Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 - The Wiregrass Farmer, January 20,2016
Obamacare rattling businesses
Part of the federal Oba
macare package has increased
reporting duties for employers
like the Board of Education.
Among other things, the
school system has to turn in a
monthly report on what health
care insurance options are
available to employees.
“God, I hate it for you,” said
School Superintendent Jeff
McDaniel when discussing it
with the board last week. “This
has got businesses in a tail-
spin.”
The reporting is not the
problem. The penalties are the
problem, he said.
“The penalties are ex
tremely steep if we get it
wrong. It’s up to $2200 per
Care Alliance
Care Alliance was selected
as one of 100 new Medicare
Shared Savings Program Ac
countable Care Organizations
(ACOs), providing Medicare
beneficiaries with access to
high-quality, coordinated care
across the United States, the
Centers for Medicare & Medi
caid Services (CMS) an
nounced today. That brings the
total to 434 Shared Savings
Program ACOs serving over
7.7 million beneficiaries.
Formed by Tift Regional
Health System (TRHS), local
physicians and other providers,
Care Alliance will be one of
434 ACOs participating in the
Shared Savings Program as of
Jan. 1,2016. Doctors, hospi
tals and health care providers
establish ACOs in order to
work together to provide
higher-quality coordinated care
to their patients, while helping
to slow health care cost
growth.
“Healthcare organizations
must focus on specific areas to
reduce costs and benefit pa
tients,” said William T.
Richardson, TRHS
employee per month,” he said.
“If we miss somebody or don’t
put somebody in the right
place...”
Because of this, the superin
tendent recommended the
board contract with Shaw Han
kins, a company that special
izes in making these reports. It
will cost the school system
$5,600 a year.
“It is money well-spent. It is
a small fee to Shaw Hankins,”
he said. “There was a lot of
whittling down on that price.”
The first price was close to
$9,000.
It comes with a guarantee. If
the central office provides all
the right information and does
what Shaw Hankins says to do,
President/CEO. “The new
Care Alliance ACO will help
healthcare providers work
alongside one another and
more effectively communicate
amongst each other to treat pa
tients, whether it be in a hospi
tal, long-term care facility or in
an office setting. This will help
enhance coordination of care,
decrease healthcare costs and
provide incentives for
providers through the
Medicare Shared Savings Pro
gram.”
Beneficiaries seeing health
care providers in ACOs always
have the freedom to choose
doctors inside or outside of the
ACO. ACOs receive a portion
of the Medicare savings gener
ated from lowering the growth
in health care costs as long as
they also meet standards for
high quality care.
“People across America are
going to be better cared for
when they go to their health
care providers, because these
hospitals and providers have
made a commitment to innova
tion, a commitment to change
how they do business and care
Shaw Hankins will pay any
penalty.
“They said they assume lia
bility. If they mess it up, they
are responsible for any fee,”
Dr. McDaniel said. “We can’t
afford to get it wrong. A cleri
cal error, it doesn’t matter. It is
what they put in the report.”
“We can’t afford to not get
it right,” said Board Member
Ann Kendrick.
Dr. McDaniel said he plans
on having the contract for one
year. During that time he hopes
the central office will learn
how to do the reports. If not,
the contract can be renewed.
“It really protects the sys
tem,” he said.
for patients,” HHS Secretary
Sylvia Matthews Burwell said.
“Medicare, and the health care
system as a whole, is moving
toward paying providers based
on the quality, rather than just
the quantity of care they give
patients. The three new ACO
initiatives that are being
launched today mark an impor
tant step forward in this effort.”
Since ACOs first began par
ticipating in the program in
early 2012, thousands of health
care providers have signed on
to participate in the program,
working together to provide
better care to Medicare’s sen
iors and people with disabili
ties. The new and renewing
ACOs will bring approxi
mately 15,000 additional
physicians into the ACO pro
gram starting Jan. 1,2016.
ACOs are delivering better
care, and they continue to
show promising results on cost
savings. In 2014, they had a
combined total net program
savings of $411 million for 333
Medicare Shared Savings Pro
gram ACOs and 20 Pioneer
ACOs.
aims to improve healthcare
TRANSFER TO WESLEYAN
TO EARN YOUR BSN
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The deadline to apply for our Fall 2016
Nursing program is February 1. For further information,
please contact Brittney at 478-757-2830.
Financial aid and merit scholarships are available.
www.wesleyancollege.edu/nursing
WESLEYAN
NURSING
Believe, Learn, Serve
www.wesleyancollege.edu/apply
NOW OPEN
Liberty Tax held a ribbon cutting and reopening last week.
Michael Cling, interim police chief in Sycamore, is sworn in by mayor Wayne
Woodruff. New Public Works Director Shawn Dupree looks on.
