Update on Social Security IPMOU
In the last PIMCC News, we reported that the prisons and jails would be receiving a new Incentive Payment Memorandum of Understanding (IPMOU) for signature that allows the Social Security Administration to share the information reported by prisons and jails to other governmental agencies. The new IPMOU was expected to be sent to prisons and jails during the first quarter of 2015.
We recently received an update from the Social Security Administration that the new IPMOU will be sent closer to the end of the second quarter of this year. Social Security Administration anticipates the letter and IPMOU will be sent in June 2015.
Each prison administrator and or jail warden will receive a letter and a new Incentive Payment Memorandum of Understanding (IPMOU) for review and signature. The letter will include what new information will be asked about each newly incarcerated individual when prisons and jails report the new inmates to SSA. The new IPMOU should have a clause stating the information reported by prisons and jails may be shared with other government agencies. This will allow SSA to work with Medicare and Medical Assistance in coordination of benefits under ACT 22.
We recommend that counties keep a copy of the signed IPMOU for your records.
Look for any new information we may receive in our May newsletter. If you have any questions regarding the letter or IPMOU please feel free to call the PIMCC administrator, Cost Management Plus, Inc. at (800) 552-2752.
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Psych Admissions Under Act 22
The Department of Human Services has confirmed that when an incarcerated individual is issued a court commitment (302) for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization in a "free standing" psychiatric facility; this court ordered commitment releases the county jail from the care or control over the individual.
The county should not complete a COMPASS application when the inmate is discharged from the free standing psychiatric unit. The hospital should treat the inpatient hospitalization as a regular patient and look to the individual's commercial insurance, CHAMPUS, Medicare and the like for payment on the entire inpatient stay. If no health insurance option exists, the hospital should follow the normal protocol for uninsured patients.
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Understanding Anticoagulant and Antiplatelet Agents
Nurses who understand normal blood values related to a patient's clotting time can play a key role in identifying potential poor patient outcomes. All laboratory results need to be reviewed by a clinician, but the nurse's role is the proper notification to the clinician of any abnormal laboratory test results. For more information, refer to the full article by Susan Laffar, RN, CCHP-RN, CCHP-A, in the Fall issue of CorrectCare from NCCHC. |
Sapphire Update
The Sapphire Program, offered free by Diamond Pharmacy to members of the PIMCC Program, recently had two scheduled updates to the system. The first was a new look to the Dashboard which works the same as before the update. New items were added but nothing was removed. The second part of this update was to alert the Sapphire users that the new Dashboard does not work on Windows Internet Explorer 8 or 10. Instructions were provided to verify IE browser. The Dashboard will work on Internet Explorer 9 and Internet Explorer 11.
On March 3, 2015, the Sapphire Program alerted Sapphire users that a new password/security question must have at least three 3 characters. It also advised that those users who had already set their passwords and security questions before the update would not be required to make any changes. Only newly created user accounts and/or existing users who updated their password following the program update will be held to the new requirements.
As a result of the update, Sapphire users experienced a brief interruption in the system. If you have any issues related to these two updates contact Sapphire at (877) 532.2345 ext. 1025 or at helpdesk@sapphire-health.com.
REMINDER - Let the Sapphire Program save you time by using their MAR program rather than hand writing the MAR's
Coming in the May Newsletter: an update on the Sapphire program's electronic health record for corrections.
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Mobile X-Ray Agreement
In December 2014, the PIMCC Board approved a statewide agreement with Lackawanna Mobile X-Ray to provide on-site non-emergent x-ray services, EKG's, ultrasounds and cardiac monitors to county members of the PIMCC program. This agreement will provide significant savings for members and can reduce the need to transport an inmate to the local emergency room for non-emergency services. The PIMCC county will receive a monthly invoice based on the use of on-site services. We welcome Lackawanna Mobile X-Ray Services as a proven provider of on-site services.
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| Upcoming Events
March
Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program
April 13-17, 2015
Cincinnati, OH
National Nurses Week
May 6-12
PIMCC Nurses Seminar
September 17, 2015
CCAP Office, Harrisburg
NCCHC Conference on Correctional Health Care
October 18-22
Paris Hotel, Las Vegas
Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program
October 26-30, 2015
Cincinnati, OH
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Your Med Corner
Physicians prescribing medications often find generic drugs as an option when the brand name mediations' patents expire. The price of many brand name psychotropic medications were the reasons for the increased costs. But over the past decade more generic medications including psychotropic drugs became available, saving consumers tens of billions annually.
However, times are changing and over the past several months' generic medication costs have escalated. Some medications have increased over one thousand percent (1000%) which is far beyond the same brand name medication cost.
For the full article on the rising cost of generic medications, see Diamond Pharmacy Report referenced from dddmag.com.
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