Tag Archives: Medicare

Lymphedema – Not even a mom can love it. … fight it, yes – with all that is in her – and dads fight too.

Lymphedema – Not even a mom can love it. … fight it, yes – with all that is in her – and dads fight too.
Lymphedema is alive and well in Kitsap County. I have it, many folks have it and many of us know nothing about it other than it is progressive and painful.
Retired Dr. Halligan of Doctors Clinic, Silverdale knows about Lymphedema and how to treat it.
Compression stockings are a key to making lymphedema manageable and the rightful passing of the upcoming bill will allow those who cannot afford the cost of it thereby saving taxpayers related costs of this dreaded disease.
Harrison Wound Care Center is packed with folks with wounds – some of them lymphedema…a few stories on that to follow soon.

To be sure of the wording, I’ve copied the following small portion directly from the Lymphedema website.

Dean sez...Please help others help themselves. — Dean sez…Please help others help themselves.

XXXX
“About The Bill
For the most current information about the bill, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Congressman Reichert, our lead bill sponsor, and advocates from his state of Washington
Why This Legislation Is Needed
Currently, Medicare, and consequently many other policies, does not cover one of the critical components of lymphedema treatment, the medically necessary compression supplies used daily in lymphedema treatment. As a result, many patients suffer from recurrent infections, progressive degradation in their condition and eventual disability because they cannot afford the compression supplies required to maintain their condition.
Although this legislation relates specifically to a change in Medicare law, it would set a precedent for Medicaid and private insurers to follow. States have already recognized that coverage for comprehensive treatment is essential and cost saving, and are beginning to require that private and state plans provide this coverage. Lymphedema treatment mandates have been in effect in North Carolina since 2010 and in Virginia since 2004, and several other states have similar legislation pending.

Medicare’s failure to cover compression treatment supplies stems from the fact that these items cannot be classified under any existing benefit category in Medicare statute (law). The Center for Medicare Services (CMS) does not have the authority to add or redefine benefit categories, only Congress does, hence the need for this legislation. This is explained in more detail in a written exchange between our bill sponsor, Congressman Reichert, and former Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. Click here to read their correspondence.
What This Legislation Would Do

The Lymphedema Treatment Act (LTA) will improve coverage for the treatment of lymphedema from any cause by amending Medicare statute to allow for coverage of compression supplies.

Specific goals of the LTA are as follows:

to provide comprehensive lymphedema treatment coverage, according to current
medical treatment standards;
to enable patient self-treatment plan adherence by providing necessary medical supplies
for use at home, as prescribed for each patient (including gradient compression
garments, bandages, and other compression devices);
to reduce the total healthcare costs associated with this disease by decreasing the incidence of
complications, co-morbidities and disabilities resulting from this medical condition.

The HHS Secretary has confirmed that a change in statute is necessary to allow for coverage of compression supplies. (See section above for details.) The Lymphedema Treatment Act will amend Sec. 1861 [42 U.S.C. 1395x] of the Social Security Act to enable coverage of these items under Durable Medical Equipment.

Details surrounding coverage, such as allowable quantities, etc., are not something that is written into statute. Matters of this nature are determined by policy decisions made after the legislation is passed. This allows flexibility to adjust policy as needed in the future, without having to pass new legislation.

Additional Information about the Lymphedema Treatment Act

Our current bill sponsors are: Representative Dave Reichert, WA-8 (lead sponsor); Representative Leonard Lance, NJ-7 (co-lead); Representative Earl Blumenauer, OR-3 (co-lead); and Representative Bruce Braley, IA-1 (co-lead). To read press releases from these offices about their introduction of the bill click here.

A complete list of current cosponsors can be seen here.

A PDF of the actual bill can be viewed and downloaded here.

A “scoring” report for the Lymphedema Treatment Act can be read here. A “score” estimates the federal costs that would be incurred by implementing a piece of legislation. A document explaining this report, as well as related FAQ’s, is available here.

Resources for Sharing Information about the Lymphedema Treatment Act

To download an information packet appropriate for sharing ONLY with members of Congress and their staff, click here. (Please ensure that you thoroughly read and understand this document yourself before sharing it with congressional offices. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to Contact Us. Remember that our Advocacy Handbook is full of helpful tips, such as talking points and FAQ’s. )

To download a facts sheet appropriate for sharing with the general public, click here. Additional ways in which you can help spread awareness are outlined on our Increasing Awareness page.

How you can help
#1 PRIORITY – Contact Your Members of Congress!
Six Easy Ways To Increase Awareness
Join Your State’s Grassroots Advocacy Team
Lymphedema Lobby Days in Washington, DC
Use Our Advocacy Handbook
Tell Your Lymphedema Story
Visit Our Cafe Press Store
Donate Financial Support
Our Newsletter
Sign up to receive updates on the progress of the bill and how you can help each step of the way. To view past issues click here.

Current Status
Check the status of the Lymphedema Treatment Act in Congress and view the list of cosponsors.”

fhttp://lymphedematreatmentact.org/about-the-bill/
Thanks for listening – thanks for helping… Sharon O’Hara

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HospiceCare – Medicare – Patient Care – Collapses for Hospice Patient

Sharon O'Hara

HospiceCare – Medicare – Patient Care – Collapses for Hospice Patient, Mike MacDonald last month.

My hospice experiences have been an overwhelmingly positive, including my own mother’s outstanding care from one in Gig Harbor. Mike’s experience happened in Maine – and makes me wonder how many other hospice patients around the country were and are caught in this latest stress fiasco for terminal patients and their family?

Greetings! Last month Mike MacDonald reached his six month Hospice Care and was ‘discharged.” Mike and his wife, Pat, were left hanging without medical insurance, no oxygen, medications, nothing to pay the doctor or hospital should he need one. The EFFORTS COPD community rallied to help.