SPD
(Continued from Page 1)
Chief Daabes’ tenure in
Sycamore has been turbulent,
almost since she was hired. At
one point Mayor Wayne
Woodruff asked for her resig
nation or the Council to fire
her.
SHERIFF ON THE CHIEF
After the meeting, Sheriff
Andy Hester spoke to the
Council about his department
and the Sycamore PD.
“I am going to get along
with whoever you have as
chief. My biggest friction will
be if you have someone who
doesn’t know what to do,” he
said. “Our ability to get
along... depends on their abil
ity to do the job. I want to get
along with whoever you hire.”
The sheriff said the new
chief needs to know the law
and have management experi
ence.
Councilman Galt-Brown
asked if Sheriff Hester, the
Ashburn Police Chief and
Sycamore Police Chief could
meet regularly to discuss law
enforcement in the community.
Ashburn is also looking for a
new police chief as James
Davis, on his second term as
chief in Ashburn, is fully retir
ing in March.
“We sit down and talk
often,” Sheriff Hester said of
Chief Davis. He said all Public
Safety departments in Turner
County meet together regu
larly.
That kind of cooperation
didn’t happen when Daabes
was in office in Sycamore.
“I don’t think she’d put me
out if I was on fire,” he said.
Mayor Woodruff said for
mer Chief Daabes had not
clocked in to work since Jan. 6.
“I do not know what is
going on. I have not known in
four months anyway,” he said.
DEPOSIT
(Continued from Page 1)
two simultaneous options:
• Direct Deposit
• Pre-loaded debit cards
“It takes a lot of man-hours
to run payroll and we are still
distributing paper check stubs
to everybody,” he said. “We
need a secure portal for people
to log into to get their stubs and
W2.”
Board member Sandra Blue
said she’s familiar with that
process.
“That’s what our company
changed to a few years ago.
They want you to have Direct
Deposit. It is a big savings. It
saves a lot of manpower,” she
said.
Cornelius Ball said, before
any change is made, the em
ployees need to be asked.
“It’s their check,” he said.
“That’s the point of starting
the process. It doesn’t mean it
goes anywhere,” Dr. McDaniel
said. “There are a lot of things
than can save time and money.
Every little bit helps in a tight
budget.”
DEBIT CARD
He wants the card option so
people who don’t have a bank
account won’t be forced to get
one.
“We’re not pushing any
body to have Direct Deposit,”
he said. “The pre-loaded debit
card will be loaded at the cen
tral office. You will see your
check on that debit card.”
If someone loses their card,
“there might be a small fee to
replace the debit card,” Dr.
McDaniel said.
NIPPER
(Continued from Page 1)
retirement presentation. Their
attendance pushed the meeting
room to beyond capacity as
people had to stand and kneel
in the room.
“The City was founded in
1891. The first employee we
had was Jerry Nipper,” joked
Mayor Wayne Woodruff. “I
have got to rag Jerry a little bit.
You don’t know how much I
appreciate him.”
Mr. Nipper’s pastor, Larry
Dean from Morningside Bap
tist Church, was also in the au
dience.
“To me, Sycamore is the
center of the earth. It is be
cause of the people. One of
those people is Jerry Nipper,
also known as Mr. Sycamore,”
Pastor Dean said. “If you get
past the gruff outside of him,
you find he’s got a heart as big
as Sycamore.”
For his part, Mr. Nipper was
very thankful for the gifts, the
people and the opportunity to
help people. That said, he also
noted he made some folks
upset.
“I cut a bunch of people’s
water off over 33 years. They
got mad at me,” he said. “I ap
preciate working here 30-
something years. I’ve been
through a few mayors and
quite a few councilmen. I had
my butt chewed out plenty of
times.”
POLICY CHANGE
On the occasion of Mr. Nip
per’s retirement, the Council
also changed the City’s person
nel policy. The “Jerry Nipper”
amendment allows someone
who has worked for the City
for 25 years or more to work
part time and have the City pay
for health insurance. It’s not a
requirement on the Council,
but an option.
HOUSING AUTHORITY
CITY OF ASHBURN
REQUEST FOR BIDS
The Housing Authority of the City of Ashburn is ac
cepting bids for lawn maintenance services. All in
terested bidders may pick up a bid package at the
Housing Authority located at 200 Perry Drive, Of
fice 412, Ashburn, Ga. between the hours of 7:30
A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday through Thursday.
Bids must be received at the Ashburn Housing Au
thority Office by 10:00 A.M. February 29, 2016.
Successful bidder must meet all eligibility require
ments set forth by the Housing Authority. The Hous
ing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all
bids.
