The Cost of Implementing a Combined Advice and Triage Line: Irwin Army Community Hospital
Abstract
Under the current contract between the Department of Defense TRICARE Support Office and TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Corporation, TriWest is required to provide a telephonic self- intervention or self-care program. This requirement is currently being met through a subcontract with Optum NurseLine for the TRICARE Line for Care, a 24 hour nurse advice line. The same contract requires Irwin Army Community Hospital (IACH) to provide patients with 24 hour access to a Primary Care Manager. This study researches the cost of implementing a 24 hour combined advice and triage line at IACH in order to fulfill both of these requirements. The projected cost was determined by the anticipated call volume, necessary staffing, cost of the staffing, and the cost of purchasing a developed software program. The annual cost of implementing this service would be $437,567. This cost shared by IACH and TriWest, with IACH funding an amount equal to the cost of the current triage line ($144,628). The remainder ($292,939) is the amount for which TriWest could subcontract with IACH to meet their contract requirement. This cost was found to be competitive with other services as reported in current literature. The benefits to the patients of IACH are discussed along with the importance of patient satisfaction under enrollment based capitation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA372095
Entities
People
- Laura R. Trinkle
Organizations
- Academy of Health Sciences