Is The Profitability Or Loss Of The Typical Nursing Facility

Medicare doesn’t pay the largest part of Long Term Care services or personal care. Medicare will pay for a short stay at a Skilled Nursing Facility, hospice care, or home health if an individual meets these conditions:

Our elderly population is living longer than ever before and not all of them are entering into a nursing home. They are choosing to stay in their own home or their caregiver is choosing it for them. Some caregivers are choosing to move their ageing love one in the home with them. Whatever the case may be, there is an increased need for some type of home health as it applies to the elderly population. “Medicare will pay the full cost of professional help only if the physician

Medicare Part A is otherwise called the Hospital Insurance and covers up to 100 days of the Skilled Nursing Facility stay. To be qualified for it the patient first has to have been hospitalized for more than 3 days in a hospital (qualifying hospital stay) so the stay in it would not be considered outpatient. After the hospital stay the doctor that followed the patient in the hospital or the PCP that releases the patient from the hospital needs to write the order for the SNF services. In order for a patient to receive the services from the SNF they have to:

“Starting in 2009, Medicare, the US government 's health insurance program for elderly and disabled Americans, will not cover the costs of "preventable" conditions, mistakes and infections resulting from a hospital stay. So for instance, if you are on Medicare and you pick up a hospital acquired infection while you are being treated for something that is covered by Medicare, the extra cost of treating the hospital acquired infection will no longer be paid for by Medicare. Instead, the bill will be picked up by the hospital itself since the rules don 't allow the hospital to charge it to you” (Paddock, 2007).

Unfortunately, in recent years the cost of providing these traditional services has grown to a point that the programs set in place to care for seniors and chronically ill patients has undergone numerous cuts. This calls into question are the standards of care that nursing facilities provide being cut to compensate for these changes in the rate paid.

Benefit provisions vary from one state program to another, but federal guidelines require all states to provide a minimum benefit package, including hospital inpatient and outpatient care, physician care, and many other services. In the area of long-term care, all states are required to pay for nursing home care, and they must also pay for home healthcare for those who are “nursing home eligible” which are those who would need nursing home care if they did not receive home care. And although federal guidelines do not require it, an increasing number of states also pay benefits for home and community-based services. These services may include personal care, home health aide services, rehabilitation, therapies, intermission care, homemaker services, and other services. In addition, a few states pay for long-term care services received in an assisted living residence. Unlike Medicare, with its highly restrictive conditions for payment of nursing home or home care benefits, Medicaid generally meets the need for long-term care (for those who eligible). Medicaid pays benefits for personal and supervisory care even if skilled care is not needed, and the program covers ongoing care needed to cope with a chronic impairment, not just care required for a short time to facilitate recovery from an acute illness or injury. However, there are some important limitations to Medicaid long-term care benefits: (1)

The nursing home care is a competitive, fast growing and flourishing industry. Healthcare facility’s profitability is directly linked to patient satisfaction. Evidence exists

The average per day fee in 2010 was $219.00. Compiling a fee schedule from a few facilities in my immediate area I was able to determine that this fee has increased since 2010 with the average daily fee being $266.00 There is 100 day cap on the any one stay after which Medicare will no longer pay and the patient will become financially responsible. By the year 2030 “The population aged 65 and older is predicted to double from around 38 million to 71 million, according to estimates by the U.S Census Bureau.”(Bezaitis, 2009) This resonates volumes today as it touches on the prediction of shortages in the workforce of SNFs if Medicare budgets were to be cut; predicting that the shortages would be viable on all levels of long-term care. “About 5.7 million to 6.5 million long-term care workers such as nurses, nurses’ aides and home health and personal care workers, will be needed by 2050.” (Bezaitis, 2009) The pending cuts will without a doubt create a domino effect throughout the long-term care industry; a drastic cut in funding creates a need to adjust operating budgets thus affecting employment

I currently work as a state tested nursing aide at Bowling Green Care Center. I recently went from second shift to first shift because of school. All of the first shift STNA 's are in their late thirty’s, mid-forties, making me the youngest on first shift. Because of that, I get walked on a lot. I always get left to do things by myself including the two assist. There is no such thing as teamwork at the Care Center unless you 're a part of the "first shift clique." This place is honestly worse than high school.

House Bill 476 (H.B. 476) is being reintroduced to amend Public Law 130, Number 48, also known as the Health Care Facilities Act, of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to provide professional nurse staffing standards that address patient safety and the delivery of quality nursing care to patients. Adverse patient outcomes have been correlated with insufficient levels of professional nurse staffing. H.B. 476 appoints hospitals responsible to ensure safe and conducive environments for patient care through the use of nurse driven staffing committees.

The role of providers is to deliver patient care using the latest technology, tests, treatments, and provide preventive care. Their role of direct care places them front and center for identifying and implementing changes to patient care practices. The patient’s role is to expect the best evidence based care delivered in a safe and compassionate manner. Patients and their families are encouraged to report on the quality of the care received. Positive change is in their input is extremely important for driving and implementing necessary changes. The payer’s role such as CMC, require providers to perform their work using evidence based practice and diagnostic planning to reach an accurate treatment plan. Payers want to lower costs by minimizing visits and tests. They also incent providers to maximize safety initiatives such as fall prevention by not paying for injuries resulting from incidence of in-hospital falls. Their role is to ensure requirements and standards are communicated and enforced with the nursing home setting. The Nursing home administrator role is to take the financial reins maintaining or lowering costs. The Administrator is also responsible for presenting improvements to the board to obtain funding for the project. In addition, the administrator is responsible for staff training for implementation

The reality is that senior homecare services have grown tremendously over the last 50 years and the number of seniors taking advantage of senior homecare continues to rise. Much of the increase can be attributed to Medicare agreeing to cover a number of palliative care and end of life care provisions, but many private insurances are not covering skilled nursing, senior homecare,

Registered nursing is a common and frequently filled position in the medical field. However, you make good money and can advance into better things that have specialization. You work with patients daily and help doctors keep tabs on them. This occupation is growing because the population is growing and everyone needs medical attention some time or another.

Managed care organizations and their evolving forms are reviewed public policy issues and their implications for nurses are identified, and responses for organized nursing. Prices for medical services, new costly prescription drugs and medical technologies, unhealthy lifestyles, and an outdated fee-for-service system that pays for volume. Indemnity plans is a health insurance plan that reimburses the covered person for medical expenses often include a deductible. Patients can also go to any physician or hospital. Rising health care costs punishes many people for families and seniors. Managed care plans have contracts with health care providers and medical facilities to provide care for members at reduced costs. The cost of medical care means

First, a member must have a three day inpatient stay in the hospital to qualify for a SNF admission and then need additional nursing care or therapy prior to returning home (Medicare). The facility that is selected must offer the care and therapy one needs. Examples are additional physical (PT), occupational (OT), and/or speech therapy. Think as it as a rehab to home. Your room, nursing care, PT, OT, speech therapy, medical social services, medication, medical supplies, equipment, and dietary counseling are covered by Medicare part A (Medicare). Ambulance transportation is covered only in an emergency that cannot be handled at the SNF (Medicare). A member will be transported to the nearest facility in this situation