Elite Home Healthcare Services (EHHS) offers complete in-home care services for senior citizens, the disabled, and people recovering from operations. EHHS specialize in customized in-home care programs unique to each and every client. From general in-home care like assistance with daily routines and light housekeeping to more specialized care including post-operation and rehabilitation programs.
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How will healthcare change in the future? Dr. Stephen Klasko shares his insights on healthcare reform in this informative talk cleverly staged in the year 2020.
Try to imagine how the practice of medicine will be like in 2020 or 2030.
This not an easy exercise considering recent healthcare reform efforts and scientific discoveries make even a six-month view into the crystal ball a little cloudy. To help us get an idea of what the future of healthcare will look like, we consulted Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Here are 3 changes, they said we may see:
A new way to deliver care
The traditional, one-size-fits-all, office visit model of medicine has reigned for decades. Physicians are locked into a system that requires they see patients in their office every 15 minutes, and alternatives like e-mail consultations have been slow to catch on.
Healthcare has been stuck here because of the payment structure, says David Moen, a physician and medical director of care model innovation at Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services. Moen’s job is to rethink the traditional model and find ways to make the alternatives work. The current financial structure limits this innovation, he says, and fails to take into account patient engagement and drive efficiencies.
But at Fairview, they are initiating care reform, Moen says, which will in turn inform payment reform. Moen says the future of care includes different delivery models (think phone, Internet, and group visits), a greater focus on patients’ behavior, and a far more team-oriented approach.
“This is probably the most opportune time in decades for physicians to provide leadership to the change taking place,” he says.
Online visits
Moen’s colleague, Eric Christianson, an emergency department physician at Fairview, has been trying his hand at what some believe will become a new tier for healthcare delivery: online visits.
As part of a pilot program with BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota, Christianson has started seeing some patients via the Internet, using a Web cam and a telephone. Already, after only about 40 visits, Christianson says he can see how this method would make him more efficient, and give him some flexibility in his schedule.
“It seems to me to be a very common sense, logical step,” he says. “The technology is out there. There are still things that need to be worked on, but as it’s being developed and being refined, it’s clear to me that it could be utilized for betterment of patient and physician experience.”
Not only will the online care model extend healthcare access to people in rural or underserved areas, but it can offer the physician a unique way to control her schedule. Imagine spending half of the day in the office seeing patients, then returning to work — perhaps from the comfort of your home — in the evening after your child’s softball game or dinner with the family. Any down time between patients, such as a last-minute cancellation, can be filled with another appointment.
A patient can go online to find out which physicians are available for an online visit, says Roy Schoenberg, CEO of American Well, which provides the online system.
The physician can review records, communicate, and write a prescription — and actually get paid (albeit less than for an office visit).
Minnesota is one of only a few areas using the online care model, but Schoenberg envisions the system evolving to allow for other disciplines to participate and for physicians to consult with each other.
Christianson also sees the mode taking off. “There’s no question that online care is something that is going to grow,” he says. “This is just another layer we can utilize and help with the efficiencies of the whole system.”
Group visits
Perhaps the ultimate move toward more efficiency would be seeing more than one patient at a time. Imagine if you could corral a half-dozen of your patients with similar conditions into a single visit, allowing you or your staff to give the information and guidance once. For some physicians, this is already a reality, and many see group visits as a new model for the practice of the future.
Although group visits have been around for several years, the concept is gaining in popularity, and more payers are beginning to reimburse for them.
The concept started around patients with a similar condition, such congestive heart failure, who are in a rehab program, says Erica Drazen, managing director for the emerging practices division of CSC Healthcare Group, a planning and performance improvement consulting firm in Waltham, Mass. In a group visit, there may be a facilitated discussion about diet or exercise, after a nurse or physician has evaluated each patient individually.
“Patients listen to what is going on with every patient, as well as talk amongst themselves,” Drazen says, which provides them with greater insights into their condition and builds support among the group.
“As you hear questions and answers, you learn a lot about yourself,” she says. “Patients love the visit experience.”
Surprisingly, privacy concerns don’t seem to be a barrier to such visits, Drazen says, and of course any exam is done in a separate room.
