Garlo Ward, P.C.

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Politicians Push to Eliminate Medicare Drug Penalty

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The deadline to sign up for Medicare's prescription drug program has come and gone, but a bipartisan group of politicians is pushing to eliminate the late fee for beneficiaries who missed the deadline. The next open enrollment period begins in November. (Kaiser Network) Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt wants Congress to wait until final enrollment numbers are determined before passing the legislation. I agree. The proposed legislation would cost taxpayers $18 … [Read more...] about Politicians Push to Eliminate Medicare Drug Penalty

The Time to Plan for Long Term Care is Now

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Long term care expert Catherine Hawes, Ph.D., a professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, says: "We spend more time doing research about a car we want to buy than we do when selecting a nursing home or assisted living facility." (Medical News Today) Hawes is right, of course. We have a tendency to focus more on our immediate needs and less on some distant possibility in the future. Because we're living longer, however, at some point we may need to be … [Read more...] about The Time to Plan for Long Term Care is Now

Assisted Living Facilities’ Ability To Restrict Residents Contracting for Health or Personal Care Services.

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The Attorney General (AG) of Texas issued an important opinion on February 23rd addressed to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) regarding "retirement centers" that require residents to use the centers' own home health agencies. First, the AG agreed with DADS' interpretation that an establishment, including one characterized as a retirement community, that furnishes food and shelter to four or more persons who are unrelated to the proprietor and that requires those … [Read more...] about Assisted Living Facilities’ Ability To Restrict Residents Contracting for Health or Personal Care Services.

Quality First Pledge

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In the long term care industry, there is what's known as the "Quality First Pledge," containing seven core principles: Continuous Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement Public Disclosure and Accountability Patient/Resident and Family Rights Workforce Excellence Public Input and Community Involvement Ethical Practices Financial Stewardship (Source: American Health Care Association) Harborside Healthcare, a long term care provider, released a quality report titled, … [Read more...] about Quality First Pledge

Important New Provider Letter Affecting Both Hospice Providers and Nursing Facilities

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Important New Provider Letter Affecting Both Hospice Providers and Nursing Facilities DADS has replaced April 29, 2005, hospice and nursing facility Provider Letter 05-20 with Long Term Care (LTC) Provider Letter No. 06-07 in order to emphasize that Medicaid hospice providers will not be paid for services unless the hospice provider already has its contract and Medicaid number. The bottom line is that... If licensed and certified hospice providers provide hospice services to an … [Read more...] about Important New Provider Letter Affecting Both Hospice Providers and Nursing Facilities

The Value of Homecare, Relationships

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A study featured in the Annals of Internal Medicine reports that elderly patients and their families are more satisfied with homecare, which also resulted in shorter hospital stays and lower costs. (Medical News Today) Although anyone could have guessed the results, it's good to have formal studies with hard numbers. Patients generally prefer recovering at home with people who love them, no matter how kind and caring health care professionals may be. In related news, some of the country's … [Read more...] about The Value of Homecare, Relationships

Drugs Excluded from Medicare Part D

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The blogger over at Over! My! Med! Body! is a third year medical student. His blog is very informative about Health Care policies. He recently posted an article that will answer questions you may have about why some medications seem to be missing from the Medicare Drug Calculator. He obtained the following information from a Medicare patient advocate: In your tutorial, you mention that you have questions with the "Enter My Medications" section. First, the Federal legislation … [Read more...] about Drugs Excluded from Medicare Part D

Texas Association for Home Care Winter Conference

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Texas Association for Home Care will hold a conference on January 25-26, 2006, at the Doubletree Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Providers will have an opportunity to discuss recent trends in home health care and network with other providers. Some session titles: The Future of Medicare & Medicaid Reform - What it Means to Texas, the Nation and Home Care Tax Reform in Texas - Effects on Your Business How to Impact the Politics Affecting Home Care; and Remote Electronic Monitoring: … [Read more...] about Texas Association for Home Care Winter Conference