The Sicangu Lakota Oyate, also known as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (RST), is one of the 574 federally recognized American Indian tribal governments in the United States. The Sicangu are one of the seven Lakota tribes, which together with all Dakota and Nakota tribes compose the Oceti Sakowin (translated directly in English as the “Seven Council Fires” and also known as the “Great Sioux Nation”). The RST is a native sovereign nation located on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The RST Health Administration is the tribal government agency created for overseeing the master 638 agreement and responsible for administering and overseeing tribal health and public health services. The RST Health Administration desires to evaluate, identify, and implement various processes for improvement of their healthcare delivery system as presently contracted with the Indian Health Service. The RST Health Board, tribal Health Director, and other representatives from key stakeholders will also examine whether the Redesign and Consolidation of any PFSA’s are likely to better meet the needs of the tribal community or otherwise improve health outcomes. Two primary partner organizations who will act as consultants under the proposed project are Tribalhealth Alliance and Native Command Consulting, both 100% Native-owned companies that specialize in providing services to tribal communities.
The overall goal of the project is to define, develop and improve the RST Health Administration management structure that pertains to; a) restructure and improvement of the business processes, billing and coding for covered services of Medicare and Medicaid, b) improving the SUD staff credentialing processes, enhancing quality improvement, and preparing for accreditation through Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), c) developing a Strategic Health Services Plan through conducting an extensive Community Health Needs Assessment, and d) establishing a tribal specific Institutional Review Board (IRB) to participate and guide studies and research within their tribal community. To develop internal capacities among leadership the Tribe will establish a Core Management Team (CTM) to provide oversight to consultants and work product recommendations.