This can allow the physician to be more efficient, and it also gives her some insight into the condition she might not otherwise get in one-on-one visits.
Group visits tend to be limited to organized systems of care, such as an HMO or large clinic that allows for reimbursement, Drazen says, but “where they are introduced, they spread pretty quickly.”
Rather than being uncomfortable for patients with chronic illnesses, group visits can be empowering, says David Ehrenberger, a family-practice physician at Bloomfield Family Practice, which has conducted group visits and is participating in a patient-centered medical home pilot project.
“That group dynamic is extremely powerful,” he says.
Informative Video About Who Pays for Private Health Insurance.
Private Health Insurance
Although many Americans rely on their employers for health insurance coverage, there are several circumstances in which private health insurance is critical. If the time has come to select your own insurance, read on for some tips to guide you in the process.
When You Might Need Private Health Insurance
Private health insurance is sometimes required if you are: A recent college graduate – Most college students are covered under a parent’s health insurance plan or a plan offered or required by the university and sometimes they’re covered under both. Grads lose their college insurance and independent status because of their age or graduate status, which also makes them ineligible to be covered by their parents’ policy.
Unemployed – If you lose your job because of downsizing or resignation, you are most likely eligible to continue with your employer’s health insurance plan under COBRA except that you will have to pay its full cost yourself – the employer won’t subsidize part of the cost like it did when you were an employee. Eventually, this coverage runs out, and if you are still unemployed, you will need to find your own insurance. If you lose your job because you were fired rather than a victim of a downsizing, you are not eligible for COBRA and you’ll need to find your own insurance right away.
Part-time employee – Part-time jobs rarely offer health benefits. If you work part time, you usually have to supply your own health insurance.
Self-employed – Unless you can be covered under a spouse or partner who is a W-2 employee, you have to provide your own health insurance if you work for yourself.
Employer – If you start a business that has employees, laws might require that you offer them health insurance. Even if it is not required, you might want to offer it to be a competitive employer who can attract qualified job candidates. In this situation, you will have to shop for a business health insurance plan, also known as a group plan.
Retired – When you retire, you are no longer eligible for employer-sponsored health insurance. You’ll have to buy your own and because of your age and possible health conditions, it can be quite pricey. Dropped by your existing insurer – Sometimes people who need to make extensive use of their insurance, such as people who have serious medical problems, are dropped by their insurance companies even if they’ve been loyal customers for years. If this happens to you, consider seeking the guidance of an insurance agent who can help you find a plan specifically for someone with your medical condition.
Why You Still Need Health Insurance
If you find yourself in one of the above situations, don’t go without coverage for even a day. A small emergency like a broken bone can ruin you financially if you’re uninsured. These things are called “accidents” for a reason – in other words, you can’t predict when they will happen. No one expects to get hit by a car while going for a walk or fall down the basement stairs when carrying the laundry, but these things happen and they can be expensive without health insurance.
If you think you can’t afford your own insurance, you might be wrong. While there is a lot of hype in the media about the rising cost of healthcare, health insurance plans are available at a variety of prices. You might not be able to afford the kind of plan an employer would offer, but any plan is better than no plan. At a minimum, you want to be covered in the event of a major incident, such as an illness or the aforementioned broken bone.
First, decide whether you want a health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred provider organizations (PPO), high-deductible health plan (HDHP), consumer-driven health plan (CHDP) or a point of service (POS) plan. Depending on your situation, a short-term plan might also be a good option. After you’ve decided on a type of plan, you’ll need to determine a deductible you are comfortable with. What could you afford to pay out-of-pocket each year in a worst-case scenario? Remember, the higher your deductible, the lower your premium; if your monthly cash flow is low, you might have to opt for a higher deductible. Next, go to the website of each of the major health insurance companies in your area and examine the options for the deductible you’ve chosen. Plans available vary by state, and within your state, the premiums for each plan vary by zip code.
You won’t know what you’ll really pay per month until you apply and fork over your medical history. Price and coverage can vary significantly by company. Often, it’s difficult to make an apples-to-apples comparison to determine which company has the best combination of rates and coverage.
