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July 21,1999
Page B2
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Seniors in 12 Countries to Be
Trained to Spot Medicare Fraud
to « --.11
se ll « a Mrrvzlii^t
p ro d u ct, dpfraiif
d e fra u d th e re
tire e o u t o f m oney o r sc o p e o u t the
h o u se for a fu tu re b u rg lary .
A s m u c h as 10 p e r c e n t o f
M e d ic a re ’s $ 1 9 6 b illio n an n u al
b u d g e t has been lo st to frau d . P ack
say s, alth o u g h the fed e ra l e ffo rt o f
w h ic h O reg o n is a p a rt h as cu t
lo sses by m o re th an a th ird . O ff i
c ia ls estim ate th at $23 is sa v ed fo r
ev e ry a n ti-frau d d o lla r spent.
S e n io rs can re p o rt M e d ic a re
b illin g ab u ses by c a llin g th e S e
n io r an d D isa b led S erv ice s D iv i
sio n (800 2 3 2 -5 2 6 9 ). P o rtlan d -
are a se n io rs in te re ste d in v o lu n
te e rin g for the “ M e d ic a re frau d
sq u a d ” m ay call V ic k i H e rse n at
(5 0 3 ) 823-5269.
T h is in fo rm a tio n h as b e e n e n
th u s ia s tic a lly re c e iv e d in ev e ry
a re a w h ere w e ’re g o n e ,” P a c k
sa y s. “ I ’m a m a z e d a t th e n u m b e r
o f w e ll-in fo rm e d c o n s u m e rs w h o
ush Snubs 6,000
Minority Journalists
a
T raining will begin soon to help
M edicare beneficiaries in 12 O regon
counties - including the Portland
m etro area - to identify and repot
billing fraud that annually costs b il
lions o f dollars.
T h e effo rt, p art o f a federal in i
tiative to cu t M edicare fraud, w aste
and abu se, is supported by $220,00
in n ew ly a n n o u n c ed federal grants
to O re g o n .
T h e g ra n t w ill be u se d to train
re tire d p ro fe ssio n a ls su ch as la w
y e rs p h y sic ia n s, te a c h e rs and a c
c o u n ta n ts to teach o th e r se n io rs
how to id e n tify and rep o rt M e d i
ca re frau d . T he first tra in in g is
sc h e d u le d in K lam ath F alls on
m ent o f H um an Resources.
"W hen the system is abused we
all lose - both current beneficiaries
who have less money for services
and people w ho hope to use M edi
care in the future.”
Among the tips:
Treat your M edicare card like a
credit card, never giving the num ber
to anyone you d o n ’t know.
Keep track o f your health-care
appointments so you can com pare
services with those on your Medicare
monthly statement. “The people who
receive those statements are our first
line o f defense/,” Pack says.
Bew are o f sales people who say
July 13.
“ W hen you have a com plicated
they w ork for M edicare.
In O reg o n , Pack say s, p eo p le
claim ing to represent M edicare call
system w ith a lot o f money, some
people will always try to exploit it,”
says G ayL ynn Pack, project m an
ager for the Senior and D isabled Ser
vices D ivision in the Oregon D epart
saying th ey w an t to set up an ap
p o in tm en t to ta lk ab o u t life in su r
ance. “ M e d ica re has no c o n n e c
tio n w ith life in su ran c e,” she says,
alth o u g h the c alle rs can u se a v isit
sh o w u p .”
Differences on HMO Bills
B> T k i
A s s o c ia t i » P u s s
D iffe re n c e s b e tw e e n S e n a te
D em ocratic and Republican versions
o fa “patients’bill o f rights, as shown
in votes Thursday, all won by R e
publicans: W H O IS CO V E R E D ?
D em ocrats. W ould have covered
all A m ericans who have private health
insurance — an estim ated 161 m il
lion people.
R epublicans: M any provisions
only apply to 48 m illion Americans
w ho are in plans that are regulated
only by federal law. This includes
greater access to em ergency room s,
specialists, medications and the right
to choose a health plan that allows
them to use doctors w ho are outside
a defined network. RIGHT TO SUE
D em ocrats: W anted to let patients
w ho are harm ed by the denial o f care
sue their health insurance com panies
and collect damages. C urrent law
only allow s patients to recoup the
cost o f denied treatments.
R epublicans: No new rights to
sue. O BSTETR IC IA N S A ND G Y
N ECO LO G ISTS
D e m o c ra ts: W o u ld h a v e le t
w om en see O B-GYN doctors w ith
out prior approval and designate them
as a prim ary care physicians.
