Regulation is a very important discussion in Long Term Care because many of the providers are funded by Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare and Medicaid are government run programs for the elderly and disabled to assist them with their healthcare. There has to be a large amount of regulation on the providers to make sure that the patients are getting the proper quality care and that fraud is not happening. A provider can report a different number of patients then collect a larger check from medicare or medicaid program.
Certain facility types must maintain yearly certifications with inspections form the state or federal government to ensure they have the proper quality care. The proper quality care has been defined by the government to make sure that the patients are given the proper respect and dignity. There have been requirements set in place to ensure these rights like the patient bill of rights that all healthcare administrators must follow. This bill of rights lets all paitents know the rights that they are provided at all times no matter what. This ensures the quality of care is set to a standard.
There are certain aspects of long term care that are not as heavily regulated as assisted living facilities or nursing homes like adult daycare centers. These centers with lower regulations have less funding going to them and also allow more people to capitalize on this opportunity and bring forward more centers to serve the American people. Another thing to keep in mind is that the regulations are not always set by the federal government but most of the time set by the state government and that they vary from state to state. This is because there are different needs for different populations around the United States. In the end regulation is a good thing to help out patients receive care and administrators to have a standard.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Financing Long Term Care
Payment for Long Term Care has always been a hot topic, since most of Long Term Care is paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. The few people who do not pay medical bills off of the government plan are usually looking forward to spending off their assets to make themselves eligible for Medicaid. As people get older they are sometimes required to spend off their assets since they have to much money to qualify for Medicaid. Sometimes this means trusting your kids with large amounts of money and assets. This is called spending down your assets. This situation of spending down assets happens more than you think in long term care.
There are other ways to pay for various Long Term Care services other than Medicaid and Medicare. As you age you can put money into a certain type of insurance called Long Term Care insurance that will pay for certain types of long term care that is described in your plan. This insurance is different than your typical insurance and is usually a different payment that you will want to add onto your monthly bills as you age. This makes it easier on your kids and allows your wishes to be conveyed easily. A hard task along with financing Long Term Care is also conveying the wishes of the person to make sure that all of their wishes are being taken care of in the best way. I know in my family, my grandma has dementia and my mom sees that the best thing to do for her is to put her into an assisted living facility but, my grandpa is very opposed to it because there will be a gap in their income of monthly checks and what it cost to live there. This gap in income would have been covered if they were under Long Term Care insurance from when they were young and healthy years ago.
Should you not have insurance, medicare or medicaid you will be paying out of pocket, this is what facilities and hospitals like to hear the most since they make the most margin of profit on you. So at that point people need to watch out to make sure that all the procedures that are being ordered are medically necessary and everything is done correctly the first time. Elderly people do not have a lot of extra room in their spending budget for medical expenses so many will look at all their options from home health care to assisted living facilities. There are many different care options that will suit people of all income levels to make sure that everyone is given proper respect and attention. So we all need to watch out for ourselves and the elderly ones we love.
There are other ways to pay for various Long Term Care services other than Medicaid and Medicare. As you age you can put money into a certain type of insurance called Long Term Care insurance that will pay for certain types of long term care that is described in your plan. This insurance is different than your typical insurance and is usually a different payment that you will want to add onto your monthly bills as you age. This makes it easier on your kids and allows your wishes to be conveyed easily. A hard task along with financing Long Term Care is also conveying the wishes of the person to make sure that all of their wishes are being taken care of in the best way. I know in my family, my grandma has dementia and my mom sees that the best thing to do for her is to put her into an assisted living facility but, my grandpa is very opposed to it because there will be a gap in their income of monthly checks and what it cost to live there. This gap in income would have been covered if they were under Long Term Care insurance from when they were young and healthy years ago.
Should you not have insurance, medicare or medicaid you will be paying out of pocket, this is what facilities and hospitals like to hear the most since they make the most margin of profit on you. So at that point people need to watch out to make sure that all the procedures that are being ordered are medically necessary and everything is done correctly the first time. Elderly people do not have a lot of extra room in their spending budget for medical expenses so many will look at all their options from home health care to assisted living facilities. There are many different care options that will suit people of all income levels to make sure that everyone is given proper respect and attention. So we all need to watch out for ourselves and the elderly ones we love.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Visit to a Long-Term Care Provider
As our families get older their needs get more complex. My grandparents are currently starting to experience the beginning needs of Long-Term Care. My grandpa is starting to look into nursing homes and adult day care for my grandma. The reason for this is so that he can get some time to himself since he has been stressing over all the details around the house and it is taking a major stain on him. So over a weekend my mom and myself went to tour a few facilities with him to see what would fit him best.
