Improve Care, Provide Continuity, and Eliminate Fraud In the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the federal agency responsible for protecting the health of all Americans. The agency oversees and regulates providers of essential human services,...

Transition Assistance Needed for Elderly Patients Do you know any elderly parent who enjoys their hospital stay? If your experience is like mine, your parents do not want to be hospitalized. If at all possible, they will avoid any trip to...

Hand-off to Home Care Services Research data has established a strong link between attention to care transitions and lower readmission rates. When and how a patient is prepared for hospital discharge greatly effects probability of success - which in this...

Medicare Attempts to Rein In Costs Hospitals with higher-than-average 30-day risk-adjusted re-admission rates for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia cases between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2011, will receive reduced Medicare payments starting in FY 2013, capped at...

The function of a community hospital is to provide medical care and resources for it's patient community. But, until now, there has been no responsibility or - "ownership"  - for inefficiency. It is the judgment of Medicare that many...

Issue re-cap: Medicare has begun penalizing U.S. hospitals for having too many counts of patient re-admissions. Unacceptable numbers of re-admissions will be penalized by reducing the reimbursements paid by Medicare back to hospitals for their services. Other hospitals are...

Expect Constant Change As we witness the market forces and technological change in the world of healthcare for our elderly parents, we are seeing some trends emerging which are worth noting. Over the coming weeks, I will attempt to provide greater...

Many seniors, including our elderly parents, are interested in travel to experience the sights and sounds of different cultures and environments that we all share. For some older adults, travel is a part of the "bucket list" mentality. For...

When Traveling, Seniors Require Health Precautions If you, or your elderly parents, are planning on traveling out of the country, getting your plane tickets and packing your suitcase may not be enough. Travel medicine experts strongly recommend that you don't leave...

Educated Choices for Elder Care Why do some families and elderly parents choose to hire caregivers directly rather than through an agency? Sometimes, this decision is driven by economics and family assets. People look to do anything to save money -...