Spotlight: NATIVE HEALTH of Phoenix CEO Walter Murillo
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Walter Murillo’s first connection to NATIVE HEALTH of Phoenix, 20 years ago, was as a volunteer. He has since served on the board of directors, was hired as medical clinic administrator, became chief financial officer, and is now chief executive officer. Since those early days, NATIVE HEALTH has grown from 15 to 180 employees and changed from primarily offering a Women with Infant Children clinic and public health nursing to providing a full menu of direct care.
NATIVE HEALTH has continuously grown by opening new locations to serve the community and adding new physical and behavioral health services. Today, the urban Indian health provider offers medical, dental, behavioral health, and wellness services.
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“Our purpose is to serve health needs in the community and to be a resource for community building. Our board had a vision to supply direct care and supplement services provided by Phoenix Indian Medical Center to serve the urban Indian population in Phoenix.”
– Walter Murillo, NATIVE HEALTH of Phoenix
CEO
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“Third-party billing has played a key role in our expansion,” said Murillo, adding that about half of NATIVE HEALTH’s revenue comes from third-party billing sources like Medicaid and private insurance, 25% comes from the Indian Health Service, and 25% comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration. Medicaid expansion in Arizona has helped more of NATIVE HEALTH’s clientele qualify for insurance.
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The next development for NATIVE HEALTH will be continuing to integrate behavioral, medical, and dental care to offer increased value-based care to serve the whole patient.
NATIVE HEALTH is also looking to open new locations, Murillo said. “One of the best things we do is to build partnerships in the community. We’re looking at new sites with nonprofits and tribes.”
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April: Spring into Action
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U.S. Senate holds hearing on opiods in Indian Country
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The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight held a hearing March 14, 2018, on “Opioids in Indian Country: Beyond the Crisis to Healing the Community.”
“Native American communities have been among those hit hardest by the opioid crisis,” said Committee Chairman Senator John Hoeven (ND). “The committee is dedicated to engaging with tribes to find ways to advance the federal government’s role in combating the dangers that opioid and other substance abuse present to tribal communities.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Indians and Alaska Natives had the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in 2015 (PDF, 300 KB, 16 pp).
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Behavioral Health Director Jolene George testified that in Washington State, American Indians and Alaska Natives die from opioid overdose at a rate 3 times that of White Washingtonians.
“On our Reservation, the deaths include members who were prescribed opioids as pain medication and accidentally overdosed. In the recent past, the Tribe experienced an overdose by a young mother and the death of a toddler—just two years old—who got into his parents’ opioid medication,” George testified. “We have grieving children, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who have lost family due to this scourge. Every family on our Reservation has been impacted by this epidemic.”
She added that the tribe is focusing on culturally appropriate treatment for members suffering from opioid addiction, best practices for prescribing opioids, and educating the community about how to recognize and respond to overdose—including using reversal medication.
There is hope for Native families suffering from opioid addiction. Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance offer coverage for substance abuse treatment.
Learn more
- The CMS brochure Native Communities Can Heal (PDF, 2 MB, 2 pp) focuses on services to address substance misuse and mental health issues.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's August 30, 2017, webinar Strategies Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Tribal Communities presented examples of how tribes are handling opioid abuse and information from the Indian Health Service National Committee on Heroin, Opioids, and Pain Efforts (HOPE).
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New Medicare cards start to arrive this month
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Example of a new Medicare card
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Starting this month, the Department of Health and Human Services will begin mailing new Medicare cards. Share the following reminders with Medicare beneficiaries.
- Their card will arrive in an envelope that will include a letter with instructions about how to use it.
- Protect their information. Medicare will never call patients and ask them for personal or private information. If anyone calls asking for personal information—like new Medicare numbers — Medicare beneficiaries should hang up and call 1-800-MEDICARE to report it.
- Their card may not arrive right away because new cards will be rolled out to different parts of the country between this month and April 2019.
To find out when the new Medicare cards may arrive in your community, refer to the CMS Medicare card mailing strategy (PDF, 63 KB, 1 p), which lists expected timeframes for different states and territories.
Example of a new Medicare card envelope
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Smoking down, but rate remains high among AI/AN adults
The proportion of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes has declined significantly since 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the smoking rate continues to be highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults, compared with other racial and ethnic groups.
Nearly a third of AI/AN adults (29%) smoke, according to CDC’s latest data. CDC reports smoking is least common among Asian adults (14%). Smoking rates among White, Black, and Hispanic adults are 18%, 20%, and 15%, respectively.
Life expectancy for smokers is at least a decade shorter than that for non-smokers, and secondhand smoke puts children and other family members at increased risk for death from lung cancer and heart disease. That’s why motivating smokers to quit the habit is so important.
You can help by connecting patients to stop smoking programs. These programs are an essential health benefit covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance.
The National Native Network’s Keep It Sacred campaign features resources with culturally relevant messaging for American Indians and Alaska Native communities.
