MHS Revenue Cycle Conference Delivers - MEPRS our first collaborative event with the UBO and UBU ......

Volume 8, Issue 1 November 2010Volume 8, Issue 3 May 2011

See MHS Revenue Cycle Conference on Page 2

Our third quarter offers an opportunity to reflect on the recent success of the 2011 MHS Revenue Cycle Conference, our first collaborative event with the UBO and UBU Program Offices. Thanks to everyone who took time to attend this enriching learning forum. The open track format fostered important interaction among Services and programs, and I am hopeful attendees gained a better understanding of how important their work is to the MHS. The goal of the Data Integrity curriculum was to help close the chasm between those who collect the data and those who use the data. I am confident our sessions helped bridge this gap. Our May issue offers a snapshot of conference highlights.

Our May issue also showcases recent improvements to the EAS IV Repository. The Defense Health Services Systems (DHSS) Office has been hard at work implementing measures to enhance the usability and efficiency of this central system. First, they have removed problematic data elements. Second, they have modified system programming to restore full functionality to various class combinations. We are excited to unveil these important improvements.

Finally, we use the May newsletter as a vehicle to bring visibility to MyMEPRS, an important upgrade to the MEPRS Information Portal. The TMA MEPRS Program Office introduced MyMEPRS in 2007 to enhance the user experience. We offer a refresher on this helpful feature and an overview of the MyMEPRS registration process. Become a MyMEPRS user today.

As Memorial Day approaches, please take a moment to recognize the brave service of our men and women in uniform and to remember the valor of the fallen. May we keep our Armed Forces in our thoughts during the beautiful holiday weekend. Enjoy the time with your families, and be well.

Patrick WesleyTMA MEPRS Program ManagerMMIG Chairman

The collaborative efforts of the TMA MEPRS Program Office, Uniform Business Office (UBO), and Unified Biostatistical Util-ity (UBU) paid off handsomely at the 2011 MHS Revenue Cycle Conference, held mid-March in Leesburg, VA. Roughly 100 MEPRS personnel joined staff from a cross section of disci-plines to explore their unique roles in MHS revenue recovery and budgeting.

Themed TEAMwork: Together Everyone Achieves More, the event was an unprecedented departure from the typical MEPRS conference experience. For the first time ever, participants had the opportunity to expand their MEPRS base while cultivating knowledge of their MHS counterparts. The curriculum featured a multi-track format that encouraged attendees to stretch their

MHS Revenue Cycle Conference Delivers

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Rachel Foster, Director of Financial Per-formance & Planning for Health Budgets & Financial Policy for TMA, delivers a thought-ful keynote addressing outlining MHS budget challenges and strategies.

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MHS Revenue Cycle Conference Highlights

EAS IV Repository Updates Complete

MyMEPRS Registration Perks

Useful Sites and Points of Contact

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learning horizons and reflect on how their daily responsibilities impact the MHS revenue process. Participants had the option to attend briefings exclusively in the Data Integrity track, which highlighted Data Quality Program and MEPRS initiatives, or to immerse themselves in novel learning material related to coding, billing, and the Medical Affirmative Claims (MAC) Program. The underlying objective was to underscore the importance each program office plays in the overall MHS financial landscape.

MEPRS unofficially opened the conference with an optional training segment devoted to data quality resources, including the MEPRS Early Warning and Control System (MEWACS), the Six Sigma MEPRS Management Metrics (S2M3), and the Consolidated Cost Report (CCR). The conference formally kicked off the following day with a dynamic keynote address from Rachel Foster, Director of Financial Performance and Planning for Health Budgets and Financial Policy at TMA. Ms. Foster delivered a thought-provoking briefing outlining MHS budget challenges that illustrated the complex interplay between MEPRS, UBO, and UBU activities.

Esteemed speakers illuminated the remainder of the week with their deep and broad expertise on a variety of topics. Presentations ranged the gamut from the Administrative Cost Efficiency (ACE) metric to the MEPRS Strategic Plan. To promote audience participation, the Data Integrity track offered panel sessions highlighting Internal Management Controls and the DQ Review List. Rounding out the curriculum were thoughtful discussions on the Performance Based Assessment Model (PBAM), depreciation, and the Realignment, Recapture, and Referral (Triple R) Tool.

Feedback suggests participants welcomed the joint conference format with enthusiasm. Survey results indicate they appreciated the collaborative spirit of the event and were enlightened by the perspectives of their peers. The cross-pollination of knowledge helped showcase how the goals of the various groups converge to support the greater MHS. The TMA MEPRS Program Office is exploring the possibility of embedding MEPRS training into future conferences of this kind or perhaps alternating between a separate MEPRS conference and combined experience. Stay tuned for details on other MEPRS learning opportunities at www.MEPRS.info. ☼

Conference Presentations

In continued support of green initiatives, this year’s conference did not offer printed presenta-tions. However, you can certainly do your own printing if you wish. Access Data Integrity track briefings from the 2011 conference link on the MEPRS Information Portal. These briefings provide a broad spectrum of information ranging from MEPRS fundamentals to complex MEPRS initiatives. To download briefings from other con-ference tracks, visit the UBO website at www.tricare.mil/ocfo/mcfs/ubo/index.cfm.

TMA encourages you to create your own refer-ence binder of these important materials. For those who missed the conference, here’s your chance to get the latest MEPRS information and learn a little about your MHS counterparts.

MHS Revenue Cycle Conference Continued from Page 1


David Fisher (Management Control & Financial Stud-ies), Patrick Wesley (MEPRS), Rachel Foster (Health Budgets & Financial Policy), DeLisa Prater (UBO), Michelle Gowan (UBO), and Dr. Steven Toney (UBU) smile for the camera after the conference keynote ad-dress.