Mike and Pat managed to work through their failed Hospice system, but the lingering question is will it happen to us when the time comes? Have patient safeguards been set into place?

One day it will be our turn for Hospice – How is Kitsap County Hospice doing? With Harrison’s hospice announcement recently in this newspaper, Kitsap County now has two for choice.
The Hospice patient and family deserve Hospice CARE – not a toss without medical coverage to sink or sink.
Following is Mike’s failed Hospice story update:
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“Hello friends — A quickie note this time.

For those following my odyssey of hospice-care to no-care, I am pleased to post that all of my prior Medicare access has been totally restored as of June 18. My hospice had been “paused” on May 28 with the intention that I would re-enter Medicare on May 29 and return to hospice when I got a little sicker (my doctor’s crystal ball said that date was most likely to be July 23rd lol). We of course had the foul-up where my Medicare/CMS records weren’t properly updated resulting in my having no coverage (prescription, doctor, hospital or DME) for anything related to my lungs. I am still waiting on the wheelchair to be replaced.

Thanks again to all who wrote/called their congress reps, etc. I was touched and appreciative. We see over and over again what a warm community this is where so many of us rise to help each other often in spite of our own illnesses.

We had a visit yesterday from VNA of Southern Worcester County — a small VNA office based here in Webster, MA with a satellite office in Auburn, MA that provides palliative and hospice care services. As of yesterday I entered their palliative care program. My situation is not normal for them…they most typically step in following a hospital admission. In theory, they will evaluate me for re-entry into hospice services when the time is appropriate. In fact, the “in-take” nurse that was with me yesterday wanted to refer me for an evaluation right then but my wife wouldn’t hear of it (more on that below) and I think it’s premature anyway.

My regular VNA nurse — whom I haven’t met yet — will stop in today. Normally, there would be daily visits initially settling back to 3 times a week when appropriate. I’ve already expressed my wishes that we talk more like 2 times a week. They would be responsible for palliative care which is essentially “comfort” care but not quite so much as in hospice. That’s a little murky: while under hospice, drugs are often dispensed in a manner that’s not healthy over the long term with the theory being that the patient is dying already and so longer-term consequences aren’t as important. Under palliative care, they do care more about the longer-term consequences and there isn’t necessarily any assumption about death. In my case, the nurse and the doctor’s office will have to work that out but some of my drug dosages are probably already into the areas of unhealthy.

To my surprise, this *is* being covered under Medicare. CMS has tightened access to at-home services with the goal being of reducing in-home Medicare expenditures by 14% over the next 4 years. Learning that I seem to qualify for a host of in-home services comes as a very pleasant surprise. I can get an in-home health aid to help me bathe apparently — not that I want anyone to help me that way. I am eligible for occupational therapy which I believe for me means learning how to get around the home, how to conserve energy, etc. I don’t know that I need or want those services either but I’ll be open-minded. They also talked about music therapy to my surprise…I would be likely to use that.

We had entered this with the intention of hiring a “private duty nurse” paying out of pocket to lighten the load on my wife, Pat. I was a little concerned because whereas Pat was talking about 2 hours a week, I suspected 2 hours in-home care was probably more like 4 hours a week after factoring in travel, time talking to my doctor’s office, etc. I could easily see this running $1000 a month. No expense would be too high as far as Pat is concerned…she was really traumatized badly by the disaster with the last hospice organization (VNA Care Network which covers most of central and eastern Massachusetts). Pat actually objected initially when we talked about billing expressing a preference to pay this out of pocket and not involve Medicare at all for fear that they would screw things up so badly again. She’s really quite emotional about this — and understandably so — but I also think there is no danger at this point because we’re not signing away anything (whereas entry into hospice signs away access to care for the terminal illness to the hospice provider).

This does not bode well for when it’s time to go the hospice route. I don’t think Pat will go along with that again but for now I have to wait and cross that bridge when the time comes.

Physically, I’m not doing all that great though I think I am a little better the past couple of days. One of the ironic things about the May 28 discharge from hospice was that I was already sliding into an exacerbation on that date. At times, I’ve been fairly ill since then. Still, I don’t think I am near death. I wouldn’t be shocked if that changed 3 weeks from now but I also wouldn’t be shocked if I was writing the same thing 6 months from now. My doctor feels I am dying but admits that I’m tougher than he had thought. I am definitely progressing in the illness and not happy with how compromised I am in my ability to do much of anything.

By way of comparison, I have a friend who I started working with in 1989. We worked closely for 7 or 8 years and remained in touch since. He’s 54 years old and for 2 years has been battling an aggressive bone cancer. He’s been through 5 surgeries now including the replacement of his right pelvis with a bone from a cadaver. As he expressed to me a couple of days ago via email, he really shouldn’t be alive but he’s taking every day he can get and is planning on getting a tattoo next month. I’m not one for tats but good for him. When I think of my own illness, I have only to compare myself to people like him and realize that I’m still a pretty fortunate person…this could be so much worse. I have the means and the support system to deal with this; beyond that, I don’t have much control except for maintaining a positive attitude. For the most part, I do just that.

Thanks for listening and sorry for my blatant lie at the top of this note…I really *thought* it’d be brief.
Mike”
Michael MacDonald
:::Webster, MA

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Thanks for listening…. Sharon O’Hara, COPDer -familien1@comcast.net

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Update to my Kentucky medical story and a flip side of the same coin

Sharon O'Hara

Update to my Kentucky medical story and a flip side of the same coin.

I spoke too soon on my belief that the American Medical Association would be interested in my comments about a Medicare patient and a doctor in a small town in Kentucky – but a “Kentucky Medical Complaint” Google search brought up some answers.