The facility that impacted me the most was the first adult day care center that we visited. As we entered the facility, it did not seem as official as a hospital or nursing facility. The facility was only a person's house with the appropriate precautions for various types of patients. Since the facility was only an adult day care facility there were not as much certificates of accreditation compared to other types of facilities. The adults there participate in many different activities to keep their minds active and their bodies moving. Some of the things they did were card games, dominoes, and golf.
The adult day care center also served lunch to it's residents. The facilitators make sure that each meal pertains to the diet of the resident's needs also it makes sure that they are taking the correct medication at the appropriate time. All of these things that they do is a huge help to the caretakers of the people that are there. This facility had only 12 people at that time and 3 staff members, this allowed for each resident to get one on one care throughout the day. In the end my grandpa felt that the facility could not take care of my grandma as well as he could and we declined to enroll her there. It was a very enlightening visit and made me see that the system has a lot of positives and negatives that can be fixed with a few policy changes that are in the benefit of the system.
The facility that impacted me the most was the first adult day care center that we visited. As we entered the facility, it did not seem as official as a hospital or nursing facility. The facility was only a person's house with the appropriate precautions for various types of patients. Since the facility was only an adult day care facility there were not as much certificates of accreditation compared to other types of facilities. The adults there participate in many different activities to keep their minds active and their bodies moving. Some of the things they did were card games, dominoes, and golf.
The adult day care center also served lunch to it's residents. The facilitators make sure that each meal pertains to the diet of the resident's needs also it makes sure that they are taking the correct medication at the appropriate time. All of these things that they do is a huge help to the caretakers of the people that are there. This facility had only 12 people at that time and 3 staff members, this allowed for each resident to get one on one care throughout the day. In the end my grandpa felt that the facility could not take care of my grandma as well as he could and we declined to enroll her there. It was a very enlightening visit and made me see that the system has a lot of positives and negatives that can be fixed with a few policy changes that are in the benefit of the system.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
What is Long Term Healthcare?
What is Long Term Care (LTC)? It is defined by thefreedictionary.com as "the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a
recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental
disorders. The care may be provided in environments ranging from
institutions to private homes. Long-term care services usually include
symptomatic treatment, maintenance, and rehabilitation for patients of
all age groups." As the definition said LTC can be provided in many ways, many times it is done without people even noticing it. This is the case in nursing homes and retirement communities where there are always nurses on standby should something go wrong.
Does this defination really sum up what LTC is? I do not think so. The LTC professional gains a bond with the paitent that would not have fostered otherwise. So there is a personal aspect of the job as well as the medical requirments. Many times it is the personal relations that have the medical professional invited back into the home of the patient. With this much responsibility of the job falling on the attitude of the professional, many of the LTC professionals are well trained in human communication as well.
I recently had a event where the LTC nurses usefulness came to light in my personal life. My grandma was going thought some health issues and they were able to have a nurse come to the house on a daily basis to provide an injection of required medicine that my grandpa would not have been able to do. The nurse had a very positive attitude in the health of my grandma and she had much more patience with my family than I would have, this helped my family feel better along with my grandma. Everything considered, LTC is a critical component to our health care system and we would not be able to be as successful in treatment without it.
Does this defination really sum up what LTC is? I do not think so. The LTC professional gains a bond with the paitent that would not have fostered otherwise. So there is a personal aspect of the job as well as the medical requirments. Many times it is the personal relations that have the medical professional invited back into the home of the patient. With this much responsibility of the job falling on the attitude of the professional, many of the LTC professionals are well trained in human communication as well.
I recently had a event where the LTC nurses usefulness came to light in my personal life. My grandma was going thought some health issues and they were able to have a nurse come to the house on a daily basis to provide an injection of required medicine that my grandpa would not have been able to do. The nurse had a very positive attitude in the health of my grandma and she had much more patience with my family than I would have, this helped my family feel better along with my grandma. Everything considered, LTC is a critical component to our health care system and we would not be able to be as successful in treatment without it.
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