A newsbasket is on-line Internet publication containing comprehensive aggregated collections of information.


In the hospital? Are you a hospital inpatient or outpatient?

In the hospital? Are you a hospital inpatient or outpatient?     May 21, 2014 by Wendy Shane
May 21, 2014 by
May 21, 2014 by
 Why does this matter to patients?
When hospital patients are classified as outpatients on Observation Status, they may be charged for services that Medicare would have paid if they were properly admitted as inpatients (for example, medications, so you may want to bring medications with you). Most significantly, patients will not be able to obtain any Medicare coverage if they need nursing home care after their hospital stay. Medicare only covers nursing home care for patients who have a minimum 3-day inpatient hospital stay. Observation Status doesn’t count towards the 3-day stay.


Why does this matter to patients?




When hospital patients are classified as outpatients on Observation
Status, they may be charged for services that Medicare would have paid
if they were properly admitted as inpatients (for example, medications,
so you may want to bring medications with you). Most significantly,
patients will not be able to obtain any Medicare coverage if they need
nursing home care after their hospital stay. Medicare only covers
nursing home care for patients who have a minimum 3-day inpatient
hospital stay. Observation Status doesn’t count towards the 3-day stay.

- See more at: http://lcdne.com/aging/are-you-a-hospital-inpatient-or-outpatient#sthash.pcIuTJej.dpuf


Why does this matter to patients?




When hospital patients are classified as outpatients on Observation
Status, they may be charged for services that Medicare would have paid
if they were properly admitted as inpatients (for example, medications,
so you may want to bring medications with you). Most significantly,
patients will not be able to obtain any Medicare coverage if they need
nursing home care after their hospital stay. Medicare only covers
nursing home care for patients who have a minimum 3-day inpatient
hospital stay. Observation Status doesn’t count towards the 3-day stay.

- See more at: http://lcdne.com/aging/are-you-a-hospital-inpatient-or-outpatient#sthash.pcIuTJej.dpuf

Why does this matter to patients?




When hospital patients are classified as outpatients on Observation
Status, they may be charged for services that Medicare would have paid
if they were properly admitted as inpatients (for example, medications,
so you may want to bring medications with you). Most significantly,
patients will not be able to obtain any Medicare coverage if they need
nursing home care after their hospital stay. Medicare only covers
nursing home care for patients who have a minimum 3-day inpatient
hospital stay. Observation Status doesn’t count towards the 3-day stay.

- See more at: http://lcdne.com/aging/are-you-a-hospital-inpatient-or-outpatient#sthash.pcIuTJej.dpuf

Why does this matter to patients?




When hospital patients are classified as outpatients on Observation
Status, they may be charged for services that Medicare would have paid
if they were properly admitted as inpatients (for example, medications,
so you may want to bring medications with you). Most significantly,
patients will not be able to obtain any Medicare coverage if they need
nursing home care after their hospital stay. Medicare only covers
nursing home care for patients who have a minimum 3-day inpatient
hospital stay. Observation Status doesn’t count towards the 3-day stay.

- See more at: http://lcdne.com/aging/are-you-a-hospital-inpatient-or-outpatient#sthash.pcIuTJej.dpuf

Why are caregiver spouses so relectant to hire help? | LinkedIn

Brett Frankenberg Brett Frankenberg 2nd Founder at The Institute for Quality in Senior
Living, Greater San Diego Area participated in  an interesting discussion on
Home Care and Healthcare Advocacy  concerning "Why are caregiver spouses so
reluctant to hire help?

" I am paraphrasing from his discussion:”

One cannot stress enough the need for caregiver education. The problem
is many family members think they learn by watching caregivers in the
hospital.

Brett: Have you ever worked an overnight shift in a hospital with a
Senior who has dementia?

Brett If you have, I doubt you would assert that observing highly
trained professionals who care for patients in the hospital would
suffice as sufficient training.

Brett has managed home health and clinically based staff for years and
the amount of times needed to train caregivers on the most simple
activities - transfers, bathing, safety risks -blood glucose testing,
sliding scale insulin, specific diet instructions  such as chopped or
puree and you get an overwhelmed caregiver pretty darn quickly.