Update in my friends Kentucky case – she, as of Saturday, 24 September 2011 had not heard from the doctor for test results. She called the local hospital where the cardio tests (2) were performed and told the results were in and she could pick them up.

She called the doctor’s office yesterday and told the PFTs were normal and the heart tests were normal too. What justified the cardiac tests when the PFTs were normal?

Why would the PFT procedure be so different in a small town in Kentucky than in the rest of the nation? Is the 29 days it took to wait for the doctor results due to a state raising fast horses and s l o w doctors in general or specific to one doctor in one small Kentucky town?

Having dependence on Medicare/Medicaid and being old, poor and trusting should not be a factor in a doctor’s way of making a living off the patients through unnecessary testing and no follow up contact with the patient.

The plus side is that she now has the physical test results of her lungs and heart but not a clue what they mean. When she called the doctor’s office this time, she was told the results of the PFT and cardiac tests were ‘normal’.

Why did the doctor order cardiac testing if the Pulmonary Function Tests were normal?

I called the doctor’s office this morning, Monday, 9/26/11 and asked several questions including why the doctor didn’t call the patient in 29 days to give her the test results and was told that it can take two or three weeks to get the results and another week for the doctor to review the results. My friend the patient was told two weeks. When I asked why the cardiac tests were ordered when her PFT was ‘normal’ – BEFORE he spoke to the patient – I was told to call back later to speak with the office manager.

I was told if my Kentucky friend wanted to know the meaning of the test results, she should call and make an appointment with the doctor.

Fast horses and slow doctors in a small town in Kentucky – doesn’t seem right to me. Are other seniors on Medicare/Medicaid being ill treated by this doctor?

Are most Kentucky doctors as seemingly indifferent to their senior patients by failing to give test results in a timely manner and ordering cardiac tests without apparent need – or just this one based on my own PFT experience?

The flip side of the coin is the unfair treatment of the medical profession by Medicare and Medicaid.

I wrote the following in answer to a Letter to the Editor, Kitsap Sun:

“Well…health care costs...not one post has mentioned WHY doctors don’t take Medicare or Medicaid. The fact is physicians and the health care industry is the only profession in this nation that PENALIZES the doctor and health care businesses!

Any other business in the country can set their price and people pay it or go elsewhere. Not so the physician. Medicare and Medicaid pay only a fraction of the set price per service of each doctor.

Why should doctors take patients that COST them money to see them…they LOSE money.

If a plumbing business could take ten calls during the business day – why would they take a call from someone that will not pay their full price for the service?

Some doctors DO TAKE MEDICARE/MEDICAID patients and I for one – am grateful mine do.

I will mention here that I saw a medical devise recently that cost Medicaid/Medicare about nine thousand dollars per patient that has one. For a patient to buy it outright it cost about twelve thousand dollars.

If that isn’t outrageous enough for you – my opinion of the value of the devise – it MIGHT be worth one thousand dollars TOPS.

In my opinion, what seems to be happening in some cases is that the health care folks have tacked outrageous prices on cheap junk to make up for the low Medicare/Medicaid set prices.

Who loses? WE DO! The taxpayer AND the patient.”

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/sep/19/letter-to-the-editor-state-shouldnt-cut-more/

Speaking of a medical determined momma squirrel in Silverdale…

Thanks for reading… Sharon O’Hara

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Do Lung Doctors in Kitsap County Neglect Support Group Patient Education, part 2

Sharon O'Hara

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is serious. A recent Swiss study shows that even a short break in using the CPAP is harmful:

“Within 14 days, they had significant increases in heart rate and blood pressure, and deterioration in vascular function. The results suggest that even a short break in CPAP therapy has a negative effect on the cardiovascular system … OSA patients need to continuously use CPAP….” …according to US News and World Report. Presumably, that goes for those of us on the BIPAP machine too.

Then there is …

Lack of treatment can lead to mental confusion, dementia and Alzheimer’s.

A physician could have answered the questions that ensued.

New Medicare rules say the patient must be on the machine 4 hours a night for the entire CPAP or BIPAP rental period – no matter what – or lose the machine.

As a patient with RLS, I take meds for – Mirapex that no longer works – that is worrisome. The fact is sometimes I cannot stay in bed where the only relief from RLS is to stand up and/or walk.

When I asked about the 4-hour Medicare rule when a person has other medical conditions, I was told I had to make the choice – the BIPAP or RLS. – Not a choice at all for me and many patients like me.

A plus here is that the last session was so bad that I spent the entire night standing up using my laptop at the kitchen counter and came to the conclusion I think a food allergy may play a part in my RLS problem. I will talk to my doctor about it.

Harrison has a superb respiratory department team – professional people, open and transparent. Patients need to be educated and Harrison is stepping up with professionals educating us….but we need more physician involvement to answer the tough medical questions for pulmonary support group patients. In Kitsap County, it is past time for physician pulmonary education now.

COPD and Sleep Apnea is a huge medical dilemma where ignorance might well be bliss for the patient…but not in the long term. What happens when we do not get oxygen to our organs?

For starters, we lose brain cells without the oxygen to sustain them. Our lessor organs begin to fail because the larger organs grab the available oxygen first.

Incontinence is only one of many issues that can occur from lack of oxygen to organs…

No doubt, most of my brain cells are long gone so I have one less thing to think about. My point here is to suggest you not to lose yours if it can be avoided. Patient education is key to having the best quality of life possible with any medical condition and we NEED lung support group physician involvement.

http://pugetsoundblogs.com/copd-and-other-stuff/2011/08/13/do-lung-doctors-in-kitsap-county-neglect-support-group-patient-education/

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have more about sleep apnea treatments.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/SleepApnea/SleepApnea_Treatments.html

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/sleep/articles/2011/08/12/sleep-apnea-makes-quick-return-when-treatment-stops

Better Breather’s meeting Wednesday… http://www.harrisonmedical.org/home/calendar/4897

If anyone needs a ride, let me know…the car is super clean.

