HHS has activated additional components of the National Disaster Medical System, or NDMS, to help U.S. hospitals that are providing care to victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.
According to an announcement from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the activation will allow U.S. hospitals to treat Haitian patients evacuated with life-threatening injuries from the earthquake to receive federal reimbursement for the costs they incur. In its news release, USAID encouraged accredited hospitals—usually with 100 or more beds and located in large U.S. metropolitan areas—to enter into a voluntary agreement with NDMS. Those hospitals that do commit to a number of acute beds and admit NDMS patients are guaranteed reimbursement of 110% of Medicare rates. USAID said the first NDMS flight could leave as early as today.
HHS has worked with the government of Haiti and international partners to provide care, and previously activated the field medical care component of NDMS, which allowed about 270 health and medical personnel to deploy to the island nation as part of disaster medical assistance teams. The teams have seen more than 23,000 patients, performed 98 surgeries and delivered 28 babies since they began providing care on Jan. 17, USAID said.
“States have been tremendous partners in the response effort to the devastating earthquake in Haiti,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in the news release. “This is part of our larger strategy, working with the government of Haiti, as well as in the U.S. and other countries, to help Haitians who need critical medical assistance.”
What do you think? Post a comment on this article and share your opinion with other readers. Submit your comments to Modern Healthcare Online at
mheditorial@modernhealthcare.com. Please be sure to include your hometown and state, along with your organization and title.
