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TAHLEQUAH, OK — Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) health employees participated in a three-day course last month to improve their understanding of the eligibility requirements and benefits of state and federal programs so they could better explain the programs to patients. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services conducted the course, which instructed employees in the intricacies of Medi-gap, Medicaid, Medicare and Medicare-C programs.

"Last year we received training from the state on SoonerCare and concentrated on enrolling eligible patients", said Regina Christie, administrative officer with Cherokee Nation’s health division. "Upon completion of this 20-hour training, we’re now certified volunteer counselors." Certification came from the office of Carrol Fisher, state insurance commissioner, and was awarded to Cherokee Nation Health Service Patient Benefit Advocates, Managed Care staff and staff from the tribe’s Human Services Division.

"One of the challenges the tribal health system faces is the need to keep Medicaid and Medicare eligible patients enrolled in these programs so that we can stretch the funding we receive to provide care from our clinics", said Mim Dixon, executive director of the Cherokee Nation’s health division. "Having our employees trained in the way the state of Oklahoma operates the programs helps us help our patients."

During the last six months alone, over four thousand new patient charts have been established at the Cherokee Nation’s six outpatient health clinics in Stilwell, Sallisaw, Jay, Salina, Nowata and Muskogee, Oklahoma. This does not include the new patients of the two Indian Health Service hospitals at Tahlequah and Claremore, but does clearly indicate that the number of patients seeking health services from the tribal system continues to increase.

Increased patient load combined with under-funding of tribal health systems in Oklahoma by the Indian Health Service makes providing even the most basic health services to eligible patients a formidable task.

"We will continue to work with the state health insurance programs to increase patient eligibility so that we can maximize any available resources to help people get the health care they need", said Dixon. Third-party reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance accounted for 14% of the tribe’s health budget in 1998, and efforts to increase collections will continue.