Republicans: Allow women to see
them w ithout prior approval, but not
to designate them as prim ary care
doctors. Only applies to federally
re g u la te d p lans. E M E R G E N C Y
RO O M CARE
D em ocrats: W anted to require
health plans to pay for reasonable
care even i f the hospital is outside the
network. T hat includes care needed
to stabilize patients and follow-up
care after they are m edically stable.
Republicans: Altered provision to
m ore closely m atch D em ocrats, but
only applies to federally regulated
plans. CLIN IC A L TRIALS
Democrats: W ould have required
health plans to pay the routine health
care costs associated w ith clinical
trials.
Republicans: Only included can
cer patients. M ED IC A L N EC ES
SITY
D em ocrats: W ould have given
doctors m ore say over w hat care is
provided by forcing health plans to
pay for m edically necessary care.
They defined that as care consistent
w ith generally accepted principles o f
professional m edical practice.
Republicans: A llow plans to con
tinue determ ining w hat care is m edi
cally necessary. M A STEC TO M Y
Democrats: R equired that health
plans pay for overnight hospital stays
if doctor and patient w ant it.
R ep u b lican s: A d d ed v irtu a lly
identical provision. U nlike other as
pects o f the G O P bill, applies to all
A m ericans w ith private health insur
an c e, about 161 m illio n people.
CO N TIN U ITY OF CA RE
Dem ocrats: A llow patients who
are pregnant or undergoing a course
o f treatm ent to keep their doctors for
90 days, even if the doctor leaves the
network.
Republicans: Sim ilar, but only
A lth o u g h G O P p r e s id e n tia l
w annabe G eorge W. Bush w as in
Seattle on a cam paign sw ing, he has
no plans to attend the U nity ’99 con
ference - the second jo in t confer
ence o f the Asian A m erican Journal
ists Association, the N ational A sso
ciation o f Black Journalists, the N a
tional A ssociation o f Hispanic Jour
nalists, and the Native American Jour
nalists A ssociation - w hich is cur
rently being held in Seattle.
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political
an aly st from th e the C larem o n t
an aly st from th e the C larem o n t
T here’s a new place to get videos
in
n o rth
P o rtla n d .
K a is e r
P erm anente’s n ew est H ealth R e
source C enter at its Interstate M edi
cal Office South offers inform ational
videos to help people cope w ith life
and preserve health.
“We have videos on everything
from overcom ing depression to deal
ing with diabetes, ’ says John C hen.
M D, who directs m edical care for
K aiser Perm anente in north and cen
tral Portland. K aiser P erm anente
m em bers may check out videos for a
three day period. A nyone from the
com m unity is w elcom e to view vid
eos in the H ealth R
esource Center.
Resource
Center
applies to patients w ho are pregnant,
term inally ill or institutionalized.
T A X C H A N GES
D em ocrats: N o provision.
Republicans: A llow people who
are self-em ployed to deduct the cost
o f health insurance and create a new
deduction for long-term care. A llow
m o re m ed ical sav in g s acco u n ts,
w hich let people to set aside m oney,
tax-free, to pay for routine care if
they buy a high-deductible insurance
policy in case o f an em ergency. A P
com m unity events."
In 1997, O SU w as asked to de
velop a plan to expand the Central
O regon U niversity C enter, R isser
s said.
a id A
A linO
lthough
U R ii that
u ia i plan
p ia u w
**<“
as not
funded, it becam e apparent that O SU
a
has m any o f the program s needed by
the central O regon residents.
As one o f eight OSU facilities in
central Oregon, the new Bend office
will serve as O SU ’s headquarters for
the region. W hile the degree programs
and advisers will remain based at the
University Center, the new office will
be a training facility for non-degree
programs and a community center with
rooms available for use by community
organizations. It will also be a focal
O regon’s educational future.
T hat report indicated that the pri
mary educational needs o f the region
w ere jo b and industry-related train
ing. It also recom m ended creating a
new entity to offer degree com ple
tion opportunities in liberal arts.
O regon has been offering liberal
arts courses in Bend through its dis
tance education program since 1981,
and now offers four bachelors de
grees: liberal studies, environm ental
sciences, general agricultural, and
natural resources. The program in
cludes over 140 courses delivered in
a variety o f w ays-over Internet, indi-
i i vidualized
1 1 w i t h courses
orotessor.
w ith professor,
and video and on-site courses held at
the U niversity Center.
