The Department of
Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Healthcare System launched a new program Tuesday aimed at improving health care access for veterans in American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands under a contract awarded to TriWest Healthcare Alliance.
The new Community Care Network was based on feedback from veterans and stakeholders to improve care coordination with community providers and promptly pay for services, said Dr. Adam Robinson, director of the VA’s Pacific Islands system, in
a news release.
The network is made up of five regions, with Region 4 covering Hawaii and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The new network is meant to serve as a direct link
between the VA and local health care providers, with TriWest managing the network and processing claims for payment to providers on behalf of the VA.
The VA has been making a push to partner with hospitals and clinics to expand health care options for veterans and reach those living in rural areas. However, the rollout of some of the programs has been rocky, with some health care providers reporting late or no payments.
The VA’s Pacific Islands Healthcare System is unique. It has few facilities of its own and relies largely on partnerships with military hospitals such as Tripler Army Medical Center as well as private hospitals and clinics. Based on Oahu and headquartered out of an office at Tripler, its area of responsibility spans 2.6 million square miles of the Pacific and includes island communities where a tradition of military service runs deep.
In a study of 2003 recruiting data, Pacific Islanders were overrepresented in the U.S. Army by 249% proportionally to other ethnic groups, and American Samoa had one of the highest enlistment rates of any state or territory. Pacific Islanders were also overrepresented in the rates of those killed and injured in Iraq.
TriWest already has been managing the VA’s community care program in the U.S. Pacific island territories. According to the news release, VA community providers currently contracted by TriWest will not be automatically enrolled in the CCN and will be required to sign a new contract with TriWest to continue providing services to veterans under the CCN.
“We are confident it will greatly improve care coordination for veterans here in our area and improve the timeliness of payments to our local community providers,” Robinson said.
