As the White House and Congress prepare for negotiations over the budget and U.S. debt ceiling, there has been a lot of talk about how to pay for senior’s health care and the future of Medicare. It seems like a great place to start is with steps policymakers can take that can both save money… Continue reading To Fix Medicare Spending, Prevent Fractures Among Aging Americans
Category: Medicare
What You Need to Know about Geriatric Care Managers
If you’re suddenly faced with the need to care for an aging loved one, the decisions you’re required to make will seem overwhelming. In cases like these, a good geriatric care manager, usually a licensed nurse or social worker who specializes in geriatrics, may help. Although they are not covered by Medicare, a geriatric care… Continue reading What You Need to Know about Geriatric Care Managers
Study Debunks the Notion That Large Chunks of Medicare Go to Lost Causes
Around 25 percent of Medicare spending in the U.S. occurs in the last year of people’s lives. This is sometimes discussed as a questionable use of resources: Is society throwing large amounts of medical treatment at some patients in a futile, if noble, effort to extend lives that are bound to end soon? A 2018… Continue reading Study Debunks the Notion That Large Chunks of Medicare Go to Lost Causes
New report Examines Social Security’s Process for Determining Disability in Adults
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examines to what extent and in which ways health care utilization — such as in-patient hospitalizations, emergency department use, and hospital readmission — reflects a patient’s disease severity, disability, and ability to perform gainful activity. The committee that conducted the study could not… Continue reading New report Examines Social Security’s Process for Determining Disability in Adults
Medicare Underestimates Heart Attack Mortality Rates
A 2017 analysis of Medicare’s Hospital Compare portal shows the statistical methodology used to rate and compare hospitals underestimates mortality rates of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at small hospitals. The research was published in in the Journal of the American Statistical Association. A release from the association notes that Hospital Compare collects data from Medicare… Continue reading Medicare Underestimates Heart Attack Mortality Rates
How Medicare Could Save Costs
Current trends in medical billing will lead to Medicare overpaying private insurance programs by hundreds of billions of dollars, according to a new study. The conclusion was reached by researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. The study was published in the journal Health Affairs. Medicare pays more money to the… Continue reading How Medicare Could Save Costs
Managing Medication Expenses
Here, some tips from the experts at SeniorHealth, a division of the National Institutes of Health, on how to save some money on medication: Medicines can cost a lot. If you have a drug plan through your insurance, you can probably save money by ordering yours from them rather than at your neighborhood pharmacy. Medicare… Continue reading Managing Medication Expenses
Vocabulary Lesson: Medicare Part D
We’re in the midst of the Medicare enrollment period, and the terms involved can prove overwhelming and confusion, especially if you’re applying for the first time. Here, from the SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health, is a list of terms relating to Medicare prescription drug plans (Part D). Co-insurance This is an amount… Continue reading Vocabulary Lesson: Medicare Part D
Avoiding Costly Medicare Mistakes
It’s decision time for the 55 million Americans covered by Medicare. Open enrollment, when people can enroll in Medicare or make changes to their plans, runs every year from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. But anyone who thinks that signing up for the medical plan for seniors is simple could be in for a rude… Continue reading Avoiding Costly Medicare Mistakes
Watch Out for Medicare Scams
Now is the time for the annual enrollment period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7) for Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) and the Medicare Prescription Drug (Part D) Program. Unfortunately, this is also a time for scammers to prey on people who may be uncertain about how the program works. In a news release, the California… Continue reading Watch Out for Medicare Scams
New Law Helps Elders Avoid Medicare Loophole
Your elder loved one is in the hospital in a bed, but is she an inpatient or an outpatient under observation? It matters. One of the anomalies in our sprawling healthcare system can unexpectedly cost patients and their families thousands of dollars. Here’s how it happens: Medicare covers subsequent care in a skilled nursing facility… Continue reading New Law Helps Elders Avoid Medicare Loophole
The Potential Impact of Medicare’s New Mandatory Bundled Payments
Researchers at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation used real-world data to look at the potential impact of Medicare’s new mandatory bundled payments approach, currently called Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement. Their findings are published in the September 2016 issue of Health Affairs. The payment program, which was launched in April… Continue reading The Potential Impact of Medicare’s New Mandatory Bundled Payments
CMS Medicare Quality Improvement Initiatives
On October 6th 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced two initiatives to improve the quality of post-acute care. First, the expansion and strengthening of the agency’s widely-used Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes will improve consumer information about individual nursing homes’ quality. Second, proposed new conditions of participation for… Continue reading CMS Medicare Quality Improvement Initiatives