Your best bet is to limit your options to reputable insurers, then choose the plan they offer that provides the best combination of features you’ll use at a price you can afford. If you’re choosing a family plan or an employer plan, you’ll want to consider not just your own needs, but also the needs of others who will be covered under the plan.
Factors to Weigh in Choosing the Right Plan
Health insurance plans offer a variety of features. It’s unlikely that you’ll find a plan that offers everything you’d like, but consider the following features you need most so you can find the plan that offers the greatest number of them.
Does the plan offer prescription drug coverage?
Does it only cover generics?
What is the co-payment (co-pay) on generics and on name-brand drugs?
What is the office visit co-pay, and does the plan cap the number of office visits it will cover per year?
What is the co-pay for professional services, such as x-rays, lab tests, and surgery?
What is the co-pay for a hospital stay?
What is the co-pay for an emergency room visit?
Do you want a plan that allows you to add vision and dental coverage at minimal cost?
Do you need pregnancy benefits?
Do you already have a doctor you like? If so, you might want to find a PPO plan in which your doctor is part of the insurance company’s provider network.
What is the plan’s lifetime maximum payout? Try to get the highest amount possible if you’re buying a long-term plan.
Does the plan offer discounted services for preventive care, such as a free annual check-up?
Do you want specialty services like physical therapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture visits to be covered? For PPOs, what is the cost for out-of-network services, should you want or need them? Can you afford this?
Conclusion: Getting your own health insurance policy isn’t as easy or inexpensive as getting signed up with an employer’s plan, but once you figure out what you need and become familiar with the terminology, it’s not too intimidating. With the number of options available, you can probably find a plan that meets your needs – and your budget.
Humana is one of the largest and best-known health insurance companies in the United States. It offers health care services for individuals, business owners and military personnel.
Aetna has been providing health insurance to Connecticut residents since 1853, and today covers people in all 50 states. It is a pioneer in health care legislation and is responsible for making coverage of genetic testing and counseling an industry standard.
UnitedHealthCare is the largest single health care carrier in the United States. It currently covers approximately 70 million Americans and contributes large amounts of money to medical research every year.
Kaiser Permanente is a unique health care management program that is located mainly in the western United States. In California, Colorado and seven other states, patients who have Kaiser coverage get health care services, including hospital stays, at Kaiser health facilities.
Cigna is a worldwide health insurance organization that covers individuals, families and employers. It has been in business for over 30 years.
Anthem is one of the better-known national insurance companies. It operates under different names, depending on what state a patient is from, but covers patients throughout the United States.
Assurant has been offering a variety of insurance plans, including health insurance, for the last 100 years. It was named one of Forbes’ 50 Most Trustworthy Companies for 2014.
Health Net offers coverage to people in Arizona, California and Colorado. It is a California Market Plan associate, which means that low-income patients in California can get discounted insurance via Health Net under ACA rules.
United American began in 1947 as a one-man enterprise. Today, it is a national health care insurer based in Texas.
American Republic Insurance was founded just before the Great Depression, and it is now a national insurer offering customized health insurance plans.
eHealth is a private online marketplace helping individuals and families find Medicare, vision, dental and general health insurance plans. Consumers answer a few questions to get tailored insurance recommendations, quotes and plan comparisons.
Health Plans of America is not a health insurer. Instead, it provides consumers with competitive health insurance quotes for seniors, families, individuals, and young adults who want to save money by using the company’s website to request a free health insurance quote.
Bibliography
Best Health Insurance Companies for 2016 . (1970). Retrieved on January 13, 2016, from http://www.consumeraffairs.com/insurance/health.html.
The Affordable Care Act market reforms apply to group health plans. On Sept. 13, 2013, the IRS issued Notice 2013-54, which explains how the Affordable Care Act’s market reforms apply to certain types of group health plans, including health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), health flexible spending arrangements (health FSAs) and certain other employer healthcare arrangements, including arrangements under which an employer reimburses an employee for some or all of the premium expenses incurred for an individual health insurance policy. The notice also provides guidance on employee assistance programs or EAPs and on section 125(f), which prohibits the use of pre-tax employee contributions to cafeteria plans to purchase coverage on an Affordable Insurance Exchange (also known as a Health Insurance Marketplace).