Thanks for reading… Sharon O’Hara

We all cheer for the GREAT MEDICAL CARE already in Kitsap County…and for more Pulmonary Physician support group education.

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When the Power Goes Out – Is Kitsap County a Cold and Lonely Place For COPDers?

Sharon O'Hara

When the Power Goes Out – Is Kitsap County a Cold and Lonely Place For COPDers?

We had one battery charged lantern and I kept the box handy on the counter because I knew the lights would come on any minute and I could quickly put it away again. Two days later, the lights came on and I put it away. The laptop puddled in place – a good reminder that better power days were ahead…same with the lamp. The two drawers full of old candles were not lit…I do not want to inhale candle fumes.

The little shortwave radio was meant as a Christmas present but I’ve kept it – the so welcome sound and information was my connection to the world.

I didn’t know it when I shot this photo but less than two hours later, the tireless power wonders will have restored our power. It was so very cold….and it felt balmy when the temperature inside finally came up to 50 degrees.

No, only for those on life giving machines such as the C-Pap and Bi-Pap machines – they have nowhere to go to plug in their life sustaining machines. Seniors on a concentrator bleed-in usually can’t carry the heavy machines.

The plus during the last two day power outage was to discover all the people helping others in a tight fix.

My husband, the Old Guy, spent most of the two days out in the cold trying to fix the generator.

The discovery that the tube he thought would fix it, didn’t, led to more cell calls to the generator tech folks and ultimately to another Kitsap County Angel –Ward’s Radiator Shop in Chico.

It turned out that all we needed was an expandable plug that Wards said should work temporarily until he can solder it in this summer. It worked and is still working! But not until after the wonderful power workers fixed our power and we went on the emergency source heat pump. Thank you, Ward’s Radiator Shop in Chico!

Our inside temperature dropped to 40 degrees and by the second night the Old Guy fixed our old portable Honda generator and asked if I wanted it hooked to a portable heater or use it on my bi-pap and concentrator.

Well. Having taken the Mountaineering course at Olympic College some 35 years ago and learning some survival skills, I didn’t see the sense of blowing 41 degree air into the 98 degree body I’d carefully kept warm by layering. And, once in bed, I stayed warm and didn’t need a heater.

Question: Was my concern and decision against blowing 41 degree cold air into my airway wrong?

Would the cold air have been warmed enough by a warm core or would my core have begun to cool to reflect the cold air blowing in?

As it was, many of us went without the machines that keep our airway open and (for some) that keep our vital blood/oxygen numbers up.

Funny thing: With good reason, the Old Guy complains, moans, and groans whenever I ask him to get something out of the freezer and puts on heavy gloves to do it – he has Raynaud’s Disease in his fingers.

During the two day power outage, he spent hours in the below freezing weather working on the generator and never said a word…just went to work trying to fix it…and couldn’t wear the thick, warm gloves. ‘Caregivers’ is an overdue story for another time.

Bainbridge Seniors at the Senior Center have plans to provide a place to go and I hope they coordinate with oxygen companies to assist those on machines to keep their airways open and for those on concentrators and oxygen.

http://pugetsoundblogs.com/copd-and-other-stuff/2011/01/09/cold-in-silverdale-bi-senior-center-rocks/

My bi-pap was ordered after a Sleep Apnea study in 2001and Lincare supplied my Respironics Duet on 3 August 2001, according to Mike DiMatteo of Lincare, and our insurance paid it off in February 2002.

In 2010, my secure sense of well-being went to the bottom of rattlesnake canyon in a hand basket when a home study showed my sats dropped into the basement while asleep, way below good oxygen levels. I fell through the cracks in our system and I can’t be the only one.

We have stuff – serious stuff that needs fixing and that is another story for another time.

As I see it, oxygen companies are caught in the bind of Medicare, Medicaid and patients and one flaw has been lack of communication between patient, physician and Oxygen Company.

Patients talk to your doctor – its vital your sats stay up while awake and how much leeway do we have if they drop when we’re asleep? We need oxygen to our organs and the brain is a vital organ.

While I had the friendly and helpful Mike DiMatteo on the phone, I asked him about offering help with the Bainbridge Senior Center seniors planning a safe haven when the power goes out. Mike said he would be glad to offer whatever help/advice they needed. I’m sure most of Kitsap’s oxygen companies who supply these machines will help too.

Someday the rest of Kitsap County will follow the Bainbridge Senior Center seniors lead and provide assistance for those who need help when the power goes out. For some seniors, just a viable power plug can make the difference between life and death.

A super plus is the great event next Wednesday at Harrison Silverdale speaking to this very subject of emergency assistance for those of us on oxygen, concentrators, BiPap and C-Pap – all respiratory folks.

COPDers and caregivers – Mark Wednesday, 19 January on your calendar – Full details tomorrow.

More later… Sharon O’Hara

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The National Institute on Aging and Kitsap’s Baby Boomer Resources

Sharon O'Hara

The National Institute on Aging is a fabulous resource and according to their latest e-Update, this month is the first month the baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 begin turning 65!

The medical influx for Medicare will no doubt cause huge sweeping changes in Medicare benefits…or sink the Medicare ship entirely but that’s another subject for another time.

The National Institute on Aging does a great job informing us – even offering seniors cost free help, education and booklets on a variety of important subjects.

The Kitsap County contacts for seniors are below.

