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Dedicated Insurance Professionals you know and trust...like Family |
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Issue No. 68 |
August 19, 2014
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The shuffle has begun! School, supplies, sports, schedules...don't forget to keep your health and the health of your family InTACT!
We are here to help keep you on the right track to health this school year. Immunizations, vision, dental, well checks - we strive to aid in helping you to improve your health and health coverage. By providing group benefits to members in the agricultural industry, TACT provides quality benefit plans and works to care for you and your health needs while holding down future rate increases for participants.
Exceptional health benefits, customer service and affordable rates, you are InTACT as exciting changes have served to implement positive service provision adjustments.
We look forward to continuing our provision of great service, outstanding benefits and SAVINGS to you!
You are a partner in decision making and you are partnered with a thriving coverage provider. Keeping YOU the priority. Keeping YOUR NEEDS in perspective. With TACT, YOU are our business.
Now serving ALL of Texas Agriculture -
Contact us for more information
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
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Physicians, Hospitals Using EHRs More Than Ever
Courtesy HHS.gov
CDC data provides baseline for EHR adoption among health care providers
Significant increases in the use of electronic health records (EHRs) among the nation's physicians and hospitals are detailed in two new studies published today by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
The studies, published in the journal Health Affairs, found that in 2013, almost eight in ten (78 percent) office-based physicians reported they adopted some type of EHR system. About half of all physicians (48 percent) had an EHR system with advanced functionalities in 2013, a doubling of the adoption rate in 2009.
About 6 in 10 (59 percent) hospitals had adopted an EHR system with certain advanced functionalities in 2013, quadruple the percentage for 2010. Unlike the physician study, the hospital study does not have an equivalent, established measure of adoption of some type of EHR system; it only reports on adoption of EHRs with advanced functionalities.
"Patients are seeing the benefits of health IT as a result of the significant strides that have been made in the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records," said Karen DeSalvo, M.D., M.P.H., national coordinator for health information technology. "We look forward to working with our partners to ensure that people's digital health information follows them across the care continuum so it will be there when it matters most."
The information in the studies was collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics and the American Hospital Association in 2013.
These data provide an early baseline understanding of provider readiness to achieve Stage 2 Meaningful Use of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive programs. Stage 2 will begin later this year for providers who first attested to Stage 1 Meaningful Use in 2011 or 2012. About 75 percent of eligible professionals and more than 91 percent of hospitals have adopted or demonstrated Stage 1 Meaningful Use of certified EHRs.
The studies also show that more work is needed to support widespread health information exchange and providers' ability to achieve Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Among the details include the following:
- In 2013, health information exchange among physicians was relatively low: 4 in 10 (39 percent) reported they electronically share data with other providers, but only 14 percent electronically share data with ambulatory care providers or hospitals outside their organization.
- In 2013, the vast majority of hospitals had capabilities that could be used to support many Meaningful Use Stage 2 objectives but were not being used. However, 10 percent of hospitals were providing patients with online access to view, download, and transmit information about their hospital admission.
Throughout 2014, HHS has prioritized its efforts to support providers in achieving Meaningful Use Stage 2 and work toward an interoperable health system that enables nationwide health information exchange. These include:
- On-the-ground support from many of the 62 ONC-funded regional extension centers to more than 150,000 providers that serve all types of patients, including Medicare, Medicaid, private pay, and uninsured, helping them use their EHRs to meet the Stage 2 measures such as those for clinical quality improvement, transitions of care, care coordination, and the privacy and security requirements;
- Sharing tools and resources to support providers in engaging their patients in their health and health care using health IT tools, and to help meet the "view, download, and transmit measure" needed to achieve Meaningful Use Stage 2; and
- Webinars, user guides, tip sheets, listserv subscriptions and other educational resources provided by the CMS eHealth University and available on the CMS website.
Healthcare news such as this can be found on our Facebook Page!

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Russia to Ban US Ag Imports
Courtesy - USA Today, Michael Winter
Retaliating for U.S. sanctions over Ukraine, Russia will ban or limit all American agricultural products for up to a year, a Kremlin official said last Wednesday.
All fruits and vegetables from the European Union will also be locked out, the country's agricultural and veterinary watchdog told RIA Novosti. Produce from Canada and Japan will also be blocked.
The complete list of banned products, to be announced, will be "very substantial," said Alexey Alekseenko, an assistant to the head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance. The White House said the move would further harm Russia and its economy.
"Retaliating against Western companies or countries will deepen Russia's international isolation, causing further damage to its own economy," a spokeswoman told RIA Novosti.
Food prices in Russia would likely rise in the short term because of the import ban but not cause long-term damage, the country's agricultural watchdog predicted.