Brett believes the biggest mistake is assuming that a caregiver is
absorbing the necessary information simply by observing the clinical
activities that take place when the patient is an inpatient. Further,
we have no idea what the baseline of the caregiver is most of the
time.

Brett: Do they have some aspect of dementia themselves to the point
they can't learn?

Do they have physical limitations that would prevent them from
performing all the activities that daily caregiving demands?


Brett

Exploring the Potential of Digital Technology to link AHPs and People in Remote, Rural Hubs

Let's Talk about Dementia | Never in the history of mankind did not talking about something scary make it disappear.

Living it Up Creatively




Exploring the Potential of Digital Technology to link AHPs and People in Remote, Rural Hubs

 Background

Since June 2014, a group made up of people living with disabilities
and health problems, carers and Allied Health Professionals (AHP’s) have
been actively learning about the benefits of digital inclusion. In
August, we established a steering group to drive forward a Living it Up Creatively
digital project that links Helmsdale, a remote rural community in East
Sutherland, to New Craigs, the main Mental Health Hospital supporting
the Highlands from Inverness.



How will we use digital technology to connect professionals and people in the future?


For further information contact Sarah Muir (AHP Lead NHS Highlands) at sarah.muir2@nhs.net or Ann Pascoe (Dementia Friendly Communities, East Sutherland) on ann@dementia-friendly.com .


And follow us on twitter: @sarahahpmh and @a_carers_voice.

Addressing Unmet Palliative and Geriatric Needs of Zombies | GeriPal - Geriatrics and Palliative Care Blog

Addressing Unmet Palliative and Geriatric Needs of Zombies | GeriPal - Geriatrics and Palliative Care Blog
{Q{ Considerable evidence indicates that zombies do not receive optimal palliative or geriatric care.

Advance Care Planning 
The subject of advance care planning pertains to end-of-life decisions, which may seem unimportant for zombies as they are past the end of life. However, understanding the values and preferences of zombies around “dead-decisions” is just as important as asking the living about end-of-life decisions. Given the high rates of traumatic injuries, having stated values of what is most important to zombies in their deaths, what brings them enjoyment while being dead, and what are the biggest worries and concerns would appear to be just as important to the undead as to the living.

by: Eric Widera (@ewidera)  {EQ}

Quality of U.S. hospices varies, patients left in dark - The Washington Post

Quality of U.S. hospices varies, patients left in dark - The Washington Post

{Q}A boom in the industry allows patients to choose from an array of
hospice outfits, some of them excellent. More than a thousand new
hospices have opened in the United States in the past decade. But the
absence of public information about their quality, a void that is
unusual even within the health-care industry, leaves consumers at a loss
to distinguish the good from the bad.

Though the federal government publishes consumer data about the quality of other
health-care companies, including hospitals, nursing homes and home
health agencies, it provides no such information about hospices.

 The reasons that some hospices stint on care may be at least partly
financial. Medicare, the chief source of industry revenue, pays hospice
companies per day of care — about $155 for a “routine” day — regardless
of how much care is actually provided. That means that the less a
hospice spends on nursing and other services, the more it can profit.

{EQ}
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/business/hospice-quality  This database shows, among other things, whether the hospice has provided more intense levels of care for patients suffering a crisis; how much it spends on nursing visits per patient; and whether it has won approval from one of three outside accrediting agencies, the Joint Commission, the Accreditation Commission for Health Care and Community Health Accreditation Program, or CHAP

A Guide to Durable Medical Equipment And Medical Supplies - AgingCare.com

A Guide to Durable Medical Equipment And Medical Supplies - AgingCare.com

{Q}First, the basic needs of elderly or ill people must be addressed before they or their family members can think about more abstract or long-term issues.
Second, it is very difficult to obtain information about meeting these basic needs, especially when it comes to finding the right products or supplies. The policies and practices of third-party payers - whether private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid - are often confusing and inconsistent. 


Nevertheless, with a little persistence and some basic information, you can become a more  knowledgeable and satisfied consumer. The reward will be an improved  quality of life for both the elderly person and the caregiver. {EQ}

Read the article from end to end.Good information for caregivers, seniors, and families.