Forum to discuss how baby boomers can use technology to enhance health
A forum – Boomers, Technology, and Health: Consumers Taking Charge – will be offered from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle.
Technology can help boomers who want to reduce the cost and inconvenience of doctor visits, delay or be active in retirement, take care of their aging parents, and age independently in their own homes themselves, say the sponsors of the forum, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the NW.
Mobile, wireless, social, and data technologies can provide a range of patient-centered, cost-reducing, and time-saving health management options for the benefit of consumers. These technologies also can be valuable to caregivers, health care providers, employers, taxpayers, and the healthcare industry.
"Boomers are unlike any previous mid-life generation in terms of population size, spending power, tech-savvy, and independent spirit," said Michael Gallelli, coordinator of the forum. "Our event will explore how this so-called Sandwich Generation will demand and drive the personalization of health and wellness, and what role mobile, social networking, and data technologies will play in the use of connected health products by boomers and their families."
Picture
The forum panel – moderated by Frank Catalano, principal at Intrinsic Strategy – will discuss from a consumer and technology point of view how various technologies will come together to deliver health solutions for baby boomers. Panelists include:
• Jay Bartot, co-founder and CTO, Medify
• Clayton Lewis, venture capitalist and partner, Maveron
• Marc Pierson, M.D., vice president of clinical information and quality, PeaceHealth
• John Sherry, director of user experience design, Intel Corporation
• Tandy Trower, founder and CEO, Hoaloha Robotics
A report prepared by the MIT Enterprise Forum of the NW for the Jan. 19 forum shows that U.S. baby boomers will play a key role in the adoption of technology-enabled health products for personal use.
Challenges to be address in the development and use of this technology include business model viability, data accuracy, behavioral challenges, and privacy concerns.
Currently, 17 percent of the nation's GDP is spent on health care. With the doubling of the population age 65 and older, driven by 78 million aging boomers, technology will be an important tool for managing chronic disease conditions associated with age, addressing medical personnel and senior care housing shortages, lessening family caretaker pressures, and encouraging self-care and health awareness, according to the report.
The report also points out that Washington and Oregon can become a center for health technology due to the software, mobile, research, senior care, and policy expertise available in regional institutional and business communities.
The report outlines several business opportunity areas, including personal health analytics and management, medication adherence, remote and mobile monitoring and tracking, social health and wellness communities, and robotics software.
The early registration deadline for the forum is Jan. 9.
Boomer Consumer
http://blog.seattlepi.com/boomerconsumer/archives/234641.asp
TSH Editor's Note: I've been a member of the Pacific Northwest MIT Enterprise Forum since 1996 and this is the first program that has ever been dedicated to this type of subject matter. A incredibly dedicated group of volunteers, including myself, toiled for more than six months to reach out on a national basis and contact thought leaders and those involved in the development and deployment of technologies for our aging population. The result is the upcoming Forum on January 19. If you are in the Seattle area please register to attend. Hats off to the Program Director Michael Galleli and the entire team that made this program a reality.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Philips Home Healthcare Weaves a Boomer Safety Net
Philips Home Healthcare Weaves a Boomer Safety Net
By Interview by Stephanie Schomer
Deb Citrin
Senior director, strategy and business development, Philips Home Healthcare
Framingham, Massachusetts
Citrin, 50, is rethinking how to market products for the elderly -- by targeting their aging children.
"Baby boomers are still managing their lives and taking care of their children, but they're also taking care of their aging parents. Every 2.3 seconds, somebody over the age of 65 suffers a serious fall. Our Lifeline service with AutoAlert automatically calls for help if a fall is detected. I am a baby boomer, and my mother has the Lifeline pendant. We also have a service that notifies adult children if Mom or Dad hasn't taken their medication. Boomers are willing to spend dollars on aging successfully and managing health. If we help them care for their parents -- and help the parents age at home -- the boomers will remember our products as they themselves cross the 65-year mark."
Comment from the TSH Editor - 2011 seems to be the year that Technology for senior housing settings and for those that want to age in place finally comes out of the closet and takes a position in the mainstream mindset. Stay tuned for several more notable announcements from the CES and NAHB annual conventions. BB
By Interview by Stephanie Schomer
Deb Citrin
Senior director, strategy and business development, Philips Home Healthcare
Framingham, Massachusetts
Citrin, 50, is rethinking how to market products for the elderly -- by targeting their aging children.
