Medicare Archives ⋆ Cathy Cress

Care Managers , Hospitals & Physician Serve The Top 10% – Ethical Dilemma or Move Towards Medicare for all?

March 14, 2020

GCM ALCA Stuck in An Ethical Dilemna

Concierge clients in a GCM or aging life practice are the clients that a practice needs to serve. They are not covered by Medicare so a private fee-based company, like aging life or geriatric care management agency, must serve them to keep a healthy bottom line. But this leaves us as a care manager with an unhealthy ethical dilemma

VIP Hospital Can Fall Into the VIP Syndrome

Hospitals can bill Medicare and there are ethical questions about pandering to the wealthy. Empty Mansions ( a must-read for professionals in aging) an expose

of a wealthy heiress, Huguette Clark, an heir to a copper mine fortune, who was taken advantage of by Beth Israel hospital in New York, who allowed her to live there for a decade, hoping for a “super mega gift” a crime of undue influence.

Beware of the VIP Syndrome

The New York Times did a great story about hospitals with VIP Syndrome. ,

Medicare does not cover the stay in a nursing home unless the person is on Medicaid in which case they get an inferior “Medicaid bed”.Medicaid recipients can also get

really inferior care in a skilled nursing facility that may even be life-threatening with the coronavirus epidemic

Half of American Cannot Fund Long Term Care

According to the Washinton Post “Research, about two-thirds of Americans over the age of 40 say they expect they’ll need to provide assistance to a close family member or friend over the next five years. Nearly half believe they cannot fund their own long-

term care. More than 60 percent of this cohort expect they will need some form of long-term care in the future, only slightly below the real number of 69 percent.

Care Managers Must Serve top % until US Politics/ Health Policy Changes

We in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management remain in this wrenching ethical dilemma that only 10% of the population can afford us, so we have to serve and market to the top 10%. We should work towards a health system that includes a version of Medicare for all and covers long term care but in the meantime, we have to be keep our business afloat by serving the top 10%.

Learn How to Do That, Even With Belief it Needs To Change

Learn how to market to this top 10% that at this point in time, who until long term care is a national right, we must serve.

Webinar-Sales and Marketing to Find the VIP Concierge Client in the top 10%

March 31, 2020 -2PM -3:30 PM PST

Concierge Clients are the only way a GCM or ALCA care manager can make a profit and have their business thrive. Find out who are they, how you find them, design GCM Products they will purchase, and create a marketing plan and gold standard services to have them sign your contract and use your services long term

Learn

Who They Are- 4 Types

How to Locate them in your service area

How to create a strategic marketing plan to sell to them

How to Develop Gold Standard GCM Products and Services

Hospitals Increase Rate for Medicare- Good or Bad idea , NY Times

June 3, 2015

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The New York Times reports hospital billing to Medicare for common procedures have increased a whopping 10%, but what Medicare pays have remained flat. What is going on?

Tools of the Geraitric Care Manager- Expert Care Plan

July 13, 2013

How a geriatric care manager solve a aging family problem with a care plan, using the Sterling Family, where a aging mother refuses paid care and the daughter is so frustrated by caregiver overwhelm that she is thinking of placing her mother. See how this is done.

PBS series ” Taking Care” Begins

May 31, 2013

PBS series Taking Care – PBS News Hour Series on Long-Term Care in America on caregiving features excellent first segment segment on mothers and daughters showing why the Whole Family Approach is so important in aging. The series is sponsered by the SCAN Foundation a-profit public charity devoted to transforming health care for seniors in ways that encourage independence and preserve dignity.

Long Distance Care Provider Help on Mother’s Day

May 8, 2013

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If you are a long distance care provider visiting Mom on Mother’s day you can give more than a gift. You can make connections with her formal and informal supports to offer on –going buoys to your aging Mom. You can make good contacts with the informal support network of others who see the your Mom regularly (friends, church members). These contacts will be a great source of information when you, the long distance caregiver get back home.

Friends in spiritual groups are a really important contact. If she goes to church a synagogue or mosque, maybe go with her. Get the name of contacts there who might help with driving her to services or find out if the spiritual groups has pick up service for elders.

Contact formal supports. If your mother is in a senior activity program in the community, introduce yourself to the head contact and ask if they will give you periodic updates via e-mail or text. For example, my dad was in a social day program. If your relative is in a similar program, have someone in the program report to you on a regular basis. – Text – e-mail, phone calls, stamped self-addressed envelopes -all good.

If your mother is in a community program such as one for exercise, art, knitting, or some sort of support group, make an appointment with them and introduce yourself. Set up periodic reports via e-mail, text, mail or phone.

Take home the telephone directory. Better yet use the web. Find the web site of the local Senior Information and Referral program from the goverment’s Elderlocator . They will give you the Senior I&R contact in your Mom’s area. Maybe get in touch with a senior information and referral professional ahead of the visit. Ask that Senior Information and Referral professional for suggestions any community programs you think your Mom might want to join.

This is the gift that will keep on giving- improved quality of life for Mom and peace of mind for you.

Hospitals Increase Rate for Medicare- Good or Bad idea , NY Times

Tools of the Geraitric Care Manager- Expert Care Plan

PBS series ” Taking Care” Begins

Long Distance Care Provider Help on Mother’s Day

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