The ban is not likely to have a major impact on U.S. farmers and ranchers, said U.S. farm groups.
"It is unfortunate that the biggest losers in this will be Russian consumers, who will pay more for their food now as well as in the long run," Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, told The Des Moines Register.
STORY: US farm groups urge Russia to rescind ban on agricultural imports
Still, farm groups urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to rescind the decree he signed authorizing the year-long ban on all agricultural imports from countries that imposed sanctions on Russian companies, banks, politicians and oligarchs because of the conflict in Ukraine.
Last year, U.S. data show, Russia imported about $1.3 billion in U.S. food and agricultural products. That accounted for just over 10% of all U.S. exports to the country.
Poultry was the top U.S. import, worth $310 million, followed by tree nuts ($172 million), soybeans ($157 million), and live animals ($149 million). Russia is also the 5th largest export market for U.S. pork and the 8th largest export market worldwide for U.S. beef, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Globally, Russia is now the second-largest agricultural importer after China among so-called emerging markets. Imports rose from $7 billion in 2000 to $33 billion in 2008, a U.S. Agriculture Department study reported.
Contributing: The Des Moines Register
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Back to School Health
Portions Courtesy WebMD Magazine, Adelante Health
From the Alarm Clock to the Afternoon Bell, TACT has Back to School Health Care Covered! We know your focus, as a parent, is on keeping your kids healthy so they can learn and grow.
Some children are already back in school and many more will be heading back in the next two weeks.
Getting your child ready for school involves more than just purchasing shiny new school supplies and clothes. It also involves updating your child's immunizations, making appointments for routine screening tests and informing the school of any health issues your child may have.
Keep track of everything during this busy time with this handy back-to-school health checklist:
- Are your child's immunizations up to date? There are great resources on when to immunize at http://www.whyimmunize.org/
- Has your family doctor or pediatrician done a vision screening for your child this year? Nearly 1 in 20 children have vision problems and it can make a real difference in the classroom and on the playground.
- Has your family doctor done a hearing screening? Again, an undetected problem could hurt your child's ability to learn and socialize.
- Is your child scheduled for regular dental screenings? Regular checkups and cleanings help detect and prevent problems early.
- Do you have a current emergency contact form and a list of health conditions and medications for your child?
- Practice backpack safety - Make sure your child's backpack fits properly and isn't too heavy. Experts recommend that the backpack weigh no more than 10-15% of your child's body weight. Broad shoulder straps and a waist strap help keep the bag in place. Learn more from the Nat'l Safety Council.
- Do you have a plan for eating right on busy mornings? Have a couple of healthy, fast breakfasts in mind - and in the pantry - for busy mornings to help everyone get a good start to their day.
Wellness screenings are part of TACT's service in providing select coverage. Back to school for them, maintaining health for you. We have you covered. Questions? What can we do to help?
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Contact Us
Texas Ag Coop Trust
1802 East 50th St., Ste. 107
Lubbock, TX 79404 806-747-7894
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
Officers, Board of Trustees
Kimberly Tullo-Holcomb
TACT Executive Director
Lubbock, TX
Jim Turner, Chairman Dalhart Consumers Fuel Association
Dalhart, TX
Bret Brown, Secretary/Treasurer Sunray Coop Sunray, TX
Ben Boerner
Texas Grain & Feed Assn.
Fort Worth, TX
Craig Rohrbach
Parmer County Cotton Growers
Farwell, TX
Dean Sasser
Farmers Coop Elevator Levelland, TX
Tony Williams Texas cotton Ginners' Association Austin, TX
Paul Wilson
United Cotton Growers Levelland, TX
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
is endorsed by:
Texas Grain & Feed
Association
Texas Cotton Ginners Association
Texas Coop Marketing Exchange
Texas Corn Producers |
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Quality Benefits and Plans
Keeping YOU the Priority
In our effort to provide exceptional health benefits, customer service and affordable rates, you can be assured that you are the priority when you call and that you will be assisted by knowledgeable staff members who can assist with positive service provision, adjustments and answer any questions you may have!
In today's uncertain financial environment, combined with the ever increasing cost of health care and health insurance, it is more crucial than ever that we are committed to providing our members with the benefits and coverages they need and generate additional revenues to offset cost increases.
TACT aids in providing group benefits to members in the agricultural industry. TACT provides quality life and health benefit plans and works to hold down future rate increases for participants.
We look forward to continuing to meet your needs with great service, outstanding benefits and SAVINGS - all for you!
You are a partner in decision making and you are partnered with a thriving coverage provider. Keeping YOU the priority. Keeping YOUR NEEDS in perspective.
With TACT, YOU are our business.
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
Next Issue: September 2, 2014
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