Field Visits - Headquarters Amend.1
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Public Health Service
Health Services Administration
Indian Health Service
Rockville, Maryland
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE CIRCULAR NO. 79-01 Amendment 1
FIELD VISITS - HEADQUARTERS
| Sec. | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Purpose |
| 2. | Procedure |
| 3. | Trip Report |
| 4. | Effective Date |
| 5. | Supersedure |
- PURPOSE. To establish policy and procedures relative to field visits by Headquarters personnel.
- PROCEDURE. Personnel planning trips to Area/Program Offices or other field installations of the Indian Health Service are requested to submit their request for travel to the Associate Director for Administration, IHS, 10 working days in advance of such proposed visit. The request should include the name of the traveler, place, date and purpose of visit (see attached example). This information will enable the IHS to better coordinate visits to Area Program Offices and to arrange visit schedules with concern for the workload and plans of Area Offices. This will also permit other Headquarters? Divisions and Offices to use the traveler in carrying out assignments for them.
The Associate Director for Administration, IHS, will circulate this schedule to each Division and Office Director.
Notification to the Area/Program Offices should be made at least a week in advance of the trip. Memorandum of notification may be signed by the Director or Chief of Division, Office or Branch for employees of the IHS. In those instances where non-IHS employees are authorized to make visits to IHS Area/Program Offices the IHS Official coordinating such visit shall prepare a memorandum of notification to the Area for the signature of the Director, IHS, or his designate.
- TRIP REPORT. As soon as possible after conclusion of field trips, a report should be prepared by each traveler indicating recommendations made and actions taken thereon while in the field, problems discussed on which further action is required either by the field or the Headquarters office and recommendations of the traveler regarding the problems. Trip reports should be transmitted through the traveler?s supervisor to the Director of the field location or organization visited.
- EFFECTIVE DATE. This procedure will be effective on signature.
- SUPERSESSION. IHS Circular No. 79-1 is superseded.
Emery A. Johnson, M.D.
Assistant Surgeon General
Director, Indian Health Service
| MEMORANDUM |
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE |
|---|
DATE:
| TO: |
Headquarters Personnel
|
|---|---|
|
FROM:
|
|
| SUBJECT: | Pre-Trip Staff Paper - |
PURPOSE
ITINERARY
CONTACTS
REQUESTED ACTION
MAY 10, 1992
| TO: |
Associate Directors Executive Staff
|
|---|---|
| FROM: |
Director of Headquarters Operations
|
| SUBJECT: | Headquarters Staff Visits to Area Offices, Service Units, Tribal or Urban Programs -- ACTION |
ISSUE
The purpose of this memorandum is to implement an interim policy and procedures for the Indian Health Service (IHS) Headquarters staff visits to Area Offices, Service Units, and Tribal or Urban programs. This policy requires Headquarters staff to coordinate their visits with the appropriate Area Director.
DISCUSSION
Over the past several months, most Area Directors have expressed concern about how some Headquarters staff conduct business at the Area level. Of particular concern is the failure to provide the Area Director with advanced notice and purpose of the visit. Certain Headquarters staff are mentioned more frequently, and I will communicate directly with the appropriate Associate Director about them.
As IHS Headquarters has assumed more Agency oversight responsibilities, careful coordination with the Area Directors has become imperative. In the reorganization of IHS from a Bureau to an Agency, it was envisioned that the Area Offices would assume the organizational level of "Bureaus", and the Area Directors would assume bureau director status, enhancing their line authority and responsibilities for the management and operations of their respective Areas.
Headquarters staff have several responsibilities that must be carried out for our central mission when working with the Areas:
- Provide program and technical assistance in support of the IHS objectives and the Areas' health service delivery programs and functions;
- Assist the Areas to improve and change program and administrative/management systems, so that they are in compliance with principles of FMFIA, and in total support of our mission; and
- Conduct Internal Control Reviews in accord with our policies, again with the purpose of improving performance of our mission, and with a view towards assistance and support of our line management function.
ACTION
When Headquarters Staff visit Area Offices, Service Units, Tribal or Urban programs, they will provide the Area Director advance notice and purpose of their visit. Headquarters travel will clearly provide "value added" support to the IHS mission, including oversight functions. Headquarters staff will conduct a closeout conference with the Area Director or his/her designee, and, within 2 weeks, provide the Area Director a written trip report highlighting contacts, discussions held, actions taken, recommended actions, and status of followup and action.
When planning site visits with your Division Directors, please stress the importance of targeting objectives to be accomplished during the site visit, the necessary contacts before and after with the Area Director or his/her designee, and the written report.
Before we agree on a final policy, we will have ample time to discuss exactly what the policy should contain. But, for the present please use this as an interim policy.
Robert A. Marsland
Assistant Surgeon General
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