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TB Control Incentives Program
Health Care Provider Guidelines
Using Incentives and Enablers
Introduction
The Tuberculosis (TB) Control Incentive Program administered by the American
Lung Association of Wisconsin is designed to assist you with the treatment of
tuberculosis clients by providing funding to purchase incentives and enablers
that will encourage clients to complete therapy. The statewide incentive program
is federally funded by Center for Disease Control (CDC) through the State of
Wisconsin Division of Public Health's Tuberculosis Program and, therefore, must
meet specific criteria and guidelines.
The program is to be used primarily for clients who have active TB disease,
but it can also be used for clients on treatment for Latent Tuberculosis
Infection (LTBI) to encourage and reward them along the course of their
treatment. Being on medications for weeks, months, or in some cases, years, is
not easy. Everyone receiving TB treatment needs the support and encouragement of
their health-care workers. Experienced tuberculosis control programs have proven
that the minimal costs for providing incentives and enablers is well worth the
effort. Enablers and Incentives by the South Carolina Department of
Health and Environmental Control and the American Lung Association of South
Carolina, and Tuberculosis Nursing: A Comprehensive Guide to Client Care
by the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association both provide excellent
perspective on the delivery of meaningful care that encourages persons battling
tuberculosis to sustain their efforts.
Procedures
Enrollment
Enroll in the American Lung Association of
Wisconsin's Tuberculosis Control Incentive Program by filling out the
Tuberculosis Control Incentive Program Enrollment Form. Once you enroll, you do not need to re-enroll,
but please inform us of any contact information changes.
Send or fax the enrollment form to:
The American Lung Association of Wisconsin
Tuberculosis Control
Incentive Program Coordinator
13100 W. Lisbon Road, Suite 700
Brookfield, WI 53005
FAX: (262) 781-5180 Enrollment
Confirmation
After the American Lung Association of Wisconsin
receives your enrollment form, you will receive:
Welcome letter
Forms - Purchase log, disbursement record, reimbursement request, special
assistance form (make copies of the forms and retain the originals for
future use)
Start-up check of $100 to be deposited in your agency's account for initial
tuberculosis incentive/enabler purchases. The $100 start-up check is intended to
ease cash flow by providing you a base to draw upon. However, you will be
reimbursed for the incentive purchases. Essentially, allowing you to keep a $100
"cushion." Purchasing Incentives
Remember
that an incentive doesn't need to be expensive to be meaningful to a client. It
is important to base incentive purchases on your knowledge of the client and to
make them as personally meaningful to the client as possible. Listen to your
clients, and as you build rapport with them, learn their interests. This will
enable you to choose meaningful incentives for them. Begin right away with small
items while the nurse-client bond is forming. Most incentives cost under $10.
Since there are limitations to the funding available for this program, please
remember that all clients do not require incentives nor should incentives be
given at every encounter.
| Typical
items include: |
Items not
covered by the TB Incentive program: |
Pill minders
Food
Beverages
School supplies
Plants
Bus tickets
Gas
vouchers
Flowers
Birthday cards
Fishing lures |
Cigarettes
Cash
Alcohol
Gambling
Health Services
(x-rays)
Over-the-counter medications
Gift cards for places were the above
items could be purchased
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Funding and Special Requests
Sometimes, it may be
appropriate to spend a bit more on clients if:
They have a particular need.
They are contagious.
They need help paying rent so as not to become homeless.
They have reached an important milestone in treatment (completed one year of
therapy for multidrug-resistant TB). If such special cases
arise, clear your purchase first. Call the American Lung Association's TB Control
Incentive Program Manager, Michelle Mercure, at (262) 703-4845 to ensure the
availability of funding to fulfill your request. Complete and submit
the special request form.
Forms to be returned to the Lung Association
Step 1 -
Fill out the purchase log
itemize your incentive purchase and attach your receipts to the log. Make a
separate entry in the log for each receipt you submit. To receive reimbursement,
a purchase log with receipts attached must accompany each reimbursement request.
The forms and receipts can be submitted throughout the year; however, they must
be received before December 15 of each calendar year.
Step 2 - Fill out the disbursement record each time you provide an incentive to a
client. First, record the date the incentive was provided to the client. Then,
record the client's initials and the client's date of birth for client tracking
purposes (clients need not sign the record themselves). Make one check in either
the "Suspect/Active TB Case" or the "Latent TB Infection" column to indicate
what type of tuberculosis the client has. Indicate the type and approximate
value of the incentive used.
Step 3 Fill out the reimbursement request at the time you decide to request
reimbursement from the American Lung Association of Wisconsin. Indicate to whom
or what agency the check should be made payable, to whom the check should be
mailed, your agency name, and the correct mailing address. Indicate the total
amount you are requesting to be reimbursed (which should match the total amount
on the purchase log and be equal to the attached receipts). Sign and date the
request.
Program Cycle
The TB incentive program operates on a
calendar year cycle. You may submit the purchase log with attached receipts, the
disbursement record, and the reimbursement request to the American Lung
Association of Wisconsin anytime during the year, but no later than December 15.
You need not wait until you have spent the entire $100 to submit for
reimbursement, nor are you limited to only spending $100. The $100 start-up
check was intended to ease cash flow by providing you a base to draw upon.
To keep program administrative costs low and more funds available for
incentives, it is helpful if you hold reimbursement requests until you have
expensed more than $30-40. It's just not practical to send in a reimbursement
request for each little item separately. When the American Lung Association
receives the forms, your check will be processed within two to three weeks.
Submit all forms and receipts before December 15 of each calendar year so
that the American Lung Association of Wisconsin can track the clients served
within that year. This deadline is critical for your reimbursement. Activity
for December 15 to 31 may be carried over to the following year but any other
the expenses from past years can not be reimbursed.
You may discontinue participation in the Tuberculosis Control Incentive
Program at any time. Resignation from the program requires that the $100 used as
a base for the incentive account be returned to the American Lung Association of
Wisconsin accompanied by a letter clearly stating your agency's desire to resign
from participation in the program. Lack of activity in the Tuberculosis Control
Incentive Program does not mandate resignation from the program, as it is
understood that significant time periods may be experienced between tuberculosis
clients.
Throughout the year, the Lung Association will keep you updated on important
information. Call with your questions or concerns at anytime.
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