Kitsap County Senior Resources

Area Agencies on Aging

Learn More

Kitsap County Division of Aging & Long-Term Care

Address :	1026 Sidney Avenue
:	Suite 105
City :	Port Orchard
State :	WA
Zip :	98366
County :
Website :	http://www.kitsapgov.com/altc
Contact Email :	sloop@co.kitsap.wa.us
Office Phone :	(360) 337-7068
Information Phone :	(360) 337-5700
Regional Phone :	(800) 562-6418


Description :	-Area Agency on Aging -Senior Information & Assistance serving Seniors 60+. -Caregiver Support Program & Respite -Medicaid In-Home Services Case Management -Long Term Care Ombudsman -Sponsor: SHIBA (Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors)


Special Notes :	We are in the Givens Community Center.


Hours :	9:00 AM – 4:30 PM – Pacific Time, Monday-Thursday


Directions :	From Hwy 16 take the Port Orchard Tremont/Old Clifton Rd exit. From the south turn right, from the north turn left onto Tremont. Follow to Sidney Ave, turn left and go 3/4 mile. We are on the left. view on map

American Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations

Learn More

Puyallup Tribal Health Authority

Website :	http://eptha.com
Office Phone :	(253) 593-0232


Special Notes :	Adult Day Care, Emergency Response Systems, Financial Assistance, Home Repair, Home Modification, Information and Referral/Assistance, Home Delivered Meals, Congregate Meals, Personal Care, Sr. Center Programs


Hours :	8:00-5:00 Pacific


Directions :	view on map

Quinault Indian Nation-Senior Program Manager

Address :	PO Box 189
:	1214 Aalis Drive
City :	Taholah
State :	WA
Zip :	98587
County :
Contact Email :	mmills@quinault.org
Office Phone :	(360) 276-8215
National Toll Free Phone :	(888) 616-8211


Special Notes :	Caregiver Programs, Case Management, Home Health Services, Adult Protective Services, Emergency Response System, Employment Services, Financial Assistance, Information and Referral/Assistance, Home Delivered Meals, Personal Care, Respite Care, Government Assisted Housing, Sr. Center Programs


Hours :	8:00-4:30 Pacific


Directions :	view on map

State Agency on Aging

Learn More

Washington Aging & Disability Services Administration

Address :	640 Woodland Square Loop S.E.
:	PO Box 45600, Olympia, WA 98504
City :	Lacey
State :	WA
Zip :	98503
County :
Website :	http://www.adsa.dshs.wa.gov
Office Phone :	(360) 725-2300
Information Phone :	(360) 725-2300
National Toll Free Phone :	(800) 422-3263
State Phone :	(800) 422-3263
Regional Phone :	(800) 422-3263


Description :	Administers service programs for in-home, community and residential LTC for seniors and persons w/ disabilities, including persons with developmental disabilities.


Special Notes :	The Aging & Adult Services Administration (AASA) recently merged with the Developmental Disabilities Administration to become the Aging and Disabilities Services Administration (ADSA).


Hours :	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Pacific Time, M-F (closed holidays)


Directions :	From the north take I-5 exit #109. Turn right onto Martin Wy. Turn left at first light onto College St. After 2 lights, turn right on Woodland Square Lp. ADSA HQ is a 4 story building on the right. view on map

Elder Abuse Prevention

Learn More

Northwest Justice Project (CLEAR Sr.)

View Coverage

Address :	401 2nd Avenue South, Suite 407
City :	Seattle
State :	WA
Zip :
County :
Website :	http://www.nwjustice.org
Office Phone :	(888) 387-7111
State Phone :	(888) 387-7111


Languages :	,Spanish


Description :	*CLEARSr is a statewide toll-free client access system for people 60 years old or older to obtain free legal assistance with civil (non-criminal) problems.**


Hours :	M-F 9:30AM-12:30PM, Tuesday evening 4:30PM-6:45PM


Directions :	view on map

Adult Protective Services

View Coverage

Address :	4710 Auto Center Blvd.
City :	Bremerton
State :	WA
Zip :	98312
County :
Website :	http://www.aasa.dshs.wa.gov
Office Phone :	(360) 473-2192
Information Phone :	(360) 473-2192
State Phone :	(888)833-4925


Languages :	,Ask for interpreter


Description :	Adult Protective Services include investigation of alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment of vulnerable adults, and emergency support services to those found to be in need of protection.


Hours :	8:00am – 5:00pm, M-F


Directions :	view on map

Nursing Home Residents Neglect Hotline

View Coverage

Address :	P.O. Box 45600
City :	Olympia
State :	WA
Zip :
County :
Office Phone :	(800) 562-6078
State Phone :	(800) 562-6078


Description :	Provides assistance for consumers who want to register complaints regarding licensing, incompeteince of staff, cleanliness, safety, treatment of patients, quality of care, excessive fees, unethical, improper or unprofessional conduct of staff.


Hours :	Hotline is open 24 hours a day. Calls are returned M-F, 8:00am to 4:30pm.


Directions :	view on map

Health Insurance Counseling

Learn More

Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA)

View Coverage

Website :	http://www.insurance.wa.gov
Office Phone :	(360) 475-6649
Information Phone :	(800) 562-6900
State Phone :	(800) 562-6900


Languages :	,Chinese,Korean,Russian,Spanish,Tagalog


Description :	A volunteer-based service whose mission is to give you answers. We can help you understand your health insurance, compare policies, process medical billings, pursue claims or appeals, detect and report fraud, and help you learn your rights and options.


Hours :	Phone lines are open 24-hours a day. Calls are returned by volunteers M-F.


Directions :	view on map

Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) HelpLine

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Website :	http://www.insurance.wa.gov/shiba/shiba_mission.shtml
National Toll Free Phone :	1-800-562-6900


Description :	SHIBA has volunteers who can help you with your health care coverage questions. You get free health care coverage education, assistance, and advocacy.