Mona Bacon (Army) discusses Army initiatives at a session in the Data Integrity track. Patrick Wesley (TMA), Colleen Rees (Navy), and Darrell Dorrian (Air Force) also lent their exper-tise to the panel discussion. The interactive format encouraged meaningful knowledge exchange between speakers and attend-ees and brought several interesting issues to light.

Patrick Wesley provides introductory remarks during the conference kick-off session. Mr. Wesley recognized how the various program offices complement one another to sup-port the MHS revenue cycle. Mr. Wesley also participated in several panel discussions and facilitated a session highlighting the com-monalities of the UBO, UBU, and MEPRS Programs.

Attendees review basic anatomy in Jeanne Yoder’s coding session. The conference offered a flexible track format that allowed person-nel to explore billing and coding in addition to MEPRS. Themed TEAMwork: Together Every-one Achieves More, this year’s conference was a collaboration between MEPRS, the UBU, and the UBO Program Office.



The Army Strings ensemble entertains at-tendees at the conference wel-come reception. Attendees took advantage of the opportunity to connect with peers and learn about the various capabilities of vendors on-site.

Maurine Tapscott, Deirdre Baker, and Eric Meadows enjoy some down time at the conference social. All three graciously shared their MEPRS knowledge during the Data Integrity track. Ms. Tapscott delivered an informative presentation on the Triple R Tool, while Ms. Baker and Mr. Meadows tag-teamed for the MEPRS Hot Topics briefing. Ms. Baker also facilitated MEPRS Orientation and S2M3 sessions during the optional training workshop.

Michelle Gowan (UBO) and DeLisa Prater (UBO) pose with the Color Guard after opening ceremonies. The Color Guard presentation kicked off a week of briefings delivered by subject matter experts from a variety of disciplines.

David Fisher discusses the importance of data integrity dur-ing conference opening remarks. Mr. Fisher is the Director of the Management Control and Financial Studies division for TMA. His areas of expertise include managerial cost ac-counting policy, financial studies, business office policy, and program integrity operations.



EAS IV Repository Updates CompleteEAS IV Repository users, your query tasks just got easier. The Defense Health Services Systems (DHSS) Office recently implemented changes to improve system efficiency and accuracy. Here are some of the enhancements introduced.

MyMEPRS Registration Perks

Class 08 users can now include Skill Type Description in their reports. Prior to the system upgrade, the Skill Type Descrip-tion object in this class generated a context prompt.

Expenses in Class 20 are no longer inflated from double-counting of cost pools. Users can now rely on Class 20 as an accurate source of cost data.

Class 10 was originally configured to include an Assigned FTE object. However, that object yielded incorrect informa-tion because of a faulty system algorithm. To correct this issue, DHSS has removed the Assigned FTE element from Class 10. Rely on Class 07 for Assigned FTE information.

Feel free to include DoD SEEC Description in your Class 12 queries. The error previously associated with this object has been corrected.

Adding the DMIS Name object from Class 01 to queries based on Class 16 no longer produces erroneous data.

The Skill Type sub-class in Class 24 no longer triggers con-text prompts.

DHSS has corrected various corporate documents such as the EAS IV Repository Direct Expense Accepted Report and the EAS IV Repository Personnel Accepted Report. ☼

Haven’t joined MyMEPRS? Don’t miss out. MyMEPRS is an upgrade to the MEPRS Information Portal that gives you ac-cess to message boards, MEWACS query saving capabilities, and the valuable learning environment of the Five Minute MEPRS University (5M2U). Membership also places you on an e-mail distribution list so you can remain abreast of the latest MEPRS announcements. Registration takes only a few moments, so sign up today. Follow these simple steps to become a registered MyMEPRS user.

1. Select the MyMEPRS icon located on the right side of the MEPRS Information Portal home page.

2. Review and accept the license agreement, and enter your e-mail address.

3. Complete the personal profile page and create a password.

4. Hit Submit and sit tight. You will be notified by e-mail when your membership is approved. Approval sometimes takes a few hours, so don't panic if you don't hear some-thing right away.

Click the Contact Us button on the MEPRS Information Portal if you have any questions or need assistance. ☼

If you are already a MyMEPRS member but have forgotten your password, fret not. In fact, don’t even hassle with creating a new account. Simply click the Forgot your password? link to have your password e-mailed to you. Please allow 24 hours for a response.

If you have a MyMEPRS account but have recently changed locations, please use the Contact Us button on the portal to request an update to your personal information. There is no need to create an additional account when you move. Just contact the MEPRS support staff through the portal to have your MyMEPRS profile updated.


The MEPRS.INFOrmer is a publication of the TMA MEPRS Program Office. Please direct newsletter questions or story ideas to cindy [email protected].

Official correspondence may be sent to the TMA MEPRS Program Office at:

TRICARE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITYManagement Control and Financial StudiesSkyline 5–Suite 4075111 Leesburg PikeFalls Church, VA 22041

MEPRS Information Portal www.MEPRS.info

Air Force MEPRS website https://vc.afms.mil/AFMOA/SGA/SGAR/SGAR_MEPRS/default.aspx

Army MEPRS website www.ampo.amedd.army.mil

Navy MEPRS website www.med.navy.mil

Air Force Darrell Dorrian, USAF/SGYR [email protected]

Army Mona Bacon, MEDCOM [email protected]

Navy Colleen Rees, BUMED [email protected]

JTF CapMed Patricia Blunt [email protected]

TMA Patrick Wesley [email protected]

MHS Help Desk [email protected]

MHS Revenue Cycle Conference Delivers - MEPRS our first collaborative event with the UBO and UBU ......

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