Joaqlin Estus
ICT
Anchorage, AK — The Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage is back in the good graces of the agency that okays its participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The joint managers of the 182-bed medical center said in a prepared statement, “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it had restored the Alaska Native Medical Center’s ‘deemed status,’ an important federal accreditation that governs the ability of healthcare organizations to participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
The medical center received notice last summer that its status to receive Medicare reimbursement was in jeopardy over governance and emergency services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told the medical center that as of July 12 it no longer met federal conditions of participation and Medicare reimbursement would end in October unless deficiencies were resolved.
Co-managers of the medical center say regulators who visited the center in September “confirmed successful implementation of a correction plan to address findings related to the unique governance structure overseeing operations of ANMC which have been in place for 25 years. The decision resolves regulatory issues cited by CMS earlier this year.”
An ANMC spokesperson said, “the surveyors focused on the unique operating structure between ANHC and SCF within ANMC. This included the Emergency Department and Fast Track, physician and nursing leadership, the role of the administrator, and the functions of the Joint Operating Board.”
The medical center is operated by two nonprofit health entities: the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Southcentral Foundation.
“ANTHC and SCF teams continue to work closely to comply with the CMS requirements regarding the governance structure of the ANMC accredited campus,” said Valerie Nurr’araluk Davidson, the health consortium’s president and CEO, in a prepared statement. “Quyana, thank you, to the incredible ANTHC and SCF teams who work collaboratively every day to provide the best health services to the people we serve.”
“Southcentral Foundation and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium have co-managed ANMC for more than 20 years, and we look forward to our continued partnership serving our community. The collaboration between ANTHC and SCF to implement the Plan of Correction ensures ANMC will continue providing the highest quality care for decades to come. I appreciate all of the work that went into resolving this issue and extend my thanks to the entire ANMC workforce for their commitment to our families and future generations,” said April Kyle, Southcentral Foundation president and CEO, in the statement.
In the past, medical center administrators have said 60 percent of their medical funding comes through Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance reimbursements. Only 40 percent is from the Indian Health Service, which is chronically underfunded.
The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium offers statewide health services to Alaska Native and American Indian people in Alaska, and the Southcentral Foundation provides local, regional and some statewide healthcare services through its partnership with the consortium as co-operators of the Alaska Native Medical Center.
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