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Free Legal Services for Seniors

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Address :	1950 Pottery Avenue, Suite 17
City :	Port Orchard
State :	WA
Zip :	98366
County :
Office Phone :	(360) 876-9221


Description :	If you’re are over 60 you are eligible for free legal advice. We can help you if your legal needs fall under public entitlements, health care, housing, guardianship, protective services and consumer transactions. Give us a call, we can help.


Hours :	9:00am – 5:00pm, M-F


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…

What’s Your Aging IQ?, an updated booklet from the National Institute on Aging, helps answer questions and separates fact from fiction about aging and health. Based on scientific research, this illustrated, 24-page booklet lets readers test their basic knowledge of aging. Take the quiz, based on eight brief stories—in print or online—to see how much you know about heart health, bone health, eating well, and more!

Available FREE:

* Read online, download, or order print copies, or take the online quiz: What’s Your Aging IQ?

* Call toll-free: 1-800-222-2225 or 1-800-222-4225 (TTY)

http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/

I wholeheartedly recommend their free booklets, especially,

Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging. Also available in Spanish.

More later… Sharon O’Hara

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Political Medicare and Tricare Travesty

Sharon O'Hara

Greetings…Medicare and Tricare patients – we may soon be up that creek without a paddle if we don’t take action now. I sent the following letter this morning to my legislators through the American Medical Association’s website to protest against further cuts to our physicians. They are already penalized by taking Medicare and Medicaid patients now. If this new cut goes through, patients like us won’t even have a canoe up that creek, much less the paddle.

***

“Dear Legislator’s… Don’t force physicians to make the choice to of not treating Medicare or Tricare patients or go out of business for lack of income and not be able to treat anyone.

The medical profession is the only profession in this nation to be penalized by the work they do – working in health care. accepting Medicare or Medicaid patients penalize the very people working to provide health care to our citizens – our physicians.

Forcing additional physician related medical cuts will effectively take care of too much government care costs by getting rid of seniors and our retired military to make room for the baby boomers beginning to enter the system. Is that what you want?

I fit into both categories, a senior on Medicare and Tricare. My medical team already loses money every time they see me.

How dare the government control what should be private industry KNOWING these additional cuts will drive doctors out of business and/or be a death warrant for patients like me left stranded without medical assistance.

My husband is retired military, we’re both seniors – he is my ‘caregiver.’ I have COPD, Sarcoidosis, Bone on Bone left hip Arthritis, RLS, Lymph-edema, Psoriasis and Other Stuff.

My parents legally immigrated to this country, the land of their dreams, knowing they were only limited by their own imagination and willingness to work. For shame that America could be reduced to a government willing to harm their retired military and seniors by reducing the medical care needed for their survival.

The Medicare patch Congress passed last June is only a temporary reprieve for the seniors and baby boomers who rely on the promise of Medicare. In December, the Medicare cut to doctor services will be a whopping 23 percent, increasing to nearly 25 percent in January.

It’s a tragedy that Congress has let Medicare erode into an unreliable, unstable system for both patients and their doctors.

We need a long-term solution to this annual problem, so you will no longer need to apply short-term Band-Aid fixes to stop impending cuts that get worse year after year. And don’t forget – baby boomers begin entering Medicare soon, and if this problem isn’t fixed, these new Medicare patients may not be able to find a doctor to treat them!

The vicious cycle of short-term delays that make the cuts worse and raise the cost of real reform for American taxpayers must come to an end.

This is a dangerous game of Russian roulette with seniors’ health care. Sick patients can’t wait any longer for you to do the right thing. Please stabilize this broken payment system before the damage is done and cannot be reversed.

Don’t allow a bad system to get worse.”

***

Please let your voice be heard.

http://www.ama-assn.org/

Sincerely,

Sharon O’Hara

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Harrison Medical Center Works with DRG/1

Sharon O'Hara

What is YOUR Hospital DRG?

“Part 2 deals with the $11,376.32 loss to Harrison after two insurance companies paid $1,100.00 and $5,109.58.
How long can any business survive if they are compelled to absorb such losses?”

I discovered answers from Harrison’s new Patient Financial Supervisor, Christine Warner. Additionally, I learned that Harrison offers deep discounts, and has other programs in place via a “Contractual Allowance.”
Contact them and see what they can do for you.

According to Christine Warner, my DRG is 300 thus accounting for their low Medicare payment reimbursement.

The Tricare reimbursement is based on the Medicare rate of return and other insurances may pay more.

Medicare will also pay more than the hospital charges for other patients with lower numbers helping offset the high numbered patients like me.

As more baby bloomers enter Medicare, Harrison and other hospitals will be hard pressed to cut costs….and, I hope, get more into preventative issues and using patients to help each other.

Something I think would help cut future costs and that is to educate the patient by was of a genetic support group, meeting once a week. The issues are much the same for patients with multiple medical conditions and the emphasis should be on nutrition, and physical fitness. We could invite speakers from around the county…even from among the patients.

I have found a similar mindset among the best professionals I have met and been challenged by all. Patients teach each other and most medical professionals would be happy to help the cause of better health.

To name a few: Yvonne Kerstad with Janice McFarland’s, Body ReForm, Silverdale’s Pilates and Physical Therapy Studio. Yvonne altered many of the exercises to suit my physical condition Yvonne can also address firsthand, exercising pre and post around a hip replacement.

Anna Marx, Kitsap Physical Therapy, Silverdale, is another who thinks outside the circle. She proved to me that I COULD increase the range of motion of my left hip. Additionally, Sara is a recumbent bike rider and entered in the 2010 Seattle – Portland ride

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Medicare Prospective Payment System

Introduction

The Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS) was introduced by the federal government in October, 1983, as a way to change hospital behavior through financial incentives that encourage more cost-efficient management of medical care. Under PPS, hospitals are paid a pre-determined rate for each Medicare admission. Each patient is classified into a Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) on the basis of clinical information. Except for certain patients with exceptionally high costs (called outliers), the hospital is paid a flat rate for the DRG, regardless of the actual services provided.

