Business, Free News Articles, VAR and IT Consulting

By Light Awarded $82M VA Contract

MCLEAN, Va. -- By Light Professional IT Services LLC (By Light) has been awarded the My HealtheVet (MHV) Development, Security and Operations (DevSecOps) contract by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Valued at $82M over five (5) years, this contract provides for the continued support and development of VA's Veteran-facing Electronic Health portal.

"Team By Light considers it an honor to continue our long and valued partnership with VA to provide innovative DevSecOps solutions to the MHV Program with a Scaled Agile and Digital Services Playbook approach," says Bill Sackewitz, By Light Senior VP for Digital Transformation. "Our team has invested heavily in DevSecOps, User Centered Design, and Lean Agile Product Delivery methods to hasten and improve value delivered to the customer. Our mission in By Light's Chief Strategy Office is to help our teams and our clients adopt new ways of working that lead to better user outcomes."

The MHV patient portal provides healthcare communications and coordination for millions of Veterans, caretakers, and providers. The MHV program is a nationwide initiative intended to improve the overall health of Veterans. It provides an eHealth portal, a secure environment where Veterans can view and manage their personal health record online and access health information, health assessments, and electronic services. Online health resources will enable and encourage patient/provider collaboration, as clinicians will be able to communicate with Veterans more easily.

The online environment will complement existing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) clinical business practices and be transformational in the way health care is delivered and managed. Like other VA systems MHV will eventually be integrated into VA.gov that will be accessible to Veterans from MHV, or other web portals as identified by the government.

"Our team has been supporting the development and expansion of MHV since 2012 and is dedicated to furthering the evolution of one of the U.S. Government's largest and most important technical programs benefiting those who have served," states Matt Bain, MHV Program Director at By Light. "We are very proud of our ten years of supporting MHV eHealth delivery capabilities and look forward to further deliver new and innovative solutions that support VA's Office of Connected Care ecosystem and improve the experience for Veterans and their care givers."

"We are happy to have By Light back and to continue the great work we have done together over the past decade," notes Greg Kirk, MHV Program Manager. "The MHV solution will continue to evolve with the DevSecOps contract, and the results will ultimately deliver better products and services faster to the Veterans."

About By Light:

By Light Professional IT Services LLC (https://www.bylight.com) headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is an ISO 9001, 20000-1, and 27001 registered and CMMI Level 3 rated systems integrator that provides innovative IT, infrastructure solutions, and full spectrum cyberspace operations for U.S. Federal and State Government Agencies. By Light has extensive success with VA and across the DoD, successfully implementing technical solutions that integrate commercial best practices to meet the needs of government.

Related link: https://www.bylight.com/

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Business, Defense and Military, Free News Articles, Insurance

TriWest Healthcare Alliance Receives Three Full URAC Accreditations for Quality Standards

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- TriWest Healthcare Alliance announced today it earned full URAC accreditations for its Health Utilization Management and Case Management programs, and full reaccreditation for its Health Network.

URAC is a Washington, D.C.-based health care accrediting organization, whose mission is to promote continuous improvement in the quality and efficiency of healthcare management through processes of accreditation, certification, education, and measurement.

Accreditation serves as a symbol of excellence. The accreditation standards establish key quality benchmarks for core business practices and managed care programs including network management, provider credentialing, utilization management, quality management and improvement, consumer protection and confidentiality.

"It is our honor and privilege to work at the side of the Department of Veterans Affairs in meeting the health care needs of Veterans in 28 states and the Pacific. We are grateful to the URAC representatives who took the time to examine our business practices and for validating that our health care network, utilization management and case management programs meet their rigorous standard of quality," said TriWest President and CEO David J. McIntyre, Jr. "By achieving these accreditations, the Veterans we are privileged to serve have further confirmation they are receiving the highest level of care and service in support of VA's noble mission of caring for those who have borne the price of the battle."

"To meet the growing demand to provide quality healthcare services at a reasonable cost, TriWest Healthcare Alliance distinguishes itself in the marketplace by having earned Health Network Accreditation from URAC," said URAC President and CEO Kylanne Green. "With rigorous standards created by a broad array of stakeholders, TriWest's independent accreditation from URAC demonstrates its commitment to bringing together qualified, credentialed, and well-managed providers for their patients."

TriWest's accreditations in utilization management and case management are effective June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2020. The effective period for the health network accreditation is now extended to August 1, 2020. This is TriWest's fifth consecutive accreditation for its health care network.

About TriWest Healthcare Alliance:

TriWest Healthcare Alliance serves our nation's heroes as the partner of the Department of Veterans Affairs in administering the Patient-Centered Community Care and Veterans Choice Programs. TriWest has been On a Mission to Serve(R) America's military families and Veterans since 1996 delivering award-winning customer service and providing access to high-quality health care. More information: https://www.triwest.com/.

About URAC:

Founded in 1990, URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality through accreditation, certification and measurement. URAC is a nonprofit organization developing evidence-based measures and standards through inclusive engagement with a range of stakeholders committed to improving the quality of healthcare. Our portfolio of accreditation and certification programs span the healthcare industry, addressing healthcare management, healthcare operations, health plans, pharmacies, telehealth providers, physician practices, and more. URAC accreditation is a symbol of excellence for organizations to showcase their validated commitment to quality and accountability.

