NEW PILOT PROGRAM FOR AUTISM TREATMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Pilot Program Enhances Autism Care, Treatment
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2013 - A congressionally mandated pilot program set to launch July 25 will enhance an existing Defense Department program that provides care and treatment for military children with autism, a senior DOD official said.

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and director of the TRICARE Management Activity met with reporters yesterday to explain the new program.

An estimated 8,500 children of active-duty military families have a form of autism, Woodson said. He sought to dispel military parents' concerns about rumors of a potential loss in benefits for their children with autism and autism spectrum disorder.

"We understand that there's a lot of anxiety in the community of interest around autism about suspected changes that would adversely affect care," he said. "Providing care to children who have autism spectrum disorder and making sure they get the full range of care they need is a priority to us."

"All care will be continued," Woodson added, noting that active-duty service members' children's autism care benefits in the applied behavior analysis administered through TRICARE would not change.

"Anyone who's receiving care under the [Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration] -- there will be no change," he said.

There's also no change in benefits to anyone enrolled in the basic medical program that began July 2012, Woodson said. An expansion of services through the autism pilot program, he added, will also allow retirees and their families to receive ASD benefits.

Autism care and treatment is evolving, Woodson said.

"In the future, we'll try to identify what the best practice is for the periodic assessments -- who should get it and over what period of time," he said, noting the pilot program is expected to yield "great insight" into evaluation protocols.

The pilot program was developed by crafting requirements through consulting with experts in the field and advocacy groups to "try to find validated tests and the best strategy for focusing on what would be the right care at the right time for children [with autism]," Woodson said.

Woodson said the pilot program's overall focus is directed at families, and what is best for their child. Parents' input will be sought to ensure their issues are represented as the program is shaped, he added.

There is "an expanding need and recognition" of military families with children who have autism," Woodson said. Integral to increasing autism treatment capability, he said, is having a large network of providers that work with autistic children.

"We continually try to improve ... [and] expand our network of providers," he said. "I think we have one of the most robust networks available."

Woodson said it is "paramount" for children with autism to obtain professional reassessments to ensure they get the right care, at the right time, with updated care plans.

"That's what we're all about," he said. "Focusing on the child and what's best and providing the families with access to these services."

MILITARY TRICARE UNAFFECTED BY HIGH COURT HEALTH CARE RULING

FROM AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

TRICARE Unchanged by Health Care Ruling, Officials Say

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2012 - The Supreme Court's ruling yesterday upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act "has absolutely no impact on our TRICARE program," a Defense Department spokeswoman said here today.

Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, spokeswoman for personnel and readiness, explained TRICARE is governed by different statutes than civilian health care and is unaffected by the ruling.

TRICARE is the worldwide health care program for uniformed service members, retirees and their eligible family members.

"TRICARE remains committed to providing the best possible health care to its more than 9.7 million beneficiaries," Hull-Ryde said.

Military members, retirees and their families who have civilian health care coverage should contact those providers directly to determine how the court's ruling might impact their coverage, she added.

TRICARE officials released a statement yesterday noting the TRICARE and TRICARE Young Adult programs are authorized by an independent set of statutes, and remain under sole authority of the Defense Department and the secretary of defense.

"TRICARE provides coverage for pre-existing conditions, and serious illnesses; offers an array of preventive care services, with no cost shares; maintains reasonable out-of-pocket costs, with no or low deductibles and copayments; and there are no annual or lifetime caps on coverage," according to the statement.

TRICARE established a program for young adults in May 2011, as authorized by the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, officials said. TRICARE Young Adult, or TYA, gives eligible uniformed services family members under 26 who are unmarried, and not eligible for their own employer-sponsored health care coverage the option to purchase health insurance under the program.

TRICARE officials said as of May 31, 2012, more than 17,000 beneficiaries are signed up for young adult plans: 11,171 in TYA Standard, and 6,407 in TYA Prime.

Eligible TYA sponsors include active-duty and retired service members, activated National Guard and reserve members, Guard and reserve members using TRICARE Reserve Select, and retired Guard and reserve members using TRICARE Retired Reserve.

MILITARY HEALTH SYSTEM STREAMLINING

T

he following excerpt is from a Department of Defense American Forces Press Service e-mail:

Health System Seeks Savings While Retaining Excellence

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2012 - Iraq and Afghanistan have been dangerous places over the past decade, but deployed troops often passed a saying on to new arrivals: "If you've got to get shot, this is the best place to do it."

The saying spread because the medical care for wounded service members was state-of-the-art, with the survival rates significantly higher than in previous conflicts.

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, told the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee yesterday that he wants to retain this excellence while controlling spiraling costs.

"Over the last 10 years, the men and women of the Military Health System have performed with great skill and undeniable courage in combat," Woodson said. "Their contributions to advancing military and American medicine are immense. The Military Health System's ability to perform this mission and be able to respond to humanitarian crises around the globe is unique among all military and nonmilitary organizations on this globe."

All department leaders are committed to sustaining this precious resource, Woodson said. But he acknowledged that military health care is now more than $51 billion of the yearly defense budget. The 2011 Budget Control Act calls for $487 billion in defense cuts over the next 10 years, and the health care system is not immune, he said.

Military health System officials are taking four roads to savings, Woodson told the panel. The first is to find efficiencies inside the system. The second is a continuation of efforts to appropriately pay for private-sector providers. A third initiative promotes healthy lifestyle choices while seeking to reduce illnesses, injuries and hospitalizations. The last is proposed changes to beneficiary cost-sharing under the TRICARE military health plan.

The fiscal 2013 defense budget request includes this recommended path to reorganize the military health system, Woodson said. "We have learned a great deal from our joint medical operations over the last 10 years," he added, "and we recognize that there is much opportunity for introducing even a more agile headquarters operation that shares common services and institutes common clinical and business practices across our system of care."

Woodson noted that the recommended changes to TRICARE fees came about only after officials had explored other avenues of potential savings. "Before we even considered TRICARE fees, there were a number of initiatives and considerations taken," he told the committee.

DOD health affairs is looking to control headquarters costs, Woodson said, and it has had some success eliminating 780 full-time equivalent positions from the headquarters. Other efforts, he added yielded further savings.

"We put in a number of management reforms that have yielded very positive results in reducing costs, including a robust fraud and recuperative program that has yielded $2.6 billion over the last four years," he said.

In addition, Woodson said, a pharmacy management program has saved $ 3.4 billion, medical supply and acquisition standardization has saved $31 million, and an amalgamation of other efficiencies that saved about $1 billion.