The notice applies for plan years beginning on and after Jan. 1, 2014, but taxpayers may apply the guidance provided in the notice for all prior periods. On February 18, 2015, the IRS issued Notice 2015-17 which provides transition relief from the excise tax under section 4980D with respect to failures to satisfy the market reforms by certain small employers reimbursing premiums for individual insurance policies, S corporations reimbursing premiums for 2-percent shareholders, and certain health care arrangements for employees with health coverage under Medicare and TRICARE.
The Affordable Care Act provides more options than ever for how you get and pay for coverage. You and members of your family can be covered, even if you have pre-existing health problems. You can apply for financial assistance from the federal government to help pay for care and coverage purchased through the Marketplace. State- and federally run Health Insurance Marketplaces are available to help you shop, compare, and buy health care coverage.
The Affordable Care Act, also known as the health care law, was created to expand access to coverage, control health care costs and improve health care quality and care coordination. The health care law does not change VA health benefits or Veterans’ out-of-pocket costs. Because comprehensive national data for the effects of menu labeling do not exist, FDA did not quantify the benefits associated with section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act and this rule making.
Some Affordable Care Act studies have shown that some consumers consume fewer calories when menus have information about calorie content displayed. Consumers will benefit from having important nutrition information for the approximately 30 percent of calories consumed away from home. Given the very high costs associated with obesity and its associated health risks, FDA estimated that if 0.6 percent of the adult obese population reduces energy intake by at least 100 calories per week, then the benefits of section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act and this rule would be at least as large as the costs.
The Affordable Care Act not only makes health care more affordable for families and small business owners and raises taxes on high earners, large businesses, and the health care industry. It also limits medical deductions. Tens of millions of families will benefit from new tax credits which will help them reduce their premium costs and purchase insurance. American families making less than $250,000 as a group will see their taxes cut by hundreds of billions of dollars.
Bibliography
Affordable Care Act Summary. (1970). On January 13, 2016, from http://obamacarefacts.com/affordablecareact-summary/.
Ambulation not only maintains muscle tone, muscle strength, and joint flexibility, however it likewise fortifies the respiratory, circulatory, and gastrointestinal frameworks to help everyone capacity appropriately.
At the point when patients are stable because of surgery, damage, or ailment, these frameworks are influenced, putting them at danger for creating difficulties, for example, diminished muscle strength, profound vein thrombosis, and incapacitated ileus.
It is imperative to remember this and begin the patient ambulating and practicing at an opportune time in the recuperation process.
Before helping senior patients walk, it is vital to focus the level of help every patient requires.
These changes with every persistent well-being status and the period of time the patient has been idle.
For patients who are sick or recuperating from surgery, give a basic “help.”
It can include simply strolling close by the patient or utilizing a step belt for extra security.
For patients who require more than that, offer an assertive gadget, for example, a stick, a walker, or props.
Patients who have been fixed or on bed rest regularly encounter vertigo and orthostatic hypotension the initial few times they sit up in bed or attempt to stand.
Accordingly, it is regularly valuable to break the walking procedure into stages to guarantee well-being.
Start the ambulation process by having patients sits up in bed for a couple of minutes.
If they endure sitting up, have them dangle their legs along the bed’s edge.
If they endure dangling, help them to a standing position along the bed’s edge.
If they endure standing, the following step is ambulation.
If a patient gets to be powerless or woozy amid ambulation and starts to fall, it is imperative to shield both yourself and her from damage.
Rather than attempting to hold the patient up or get her, facilitate her tenderly to the floor.
You can do this securely by setting your arms underneath the persistent axillae and after that putting one leg forward and permitting her to utilize it for backing as you facilitate her to the floor.
To anticipate harm to your lower back, twist at the knees as you help the patient to the floor.
Ambulation Products
Medco Technology Ambulation Shorts permit any guardian with any aptitude set to securely and just ambulate a patient while decreasing the potential for patient or parental figure harm from falls.
The Patent Pending Ambulation Shorts are built from Medco Tech Advanced Apex material including unparalleled body shaping solace.