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Defense and Military, Free News Articles, Insurance

TriWest Healthcare Alliance Proudly Salutes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) #BeThere Campaign

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- In September, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched its Be There campaign on its website to educate Veterans, Service members and those who care about them, of the vital role they play in preventing suicide. The campaign aims to raise awareness about behavioral health issues concerning our nation's Veterans, and encourages loved ones to Be There.

"As a partner to VA, TriWest's sole line of business is to ensure our nation's Veterans get the health care they have earned and deserve. We proudly stand in support of VA to keep the trajectory moving on this important initiative for the behavioral health care of our nation's Veterans," said Dave McIntyre, Jr., President and CEO of TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

Veterans and Service members have a valuable connection to resources and support through VA's Be There website and the Veterans Crisis Line. To learn more, you are encouraged to visit VA's Veterans Crisis Line website: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/.

The Be There website provides a wealth of knowledge about how you can support a Veteran or Service member. Whether it's a phone call to the Veteran's Crisis Line, checking in with a veteran to see how they are doing, assisting him or her with community resources, meeting for coffee, being a gym buddy or bringing a Veteran a meal to show you care - a simple act of kindness can help someone feel less alone and can save a life.

"Reaching out to a veteran is the most important thing anyone can do," said Dr. Blake Chaffee, Vice President of Integrated Health Care Service, TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

These are thoughtful actions that show support of Be There. Veterans, Service members, family members and health care providers can call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, or send a text to: 838255.

About TriWest Healthcare Alliance:
TriWest Healthcare Alliance serves our nation's heroes as the partner of the Department of Veterans Affairs in administering the Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) and Veterans Choice Programs (VCP). TriWest has been On a Mission to Serve(R) America's military families and Veterans since 1996 delivering award-winning customer service and providing access to high-quality health care. The company's official website is http://www.triwest.com.

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Defense and Military, Free News Articles, Insurance

PsychArmor Institute Launches TriWest Healthcare Alliance School for Health Care Providers

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- PsychArmor Institute and TriWest Healthcare Alliance announced today the launch of the TriWest Healthcare Alliance School for Health Care Providers, a suite of free online courses taught by nationally-recognized subject matter experts to prepare community health care providers to effectively deliver care to service members, veterans and their families.

With more than a dozen courses available to health care providers nationally, at no cost, the school provides critical insight into military and veteran culture and the latest research, treatment plans and trends on veteran-specific issues. For example, there is a specific course on "Suicide in the Military," with specific subject areas on behavioral health needs in this critical area. This course reviews the scope of the issue, statistics and risk factors, and explains interventions on how behavioral health professionals can address the problem with a veteran client.

More information can be found at: http://www.psycharmor.org/, by clicking on "TriWest School for Healthcare Providers," and choosing "Suicide in the Military."

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently released a report highlighting that, in 2014, an average of 20 Veterans a day died from suicide.

"There is a great need for community health care providers to continue their educational opportunities on military culture and the unique experiences and challenges of the veteran population," said Marjorie Morrison, CEO and founder of PsychArmor. "Our team is honored to partner with TriWest to provide this tool to help health care providers maximize the effectiveness of their treatment plans. The knowledge and insight within the courses is critical for civilian health care providers to connect with military and veteran patients."

Courses within the school range from "Building a Military and Veteran Practice" to "Post Deployment Issues," and address a myriad of cultural issues within the community, such as substance use and barriers to treatment. Additionally, the school provides a course on connecting with VA for providers interested in becoming a community-based provider for VA's Veterans Choice Program (http://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/).

The school, funded by TriWest Healthcare Alliance, includes free continuing education credit for modules in several disciplines.

"TriWest is humbled to be offered this unique opportunity to leverage our company's experience within the veteran, military and health care provider community to address veteran-specific issues and provide the best community care to this deserving population," said Dr. Frank Maguire, Chief Medical Officer of TriWest Healthcare Alliance and a 26-year Navy Veteran. "It is our distinct privilege to work collectively with PsychArmor on this important mission to ensure our community providers have the opportunity to gain valuable skills and insight in working with our nation's veterans."

Health care providers who take the courses will also have access to PsychArmor's "Helping You Help Veterans" Support Center; staffed by behavioral health professionals who are prepared to answer questions a provider may have about service members and veterans.

About PsychArmor:
PsychArmor is the only national institute of its kind, dedicated to bridging the civilian-military divide through free online education and a support center staffed with mental health experts.

PsychArmor recruits nationally recognized subject matter experts to create and deliver online courses about issues relevant to the military and veteran communities. Self-paced courses are delivered within six schools geared toward military culture, health care providers, employers, educators, volunteers, caregivers and families; providing critical resources to all Americans who work with, live with, and care about veterans.

About TriWest:
TriWest Healthcare Alliance serves our nation's heroes as the partner of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in administering the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) and Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) program. TriWest has been On a Mission to Serve(R) America's military families and Veterans since 1996 delivering award-winning customer service and providing access to high-quality health care. The company's official website is http://www.triwest.com/.

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