"Baby boomers are still managing their lives and taking care of their children, but they're also taking care of their aging parents. Every 2.3 seconds, somebody over the age of 65 suffers a serious fall. Our Lifeline service with AutoAlert automatically calls for help if a fall is detected. I am a baby boomer, and my mother has the Lifeline pendant. We also have a service that notifies adult children if Mom or Dad hasn't taken their medication. Boomers are willing to spend dollars on aging successfully and managing health. If we help them care for their parents -- and help the parents age at home -- the boomers will remember our products as they themselves cross the 65-year mark."
Comment from the TSH Editor - 2011 seems to be the year that Technology for senior housing settings and for those that want to age in place finally comes out of the closet and takes a position in the mainstream mindset. Stay tuned for several more notable announcements from the CES and NAHB annual conventions. BB
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Election Results Impact on Senior Living
Republicans claimed control of the US House of Representatives picking up at least 60 seats as of November 3 and narrowed the Democrats majority in the US Senate gaining six of ten seats needed to take over the majority. Republicans won Senate seats in Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Democrats won the States of California, West Virginia and Nevada which will narrow their majority to two or three seats and prevent their ability to pass legislation without consensus. Two Senate seats are yet to be decided in Washington where Patty Murray has a slight lead over Dino Rossi, and in Alaska where write-in candidate and incumbent Lisa Murkowski leads over both the Democratic and Republican candidates.
With dozens of moderates defeated by conservative members pledging to slash the budget and repeal health care reform, on balance, the Democratic Party will be more liberal and the Republican Party will be more conservative. The bifurcated result of the mid-term election will likely further divide government and cause gridlock on issues splitting the nation such as health care, taxes, and the deficit.
For health care, Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives have pledged to put health care reform repeal on the agenda and to pursue hearings and oversight investigations to hinder the provisions in the recently passed overhaul when the Congress begins in January. Further House and Senate Republicans are expected to try to withhold needed federal funding as part of the annual appropriations process to implement scheduled reforms such as the state run health care exchanges. Finally, a landslide in governorships across the country flipped from Democrat to Republican in key states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Mexico and Florida. This likely will result in many governor-elects working to slow the health care reform law’s implementation in their states.
Changing Chairmen
In the House of Representatives, committees do much of the work before legislation goes to the House floor for a vote. With Republicans taking control of the House, current speculation is that Rep. John Kline (R-MN)Link Icon will assume chairmanship of the Education and Labor committee. According to the Washington Post, he has been a vocal opponent against the so called Employee Free Choice Act (“card check”) and advocates for a smaller role for the federal government.
Additionally, Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.)Link Icon is expected to assume the Ways and Means chairmanship. He is an advocate for lower taxes and was staunchly against the health care reform legislation. According to the Washington Post, there is potential he could lead a bloc of House members to vote for defunding of the health care reform overhaul enacted earlier this year. (From ALFA)
With dozens of moderates defeated by conservative members pledging to slash the budget and repeal health care reform, on balance, the Democratic Party will be more liberal and the Republican Party will be more conservative. The bifurcated result of the mid-term election will likely further divide government and cause gridlock on issues splitting the nation such as health care, taxes, and the deficit.
For health care, Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives have pledged to put health care reform repeal on the agenda and to pursue hearings and oversight investigations to hinder the provisions in the recently passed overhaul when the Congress begins in January. Further House and Senate Republicans are expected to try to withhold needed federal funding as part of the annual appropriations process to implement scheduled reforms such as the state run health care exchanges. Finally, a landslide in governorships across the country flipped from Democrat to Republican in key states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Mexico and Florida. This likely will result in many governor-elects working to slow the health care reform law’s implementation in their states.
Changing Chairmen
In the House of Representatives, committees do much of the work before legislation goes to the House floor for a vote. With Republicans taking control of the House, current speculation is that Rep. John Kline (R-MN)Link Icon will assume chairmanship of the Education and Labor committee. According to the Washington Post, he has been a vocal opponent against the so called Employee Free Choice Act (“card check”) and advocates for a smaller role for the federal government.
Additionally, Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.)Link Icon is expected to assume the Ways and Means chairmanship. He is an advocate for lower taxes and was staunchly against the health care reform legislation. According to the Washington Post, there is potential he could lead a bloc of House members to vote for defunding of the health care reform overhaul enacted earlier this year. (From ALFA)
2010 AAHSA Annual Meeting Opens in Los Angeles
AAHSA's 2010 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles opened on Sunday with more than 5,000 members coming together under the theme "Who Decides?" U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a video message opening the conference and commending AAHSA for its commitment to helping the administration provide older adults with the services they need in a place they call home.