Savvy Ambulation Shorts are effortlessly put on the prostrate patient and are frequently set in conjunction with the SMART Slide Sheet.
Ambulation Shorts are furnished with a strap stockpiling pocket intended to keep the strapping and webbing off the beaten path while shorts are being set and evacuated.
Once set, the Ambulation Shorts are effortlessly fixed and fitted to the patient with custom pressure clasps and straps.
Keen Ambulation Shorts are balanced at the understanding’s leg, hip flexor and waist.
When associated with the overhead or versatile lift gadget Ambulation Shorts take into account straightforward change while being used.
The strap and webbing control take likewise works as a pressure and bolster system for the understanding’s mid-section and back.
The Medco Technology Tension Slider climbs and down the webbing, effectively balanced by the parental figure or patient to guarantee most extreme solace and soundness.
Ambulation shorts secure patient protection and respect, bolster or hold indwelling folly catheters, highlight open sides for patients with numerous lines, channels or mid-section tubes and with Apex fabric innovation won’t ride up, tie, or group bringing on agonizing weight territories if the patient quits helping amid an ambulation errand.
Ambulation Shorts may be utilized with any lift highlighting a snare and circle connection point or may be utilized with other ambulation forte lifts with the best possible connections.
The Benefits of Ambulation
The Nursing Outcome Classification, an institutionalized system for restorative wording perceived by attendants and therapeutic experts all through the world, characterizes ambulation as the capacity to stroll from spot to put autonomously with or without assistive gadget.
Ambulation incorporates everything from remaining to strolling to situating and even exchanges to and from medicinal offices.
An advantages’ couple of ambulation as the accompanying:
• Strengthened muscles
• Increased joint flexibility
• Stimulated course
• Osteoporosis aversion
• Pressure alleviation for the body and skin
• Improved self-regard and sentiments of autonomy
• Additional social action
As an individual from the Nurse Core family, a couple of those advantages truly hop out.
Fitting straightforwardly in accordance with Nurse Core’s mantra of giving Awesome administration, ambulation ought to be seen as a priceless apparatus for homecare suppliers, helping in two key regions: 1) Increased Flexibility and Muscle Rehabilitation and 2) Additional Social Activity
Expanded Flexibility and Muscle Rehabilitation
Patients experiencing muscle shortcoming as an aftereffect of a surgery or a stroke ought to view ambulation as one of the most ideal approaches to manufacture back strength. The non-intrusive treatment that goes before ambulation can hugely help a patient in recovering lost muscle limit. Rehashed activity, similar to ambulation, is a simple approach to assemble muscle continuance and strength, especially in the mid-region and legs.
Extra Social Activity
“Maturing is the procedure – weariness is the peril,” peruses an article from www.elitehhcs.com on assisting elderly with love ding ones keep up a high caliber of life. Be that as it may, whether the patient is a senior subject, an individual hit with an ailment or a kid adapting to incapacity, fatigue is the foe of a life loaded with joy and bliss.
Here are only a couple of the intense subject matters fatigue can prompt: sentiments of uselessness, extraordinary eagerness and disliked or uncared about. Ambulation not only forms physical strength yet has various physiological advantages also – it empowers the mind and advances social collaboration.
In 2011, analysts even found that socially dynamic elderly individuals were two times more inclined to stay away from handicaps relating to day by day exercises when contrasted with individuals who not socially dynamic.
While the risk of a doomed fall will dependably exist, the advantages of ambulation, especially for patients experiencing joint pain or recouping from surgery, ought to never be reduced. You can concentrate on the positive advantages and lessen the likelihood of an awful fall by evacuating all things that may introduce themselves as snags and guarantee that the patient is wearing suitable, strong
The Difference between Hospice Care and Palliative Care
Kimberly Tyler, a registered nurse, explains the difference between Hospice and Palliative Care. A client is appropriate for hospice, if they have been given a terminal diagnosis that is going to result in death within the next 6 months.
Palliative care is an approach that focuses more on controlling symptoms related to a chronic illness, such as pain or emotional stress. With palliative care the disease does not have to be terminal. Again, palliative care is meant to help you control symptoms of a of a chronic disease that you may have for a long time, but not necessarily the die from in the next 6 months.