CONGRESSMAN RUBÉN HINOJOSA HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE WITH VA, TRIWEST ON VA COMMUNITY CARE COORDINATION
Sep 21, 2016
 |
Harlingen, TX – This Week – Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) held a press conference to discuss the successful conclusions of a 90-day project to improve VA Community Care (VACC) coordination. The press conference was located at the University of Texas Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, TX.
“I am pleased with the tremendous accomplishments we have achieved during our 90-day VA Community Care collaborative effort with TriWest, VA, and local healthcare providers,” stated Congressman Hinojosa. “This coalition of congressional, federal, and local stakeholders is the first of its kind in the nation to address challenges in VA Community Care. Not only have we immediately increased cash flow for our providers, but also identified a number of areas where we can improve care coordination in the long term.
“In my view, provider education is one of the most crucial opportunities for improvement, which is why I have created a simple one page guide that we will be sending to South Texas providers before the end of this year. We are also establishing work groups to dissect each bureaucratic process and requirement that is impeding veterans’ access to community care,” said Congressman Hinojosa.
Also announced at this event was new signage that will officially showcase Valley Baptist Medical Center in both Harlingen, TX and Brownsville, TX and Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg, TX as Veterans Choice Program providers.
Congressman Hinojosa continued, “These hospitals have participated in the Veterans Choice Program since its inception, but will now visibly be identified as such. Veterans across the Rio Grande Valley will know they can receive care at these excellent hospitals, and will be finally recognized for their honorable service to our country.”
Dr. Richard Stone, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, spoke on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was accompanied by Dr. Gene Migliaccio, Executive Director of Delivery Operations and Joe Enderle, Director of Claims Adjudication and Reimbursement in the Office of VA Community Care, and Joe Dalpiaz, Network Director of Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) 17. Representing the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System were Director Joe Perez, Community Care Chief Efren Cerda-Cantu, Customer Service Manager Hugo Martinez, and Public Affairs Officer Reynaldo Leal.
Deputy Undersecretary Stone stated, “I want to thank Congressman Hinojosa for his leadership and the countless hours he has given in this collective effort to make sure that Veterans in this community get the proper care that they need. It has been an honor to work with him and our other partners in this effort. With more than 30,000 Veterans in the Deep South Texas community who depend on VA for their healthcare, I am pleased that we are making much needed improvements to programs to insure our Veterans get the timely care they deserve while making certain providers are paid on time. We will continue our commitment to care for those ‘who have borne the battle,’ and we’re proud to have such dedicated community partners who share in this noble mission.”
Speaking for TriWest Healthcare Alliance was President and CEO Dave McIntyre. With him were South Regional Director Gina Waild and TVSC Operations Supervisor Hermes Gonzalez, as well as Advisors Chet Edwards, Lindsey Davis Stover, and Josh Taylor.
Mr. McIntyre stated, “It is our sincere privilege to stand alongside VA, amazing South Texas hospitals, and 1,800 local health care providers in this roll-up-your-sleeves effort led by Congressman Hinojosa over the last 90 days. There is no community that better exemplifies the importance of working together than right here in the Rio Grande Valley. Collectively, we have made much needed improvements, and I look forward to the next 90 days and what the future holds here for the health care of our veterans. We continue to work together and ensure that we keep the trajectory moving forward in this effort to provide timely and proper care for our veterans.
Mr. Manny Vela, CEO and President of Valley Baptist Health System, and Ms. Connie Humphrey, Senior Vice President and Special Counsel of Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, offered a community provider perspective.
Mr. Vela stated, “Thank you to Congressman Hinojosa, TriWest, and VA for your collaboration in this 90-day effort to address the important issues of coordination improvements, ensuring that provider claims get paid on time, and for officially helping to certify Valley Baptist Medical Center as a Veterans Choice program provider. We have excellent care in our community, and I am proud to continue working on this effort to ensure quality and timely care for our Valley veterans.”
Ms. Humphrey stated, “We’ve been very proud to serve our veterans. I want to thank the VA and TriWest for working with us, and Congressman Hinojosa for bringing the coalition together. We’ve seen a significant reduction in the time it takes our claims to be processed, and we’ve been on the phone calling you about individual claims. You all have really worked with us to get that process going and we want to thank you for that. We’ll continue working with this coalition, because Doctors Hospital wants to be a partner. We want to continue doing our best to serve the veterans.”
Articles covering this topic:
1. Veterans to Have More Options/KVEO NBC 23/Alfredo Cuadros/9.19.16
2. EDITORIAL: Improving care for veterans in the RGV/The Monitor/Editorial Board/ 9.20.16
3. VA staff being trained to file medical claims quicker/The Monitor/Fernando Del Valle/9.19.16
4. VA staff being trained to file medical claims quicker/Valley Morning Star/Fernando Del Valle/9.19.16