This year's conference features the return of a brand new AAHSA Idea House, the AAHSA/Morrison Senior Garden Challenge and four great general session presenters: Michael Sandel, Edward James Olmos, Paula Zahn and the Zimmers. On site registration is available in the south lobby of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Can't come to conference? You can still keep up with the Annual Meeting by checking out our photos on Flickr and following attendees' tweets on Twitter. Contact: Lauren Shaham, (202) 508-1219.
Editor's Note:
For a full recap of the AAHSA conference stay tuned.
BB
This year's conference features the return of a brand new AAHSA Idea House, the AAHSA/Morrison Senior Garden Challenge and four great general session presenters: Michael Sandel, Edward James Olmos, Paula Zahn and the Zimmers. On site registration is available in the south lobby of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Can't come to conference? You can still keep up with the Annual Meeting by checking out our photos on Flickr and following attendees' tweets on Twitter. Contact: Lauren Shaham, (202) 508-1219.
Editor's Note:
For a full recap of the AAHSA conference stay tuned.
BB
Friday, September 17, 2010
Aging in Place - At Home or in Senior Housing
Every so often the mainstream media decides to do a story about technology that is used by seniors to either "age-in-place" more comfortably, or provides remote monitoring capabilities. This recent feature by ABC News highlights some of the interesting technology now available.
TSH Editor - Berry Brunk
http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=190035171&gid=1216427&type=member&item=28997956&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews%2Ego%2Ecom%2FTechnology%2Fvideo%2Faging-place-technology-11553676%2526ta&urlhash=q7CO&goback=%2Egde_1216427_member_28997956
TSH Editor - Berry Brunk
http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=190035171&gid=1216427&type=member&item=28997956&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews%2Ego%2Ecom%2FTechnology%2Fvideo%2Faging-place-technology-11553676%2526ta&urlhash=q7CO&goback=%2Egde_1216427_member_28997956
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Healthcare Reform Will Impact Long-Term Care
The health reform legislation passed in the House a few weeks ago contains numerous provisions related to long-term care. One of these provisions is the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, which was originally introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The CLASS Act will make long-term care insurance available to all Americans, who will be automatically enrolled with the choice to opt out.
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services. "The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA.
"The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector." The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains. "This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publicly-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval. One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011. However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year. "The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time." McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
________________________________________
Thanks to MacKenzie Kimball, associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
Editor's Note: Now how about some investment in technology and a financial subsidy for LTC on par with the TARP and ARRA funds being provided to the acute care industry??
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services. "The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA.
"The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector." The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains. "This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publicly-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval. One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011. However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year. "The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time." McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
________________________________________
Thanks to MacKenzie Kimball, associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
Editor's Note: Now how about some investment in technology and a financial subsidy for LTC on par with the TARP and ARRA funds being provided to the acute care industry??
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Healthcare Reform Will Impact Long-Term Care
The health reform legislation passed in the House Sunday contains numerous provisions related to long-term care.
One of these provisions is the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, which was originally introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The CLASS Act will make long-term care insurance available to all Americans, who will be automatically enrolled with the choice to opt out.
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services.
"The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA. "The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector."
The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains.
"This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publically-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval.
One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011.
However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year.
"The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time."
McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
MacKenzie Kimball, for HealthLeaders Media, March 23, 2010
MacKenzie Kimball is an associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
TSH Editor's Note:
While this Post is not necessarily about technology, it certainly does underscore the fact that homecare will begin to offset congregate living settings as a modality of care for many more of us as we age. This fact of course means that technology will play an ever more important role in the home-based setting. Smart Homes, remote monitoring, tele-homecare, and virtual visit technology will become part of the mainstream of healthcare information technology. To see the most current examples of the state-of-the-art in this field plan to attend the American Telemedicine Association's (ATA) Conference in San Antonio May 16-18.
One of these provisions is the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, which was originally introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The CLASS Act will make long-term care insurance available to all Americans, who will be automatically enrolled with the choice to opt out.
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services.
"The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA. "The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector."
The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains.
"This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publically-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval.
One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011.
However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year.
"The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time."
McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
MacKenzie Kimball, for HealthLeaders Media, March 23, 2010
MacKenzie Kimball is an associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
TSH Editor's Note:
While this Post is not necessarily about technology, it certainly does underscore the fact that homecare will begin to offset congregate living settings as a modality of care for many more of us as we age. This fact of course means that technology will play an ever more important role in the home-based setting. Smart Homes, remote monitoring, tele-homecare, and virtual visit technology will become part of the mainstream of healthcare information technology. To see the most current examples of the state-of-the-art in this field plan to attend the American Telemedicine Association's (ATA) Conference in San Antonio May 16-18.
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