Monthly Archives: July 2016

Rep. Kristi Noem issued the following statement in the wake of a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announcement that the Rosebud Hospital emergency department would reopen on Friday, July 15, and resume operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

“The dangerous conditions within the emergency department and the resulting diversionary status put too many lives in jeopardy. Today is a day of hope, but it is not the end of our work. So much still needs to be done. The problems that led to the grave conditions in Rosebud remain. Expansive reforms, such as giving tribes a role in running IHS facilities and reformulating how purchased-referred care dollars are allocated, must be made if we are going to see the lasting improvements tribal communities deserve.”

In June 2016, Noem introduced the Helping Ensuring Accountability, Leadership, and Trust in Tribal Healthcare (HEALTTH) Act, which among other things:
+ Gives tribes a seat at the table to encourage better, longer-term contracts by allowing for a partnership among IHS, tribal communities and healthcare stakeholders to collaborate throughout the contract negotiating process, rather than leaving those decisions solely to IHS.

+ Addresses the current recruitment problem – for both medical staff and hospital leadership – by putting provisions in place to:

· Allow for faster hiring.
· Make the existing student loan repayment program tax free, as an added incentive for high-quality employees.
· Provide incentives to attract competent and well-trained hospital administrators as well as medical staff.
+ Reforms the Purchased/Referred Care (PRC) Program by, among other things:

· Requiring IHS to develop a new formula for allocating PRC dollars. Under Noem’s bill, IHS would be required to develop a formula based on need, population size, and health status to ensure those areas that have the greatest need receive a greater portion of the funding.
· Requiring IHS to negotiate Medicare-like rates for services it pays for with private providers. IHS currently pays a premium for PRC services. Noem’s proposal would bring payments in line with what Medicare pays to stretch every dollar further.
· Requiring IHS to address the backlog of PRC payments to private providers. Private hospitals in the Great Plains Area have long expressed concern because IHS has failed to pay their bills. Noem would require IHS to put a strategy in place to get these hospitals paid what they are due.
+ Restores accountability through strategies, such as:

· Require IHS to be accountable for providing timely care.
· Require the Government Accountability Office to report on the financial stability of IHS hospitals that are threatened with sanction from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The legislation has been endorsed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, the National Indian Health Board, Avera, Rapid City Regional Health, Sanford Health, the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, the South Dakota State Medical Association, the South Dakota Dental Association and others.

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) issued the following statement on the reopening of the emergency department at the Rosebud Indian Health Service (IHS) hospital, which had been closed since December 2015. IHS announced today that the hospital is set to reopen tomorrow, July 15, 2016, and will resume 24-hour, 7-day-a-week care.

“The news that IHS and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services have agreed to reopen the emergency department at the Rosebud IHS hospital is a positive step toward better and timely health care for patients,” said Rounds. “Emergency room services are an essential part of any hospital. However, there is still much work to be done to make certain our tribal members are receiving adequate and timely care. The problems within the bureaucracy of IHS, along with the lack of adequate consultation with tribes, are ongoing. I still believe that an outside audit is the best first step toward making significant, systemic changes at IHS.”

Rounds sent a letter this month to the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General requesting an audit of the financial aspects of hospital and health care, medical services and overall financial management at IHS.

AAA is urging drivers not to use Pokemon Go behind the wheel because it could lead to potentially deadly consequences. This week’s crashes involving the game should serve as a wake-up call to focus on the task of driving and not to be distracted.

“Driving is among the most dangerous activities that people do on a daily basis, and the last thing we need is to increase the number of distractions in the vehicle,” said Marilyn Buskohl, spokeswoman for AAA South Dakota. “One would think playing Pokemon Go while driving is so blatantly dangerous, a warning to drivers wouldn’t be necessary. Apparently, that’s not the case.”

Distracted driving is risky driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 3,000 deaths per year involve distracted driving, though the true number is likely far higher. The following statistics help put the dangers of distracted driving into context:
· Taking your eyes off the road for more than two seconds doubles your risk of a crash.
· When driving 55 miles per hour, five seconds with eyes off the road is equivalent to driving the length of a football field blindfolded.
· Distraction is a factor in nearly six out of 10 moderate-to-severe teen crashes.

Not only should Pokemon Go not be played while driving but motorists also need to be aware that others playing the game might enter an intersection or cross a street at an inopportune time. “Driving requires your full attention, and putting away your phone until you reach your destination could save your life,” said Buskohl. “Pedestrians playing the game also need to stay alert so they do not cross busy intersections while distracted.”

Crashes are not the only risks affecting drivers. Drivers playing Pokemon Go also could face jail time and fines. Most states, including South Dakota, have laws against distracted driving and every state has laws to prevent reckless driving. Motorists are likely to be pulled over by law enforcement if they are a threat on the road.

South Dakota lotto players won’t have to wait until a drawing is held to become winners with their Dakota Cash tickets with the addition of an instant win option approved today by the Legislative Rules Review Committee.

The EZ Match option allows people to instantly win up to $100 when they purchase their Dakota Cash ticket by matching EZ Match numbers to Dakota Cash numbers.

The South Dakota Lottery Commission unanimously approved the rules on June 2, 2016. With today’s action, the option will become available for purchase beginning on Aug. 28, 2016.

Players can purchase the EZ Match option for an additional $1 per play (bringing the cost of a Dakota Cash ticket with EZ Match to $2). The option can be added to a Quick Pick ticket or if choosing your own numbers, by marking the appropriate spot on a Dakota Cash play slip. With EZ Match, five numbers are randomly generated and will appear under the regular Dakota Cash numbers on the ticket. If any of the EZ Match numbers match any of the Dakota Cash numbers, the ticket holder instantly wins the prize amount shown on the ticket.

Norm Lingle, executive director of the South Dakota Lottery, says the new option merges the immediacy of a scratch ticket win with the anticipation of a lotto drawing win.

“We wanted to add something new and exciting to our in-state Dakota Cash game, something our players hadn’t seen before on our lotto games. EZ Match was a great way to give our players a scratch game and lotto experience on one ticket. You can instantly win cash with the EZ Match option and still go on to win additional prizes with the Dakota Cash drawing itself. It provides the perfect play experience for people who enjoy playing both types of games,” said Lingle.

The Dakota Cash game began in South Dakota in 1993. It’s the only game offered by the South Dakota Lottery that is played and won only in South Dakota.

Five people, including a baby, died in a crash west of White River on Sunday.

The Mellette County Sheriff’s Office says two vehicles collided at the intersection of Highway 44 and 63.

A pickup from Wisconsin was westbound on Highway 44 when it crashed with a vehicle carrying seven people. Five of the people in the car died. Their names have not been released pending notification of family.

The sheriff’s office said the pickup had the right of way as there is a stop sign on Highway 63.

Authorities are still investigating the crash.