Once-and-done changes any hospital can make. When my father was in the intensive care unit for congestive heart failure, I practically lived at that hospital. Knowing that every patient needs a full-time advocate, I was onsite by 7:00 am to catch his doctors on rounds. I would go home over lunch while someone else visited, back before dinner until 7:30. All while working … [Read more...]
Hospital discharge can happen very quickly. Will you be ready?
Start preparing for discharge the day your loved one enters a care facility. Most people unfamiliar with the healthcare system are under the misconception that hospital discharge occurs when your loved one is back to normal or when the family is ready. The reality is that discharge from an acute care hospital occurs when the acute medical crisis is stabilized, can be handled … [Read more...]
Medicare, Private Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance, Private Pay – Who Pays for Which Care Facility and For How Long?
If you think the alphabet soup of care facilities is confusing, let’s talk about payment. Note: Healthcare payments are constantly changing. This article summarizes the status as of September 2018, is geared toward those over 75 and deals with primarily with Medicare. This is not a comprehensive analysis / reporting of private insurance regulation. (Jump to Acute Care … [Read more...]
Acute Care (Hospital), Inpatient Acute Rehabilitation (IRF), Sub-Acute, SNF, LTC, LTAC – The Alphabet Soup of Care Facilities.
What is the difference between all these care facilities? When you are ill, or recovering from being ill, chances are you will spend time in what healthcare terms “A Care Facility”. The highest level of care is found in an Acute Care Hospital. If your health issues are resolved, you are discharged to home with no additional care needed. If you do need additional care, … [Read more...]
Getting Access to Medical Records
What challenges might you enounter, given HIPAA regulations? [Part 2 of 2] Part 1 of this blog described when you might want to get copies of your, or your parent’s, health records. It also discussed the critical federal law, HIPAA, and how the resulting privacy rule assures that patients have appropriate access. Part 2 gives you the practical details about getting … [Read more...]