Since 1991, m ore than 80 stu
dents have graduated with a degree
from O SU w hile living in central
-------
-
O regon. A bout 40 OSU faculty lives
_a __
_1.— in the central Orponn
and
w orks
O regon rp-
re
gion, w ith another 20 in Corvallis
w orking directly w ith distance edu
cation students across Oregon. C en
tral O regon is hom e to over 2,300
O SU alum ni and 380 current OSU-
C orvallis
irvaiiis « students.
u w iiw .
OSU Central Oregon will be guided
by the knowledge and expertise o f an
advisory board representing the tri-
county area. The board is com prised
o f education, business, civic, and cul-
D r. C h e n e x p la in s th a t th is
H ea lth R e so u rce C e n te r, th e n ew
est o f K a is e r’s th ree h e a lth lib ra r
ies, p ro v id e s cu rre n t h e a lth and
w elln ess in fo rm atio n in a v arie ty
o f fo rm a ts. V isito rs ca n s e le c t
h ea lth ed u c a tio n h an d o u ts, in v e s
tig a te referen c e b o o k s, a c ce ss CD
RO M in form ation, ex p lo re internet
reso u rce s, b u y b o o k s, o r p ic k up a
h e a lth e d u c a tio n c a ta lo g . T h e
H ea lth R e so u rce C e n te r is o p en to
th e en tire co m m u n ity .
“This resource center w ill help
K aiser Perm anente m em oers
bers anu
and lo-
io-
cal residents alike learn about alm ost
any health topic under the sun,” says
any heaitn topic u n u e . u .e » u ..,
Dr. Chen. “ W hen people know more
about a particular condition or health
in general they can becom e more
active partners in their ow n health.”
K aiser Perm anente m em bers can
also leant how to get certain health
services on-line, such as prescription
refills and non-urgent m edical ques
tions answ ered by return e-mail.
The H ealth Resource C enter will
be open M onday through Friday, 9
a m. to 6 p.m. A day-long public
celebration to mark the center’s open
ing will be held T hursday, July 22.
The
located
* center is -------
-- on the
— ground
floor o f the m edical office at 3500 N .
Interstate A venue in Portland
™ -
Community Court Project
egins New Schedule
TheC om m unityC ourtprojectw ill
begin a new schedule designed to give
, _ _________
defendants
m ore „ specialized a«.»«-
atten
tion and free up judicial resources.
Defendants, their attorneys and a so
cial services coordinator will be at the
Court from 10:00 am to 12.00 pm.
D
uring this tim e, defendants
détendants will
w in be
oe
During
able to talk to their attorneys and m eet
PEALS
Both require health plans to allow
p a tie n ts to ap p e al d e n ia ls, first
through an internal process and then
to experts outside the plan. But Re
publicans w ould only allow for ap
peals based on m edical necessity,
not procedural issues. IN FO R M A
TIO N D ISCLO SU RE
Both require h ealth insurance
com panies to disclose details about
w hat they cover and how they oper
point for alumni and athletic events,
have OSU admission information, and
OSU promotional items for sale.
O SU has been a part o f central
O regon since 1914, w hen the Exten
sion Service w as established. The
current expansion w as stim ulated by
the region’s growing interest in bach
elors degree program s and graduate
studies, and by a report published
early last year by the Education Team
100, w hich was form ed in O ctober,
1997, to b eg in sh a p in g c e n tra l
B ush’s snub:
“ H e’s going out o f his way to
avoid uncontrolled situations with
journalists. I’m not sure h e ’s ready
for prim e before aggressive report
ers, and 1 think he know s it."
“It m ay not be racially motivated,
but his refusal to show up here and to
be in town at the same tim e will have
racial significance. In light o f his
expressed interests in uivcisny,
diversity, nv
he
has missed a great opportunity to m eet
and greet the people who will define
him to minority com munities for the
year to com e,” said Charles Ogletree,
a professor at Harvard Law School.
“ I guess w e’re not green,” said
E.R. Shipp o f the NABJ. “ Even just
a walk by and a w ave to ju st show us
som e o f his ‘com passionate conser
vatism ’ w o u ld n 't be so bad.”
Although all presidential candi
dates were invited to address the con
ference, only the Democratic candi
dates ..........
former Senator Bill Bradley
,
and Vice President A1 G ore accepted.
Kaiser Permanente Opens Health
Resource Center In N Portland
. . .
. • .
i___ a.»:.
with the coordinator to have their
social services needs assessed. Court
proceedings will begin at 1:00 p.m.
Representatives from local social ser
vices aeencies will be at court at that
ate.
OSU Prepares Central
Oregon Program E
O regon State University is sig
nificantly expanding its educational
offerings in central O regon w ith a
new facility in Bend, enhanced de
gree program s and other im prove
m ent to m eet the higher education
needs o f this rapidly grow ing region,
officials announced today.
