annually. The cost of additional 
staffing required to compute and collect co-payments could easily be 
more than $100,000 per year.
    The effectiveness of this demonstration will be tested by comparing 
the volume of care for beneficiaries that would have paid co-payments 
to the prior year volume to determine if increased utilization actually 
occurred as a result of the elimination of co-payments. Increased 
utilization would be an indicator of what to expect in future DoD/VA 
mergers of this nature and would influence decisions regarding 
financial integration. The final report on this demonstration will 
accompany the final report on the FHCC demonstration required by 
Section 1701, NDAA 2010.

    Dated: September 20, 2010.
Patricia L. Toppings,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2010-24092 Filed 9-24-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P

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