The Keep It Sacred campaign quit line program provides participants up to 10 calls with a Native coach per smoking-cessation attempt and 8 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy. For more information, call 1-855-372-0037.
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Promote free alcohol misuse screening in April
April is Alcohol Awareness Month—the perfect time to encourage patients to get screened for alcohol misuse.
Alcohol misuse screening and counseling are free essential health benefits under Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance plans purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
The Indian Health Service’s American Indian/Alaska Native Behavioral Health Briefing Book (PDF, 17 MB, 66 pp) notes that almost 31% of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) reported binge drinking in the past month, compared to a national average of 25%, and that Native people are 5 times more likely than White people to die of alcohol-related causes.
Indian Health Service’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program offers resources to address AI/AN alcohol misuse.
The CMS brochure Native Communities Can Heal (PDF, 2 MB, 2 pp) focuses on services to treat AI/AN substance misuse—including alcohol abuse.
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New NIHB Zika resources for tribes
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) created posters and brochures about the Zika virus for tribal communities. These downloadable and customizable materials are part of NIHB’s Zika project and were developed with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The customizable brochures and posters have fillable fields where tribes can insert their own contact information.
Zika can primarily be transmitted through mosquito bites, from mother to unborn child, and through sexual activity. It is a serious health issue because it can cause birth defects when a pregnant woman passes the Zika virus to her baby.
Learn more about Zika at the NIHB Zika hub. It contains information about:
- NIHB Zika webinars
- frequently asked questions
- prevention planning and mitigation
- latest Zika news
- areas that may be affected
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CMS ITU trainings
These trainings are for business staff, benefits coordinators, medical records staff, and patient registration staff. They cover CMS Tribal Affairs updates, Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Health Insurance Marketplace, state-administered programs, Social Security, and Veterans Affairs.
Trainings in 2018
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Tribal Dental Therapy Advocates Call
April 12, 2018
Times:
10 a.m. Pacific
10 a.m. Arizona
11 a.m. Mountain
12 p.m. Central
1 p.m. Eastern
Call: 866-866-2244
Passcode: 1474964#
Learn more
The National Indian Health Board's Tribal Oral Health initiative is bringing together stakeholders from across Indian Country to explore solutions and develop recommendations to address oral health disparities in tribal communities.
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36th Annual Protecting Our Children Conference
April 15–18, 2018
Anchorage, AK
Learn more
This conference is one of the largest national gatherings on American Indian and Alaska Native child advocacy issues, focusing on tribal welfare and wellbeing. Participants represent a variety of fields and interests, including child welfare and mental health.
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2018 Healthy Kids! Healthy Futures! Conference
April 17–18, 2018
Albuquerque, NM
Learn more
This conference is for public health professionals who want to learn how to improve children’s health in their community.
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2018 Population Health Research Summit
April 17–18, 2018
Sioux Falls, SD
Learn more
The Collaborative Research Center for American Indian Health and the Center for Health Outcomes and Population Research have partnered to host this summit for researchers, tribal members, and health professionals.
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Webinar: Developing a Sexual Assault Response Team in Indian Country
April 18, 2018
Online
Learn more and register Bonnie Clairmont, Victim and Advocacy Project Specialist with the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, will present the challenges, successes, and importance of developing practices and protocols responsive to the immediate needs of adult victims of sexual assault. Continued medical education credit is offered.
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2018 Tribal Self-Governance Annual Conference
April 22–26, 2018
Albuquerque, NM
Learn more
The theme of this year's conference is "Self-Governance: 30 Years in Action." The conference includes trainings on working with federal agencies, reports on federal agency activities, and workshops on self-governance and health care.
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Tribal Public Health Conference 2018
April 25–26, 2018
Online
Learn more
The Tribal Public Health 2018 conference is a collaboration with 7th Generation and the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board. Participants will hear about current tribal public health topics impacting Native communities.
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Protecting Indian Health and Human Services Programs and their Beneficiaries Conference
May 15–16, 2018
Edmond, OK
Learn more (PDF, 732 KB, 1 p)
Learn about health care and grants management compliance for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds.
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2018 National Tribal Public Health Summit
May 22–24, 2018
Prior Lake, MN
Learn more
The National Indian Health Board is hosting a summit for public health professionals, elected leaders, advocates, and researchers. The conference theme, “Balance, Harmony, Culture, Health,” will feature solutions for Indian Country. Topics include:
- health promotion and disease prevention
- public health policy, infrastructure, and capacity
- substance misuse and behavioral health
- climate change and environmental health
- cancer prevention and treatment
Prior to the summit, a 2-day federal consultation will be held May 21–22 on “Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.” This session, put on by the National Institutes of Health, Indian Health Service, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is free.
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National Tribal Health Conference
September 17–20, 2018
Oklahoma City, OK
The National Indian Health Board is coordinating its 35th Annual National Tribal Health Conference at the Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center. More details will be available at a later date.
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About the Newsletter
Covering Indian Country is published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs to share resources, success stories, and best practices with the people who connect tribal communities to health insurance.
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