Each Medicare patient is classified into a Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) according to information from the Medical Record that appears on the bill:

• Principal Diagnosis (why the patient was admitted)
• Complications and Comorbidities (CCs – other secondary diagnoses)
• Surgical Procedures
• Age
• Gender
• Discharge Disposition (routine, transferred, or expired)

How it Works

Diagnoses and procedures must be documented by the attending physician in the patient�s medical record. They are then coded by hospital personnel using ICD-9-CM nomenclature. This is a numerical coding scheme of over 13,000 diagnoses and 5,000 procedures.

The coding process is extremely important since it essentially determines what DRG will be assigned for a patient. Coding an incorrect principal diagnosis or failing to code a significant secondary diagnosis can dramatically effect reimbursement.

There are over 490 DRG categories defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, formerly known as HCFA). Each category is designed to be “clinically coherent.” In other words, all patients assigned to a DRG are deemed to have a similar clinical condition. The Prospective Payment System is based on paying the average cost for treating patients in the same DRG.

Each year CMS makes technical adjustments to the DRG classification system that incorporate new technologies (e.g. laparoscopic procedures) and refine its use as a payment methodology. CMS also initiates changes to the ICD-9-CM coding scheme. The DRG assignment process is computerized in a program called the grouper that is used by hospitals and fiscal intermediaries.

Each year CMS also assigns a relative weight to each DRG. These weights indicate the relative costs for treating patients during the prior year. The national average charge for each DRG is compared to the overall average. This ratio is published annually in the Federal Register for each DRG. A DRG with a weight of 2.0000 means that charges were historically twice the average; a DRG with a weight of 0.5000 was half the average.

Top 10 DRGs
The ten highest volume Medicare DRGs represent about 30% of total Medicare patients. Each of these higher volume DRGs represent from about 2% to 6% of total Medicare volume.

DRG DRG Description % Total Rel Wt

1 127 Heart Failure & Shock 5.99 1.0234
2 089 Simple Pneumonia & Pleurisy Age>17 w/CC1 3.85 1.1447
3 014 Specific Cerebrovascular Disorders except TIA 3.18 1.2056
4 430 Psychoses 3.18 0.9153
5 088 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 3.11 1.0067
6 209 Major Joint & Limb Reattachment Procedures, Lower Extremity 2.78 2.3491
7 140 Angina Pectoris 2.33 0.6241
8 182 Esophagitis, Gastroent & Misc Digest Disorders Age>17 w/CC1 2.09 0.7617
9 174 G.I. Hemorrhage w/CC1 2.07 0.9657
10 296 Nutritional & Misc Metabolic Disorders Age>17w/CC1 1.93 0.9313

Note: “CC” signifies a significant complication or comorbidity
Source: Health Care Financing Administration, 1994.
DRG-based Payments
The DRG payment for a Medicare patient is determined by multiplying the relative weight for the DRG by the hospital�s blended rate:…”
DRG PAYMENT = WEIGHT x RATE

Read more: http://pugetsoundblogs.com/copd-and-other-stuff/2010/06/26/harrisons-strength-is-in-her-volunteers-and-staff/#ixzz0s42zrGV0

http://www.ahd.com/pps.html

More later… Sharon O’Hara

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Seniors Learn and Chat New Government Benefits TODAY

Sharon O'Hara

The Department of Health and Human Services want Seniors to know stuff.

They’ve scheduled weekly web chats and TODAY, 8 April at 1:00pm “.. top experts on health care and seniors will join Secretary Sebelius live for a discussion about some important benefits for older Americans .” Don’t miss it.

Read on for more information to benefit Seniors, including the donut hole filler.

“Now that the Affordable Care Act is law, the Department of Health and Human Services wants you to be sure you are getting the information you need about the important early benefits that will be available this year.

Each week HHS will be hosting a weekly web chat with Secretary Sebelius and other top officials at HHS. You’ll be able to hear more about what the new health insurance reform law means for you, and you can submit your questions directly to Healthreform@hhs.gov.

Last week, the Secretary and SBA Administrator Karen Mills talked about the new tax credits that are now available to help small businesses buy health insurance for their workers. You can watch that web cast on demand by clicking here.

This Thursday, April 8th, at 1:00 PM EDT, two of HHS’s top experts on health care and seniors will join Secretary Sebelius live for a discussion about some important benefits for older Americans. Kathy Greenlee, our Assistant Secretary for Aging, and Marilyn Tavenner, Principal Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will be available live to take your questions.

Join the conversation tomorrow at 1:00 pm EDT at http://www.hhs.gov/live.

Did you know that the new law will provide a $250 rebate this year on prescription drugs for those facing the gap in Medicare coverage known as the donut hole?

Did you know that the new law protects and strengthens Medicare by eliminating waste and fraud and ending overpayment to private insurance companies?

Did you know that preventive care will be available to Medicare beneficiaries at no cost?

We will be discussing all these benefits plus new details about a new retiree reinsurance program (pdf) that will bring much needed relief to many early retirees who cannot access affordable health coverage.

Send us your questions today to Healthreform@hhs.gov.

We’ll answer as many questions as we can during the web chat and address others in the “Your Questions Answered” section of our website.
…
Jenny Backus
Acting Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs
Moderator of the HHS Weekly Web Chat

More later… Sharon O’Hara

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Government Controlled Health Care

Sharon O'Hara

Please excuse my mention of politics and our current health care system dilemma. I am a patient, not a political party…disease does not stop at borders but it sure plays a part in medicine…

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HITS 10.2 PERCENT, WORST SINCE 1983; EMPLOYERS CUT 190,000 JOBS ”
http://email.foxnews.com/t?ctl=2163:7A6A4B31296F1CB1EA28BA15CAB80E79&

Now the White House is extending the unemployment insurance – again. Nothing happens overnight, we know…but I would feel more hopeful if our government wasn’t spending money we don’t have… and keeps spending the same invisible money.