M ore seminars and workshops,
faculty lectures, cultural events, ap
plied research in collaboration with
local business and industry, improved
Extension services, alumni programs
and athletic activities will all be pos
sible through this facility and the new
O SU Central O regon initiative, said
Paul Risser, University President.
“ T his is a response to the grow ing
num ber o f requests w e have for addi
tional program s and classes in the
region,” R isser said. “ W e intended
to fully participate w ith the U niver
sity C enter and deliver classes at
Central O regon C om m unity College.
B ut our new facility w ill provide
easier access to non-CO CC students
and professionals seeking credit or
non-credit educational opportunities
It w ill be a place for our sta ff to w ork,
• t*
_«r « « 4
to hold sem inars, and for alum ni and
G raduate U niversity in California,
offered the follow ing insight into
tural leaders from within central O r
egon, and members will serve as the
president’s council on local academic
needs and com munity issues.
The OSU Oregon Advisory Board
m em bers are Knute Buebler, Bend
O rth o p ed ic and F ractu re C linic,
Bend; Jody Calica, W arm Springs; I
C laudia Campbell: se lf -employed
farm er, M andras; Jim C arnahan,
D avid Evans and A ssociates, Bend; ‘
Bruce D aucsavage, O choco Lumber
Co., Prinville; Bob Eberhard’s Dairy,
Redm ond; Bob G rim , High D esert j
_
.
. .
i- _____ :_ i
time. Based on their earlier social
services assessment and convemations
w ith the judge,
with
iudee. defendants will be
paired with appropriate social service
•
r ^ \ ______ u.trpp-
providers.
Chronic nuisance agree
ment negotiations will be held at 4:15
p.m Com m unity service sentences
will
out in the
wm continue
eunui.uv to
w be carried
~------------
North/Northeast Portland comm units
This r.oM/cf'hpdnIe
new schedule will freeuDaiudge
free up a judge
for a full m orning, something the pre
vious schedule did not allow. The
Com m unity Court Project continues
to e ro w to se rv e th e n e e d s o f
X4..1.
M ultnom ah
County communities. In
addition to court proceedings, legal
services, social ---------------------------
services and a mentor
program at the N/NE Court, plans are
nnHerwav
underw ay to
to develop
develop Com
C om m m unity
unity
Courts to serve other parts o f Port
land. Southeast Portland planners have
received a pledge o f funds from the
Bureau o f Justice A ssistance start a
C om m unity Court this winter. Plan
ners on the west-side o f Portland are
exploring the opportunity for devel
opm ent o f a Com m unity Court to be
operational in late 2000.__________
This kid’s got a
record!
his grades
GJEJGJ
Pablo knew in a couple of years he would
be ready for college. He also knew it would be
tough to afford. He even thought about dealing
drugs to pay for it. Fortunately for Pablo, two
community policing officers took him under
their wing. They steered him to counselors and
programs that could help him pay for college.
Now the only record he’ll have is his grades.
D istributors, Bend; A ndy Homan,
B end P o lice D ep artm en t, B end;
Loren Irving, D eshutes Pine Sales,
Bend; M ary Krenowicz, S.S. Johnson
F o u n d atio n , R edm ond; M atthew
M cCoy, Central O regon Com munity
College, Bend; Charlie Miller, Miller
Lumber, Redmond; Claude and Jean
N ave, retired, Black Butte; Curt
Olson, Seaswirl Boats, Culver; Stacie
Pirtle, Jeld-W en, Bend; and Ron
W ilkinson, Bend-La Pine School
D istrict, Bend.
Melanie Fahrenbruch, O SU ’s Pro
fessional Development Coordinator,
will spearhead the University' s involve
ment inCentral Oregon. Previously, she
was a chamber executive in Corvallis
and F t Collins, Colo. In her current role
with SU, she has been designing profes
sional development training programs
for employers statewide.
Fahrenbruch conducted an assess
ment o f the needs ofmajor employers in
the region. She will represent the Uni
versity through links to the region’s
business, political and civic leaders,
serve as a resource to academic and
administrative units who either offer or
---------------
arc developing programs in C entralOr-
egon, and serve as a liaison to Extension
Service staff and office in the region,
A search for a perm anent director
will begin soon.
I
G)
LESS C R IM E IS
NO ACCIDENT
It takes you — and programs that work.
Call 1-800-WE PREVENT, and we ll send
you a free booklet on how you can support
programs in your community that keep kids
away from crime and crime away from kids.