President Obama reminds me of a cookie starved kid suddenly turned loose in Ma Kettle’s Cookie Kitchen – he keeps making cookies long after the oven died and the shelves are bare.

The car bonanza helped people buy all electric golf carts at a fraction of the cost or got them free – thanks to the taxpayer and generosity of the White House. (WH)

The Acorn shame was hidden by the mainstream media – Fox opened Pandora’s Box and we began to learn how the WH is manipulating the media and attacking Fox for telling us THE NEWS. Real news, not slanted.

Last night I did my usual click through stations and found one miserable health condition show after another…gee, right when the WH is manipulating for government controlled health care.

Once during the past few months, I joined in on a AARP phone town meeting and listened to one amazing comment after another…until I had a page almost full of comments and questions to ask.
I called the number given for questions and left the message. The impetus to call was when AARP bragged that California had the best system of superb health care in the nation. The California health care system should be the model for the country…no one mentioned that California is BANKRUPT.

Later, the last cookie of remaining respect crumbled when I watched the CEO on a Fox interview state over and over again that AARP did not have a position yet on health care.

I have a special interest in health care, as do most of us … and do not want another government controlled agency doomed to fail…just as government controlled Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are failed.

“Social Security is safe today but will run deficits in just 12 years. That’s not a very long time to fix the world’s biggest government program.”
http://www.socialsecurity.org/reformandyou/faqs.html

“…The current recession is wreaking havoc on the Social Security trust fund. But the real blame lies with irresponsible politicians. Instead of planning for the future—of which they had literally a generation in advance warning—politicians acted as if a severe recession would never come.

Now, instead of a trust fund filled with the accumulated dollars of previous generations to cover distributions to those taxpayers, the government is left with an empty bag of holes.
The trust fund’s annual surplus will all but vanish next year according to the Congressional Budget Office’s (cbo’s) most recent report.
With unemployment rising, there are 5.1 million fewer workers paying into Social Security than when the recession began in December 2007.

The end of the Social Security surplus could have enormous consequences.
For the government, it means not only will it need money to somehow pay those Social Security entitlements, but it will also need to find a new source of off-budget money to “borrow” from for other expenditures that were previously funded by stealing from Social Security. …

“Over the past 25 years, the government has gotten used to the fact that Social Security is providing free money to make the rest of the deficit look smaller,” said Andrew Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “Instead of Social Security subsidizing the rest of the budget, the rest of the budget will have to subsidize Social Security.”

That is not good news for the 51 million retirees who depend on Social Security.

Already in massive debt, the government has limited options for financing Social Security.

The first two options—cutting benefits for retirees, and/or raising taxes on current workers—are probably politically impractical, especially since America is only in the early stages of the “Greater Recession.” …
…government with one last-ditch option: to just create more money…. may include discrediting the dollar, destroying America’s purchasing power and severe international consequences.

The Federal Reserve Bank has already announced that it has started down this path. Inflation will almost inevitably result.
America is facing some tough choices, none of them easy: reduced benefits, higher taxes, more borrowing, higher inflation, a damaged dollar. The consequences of big government and even bigger spending are about to slam home with landslide force.

The Social Security debacle is just one more should-have-been-avoidable financial crisis to add to the growing list. … •
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=6106.4502.0.0

President Obama is NOT RESPONSIBLE for the SS crisis…he inherited the SS, Medicare and Medicaid disasters.
President Obama IS RESPONSIBLE for his outrageous borrowing and throwing more billions of invisible money into the pit of no return.

Between Fannie, Freddie, Ginnie and the FHA, an astounding near 90 percent of all loans being issued in the United States are now backed by the government. If home prices continue to fall, and defaults continue to grow, these organizations have the potential to destroy government finances. Yet instead of trying to mitigate this unfolding disaster, America is actually plunging in deeper. http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=6697.5217.0.0

The writing is on the wall–the Social Security system won’t be able to sustain itself much longer. When the Social Security trustees issue their 2010 report next May, the viability of this system will have deteriorated further—a fact trustees cannot hide any longer under the proverbial “political rug.” However, with media attention focused on healthcare and the death of Michael Jackson, most Americans are simply unaware of this coming tempest….”
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/why_social_security_will_go_ba.html

“…Not only will Obama ration your health care — especially if you are a senior citizen — and have the government decide what treatment and benefits you get, the proposed plan will also build and expand the government’s surveillance and control grid.

Section 163 of the bill now in Congress allows the government real-time access to a person’s bank records, including direct access to bank accounts for electronic fund transfers. “Even-though the bill mentions privacy aspects, the fact remains that if approved, Obama’s health care plan will allow government access at any time to your personal bank records,” KFYI News reports.
“It’s pretty Orwellian, it certainly gets the government pretty darn deeply involved in private matters in our lives,” Arizona Congressman John Shadegg told the news radio station…. http://www.infowars.com/obama-health-bill-allows-government-real-time-access-to-bank-accounts/

“It is a common misconception that the free enterprise system is at fault for the current high cost of medical care in the US, a misconception that the current administration has no desire to refute. However, the government’s regulatory and control practices are really at fault. Ever increasing and more punitive government and Medicare regulations set the standards for the actions of the private insurance companies. … Government over-regulated and managed health care makes as much sense as government managed flying.
Frank S. Rosenbloom, M.D. “Government Health Care Won’t Fly””
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/06/government_health_care_wont_fl_1.html

More later … Sharon O’Hara

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