Are Medicare Advantage Plans Steering Enrollees to Lower-Quality Nursing Homes?
A new study has found that people enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan were more likely to enter a lower-quality nursing hom...
Read moreThe Department of Health and Human Services has released quality of care statistics for 2,500 nursing homes in six states and plans to publish similar data for nursing homes in all states by the fall.
The six states for which the Department released the data are: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington. The new data, which is available on the Web for the selected states at https://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/home.asp, reports the percentage of residents in a given nursing home who:
The data also tracks the percentage of 'short stay' residents with delirium and with pain.
The Department says the new statistics will help people select nursing homes and will encourage facilities to correct deficiencies. The statistics are based entirely on data supplied by nursing homes as part of their participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
There are concerns that the quality of care data may be misleading because it is not adequately adjusted for variations in the patient populations of different nursing homes. For example, a nursing home providing good care could look bad because its residents tend to be sicker and more frail, while a facility providing poor care could look good because its residents are healthier.
It has also been pointed out that the government uses the same data to determine reimbursement rates for facilities, giving nursing homes conflicting incentives. If the data they report makes their patients look sicker, they get more money, while the quality of care statistics look better if the patients are healthier.
An official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is managing the project, said that the data has been adequately adjusted and provides a fair reflection of nursing home quality.
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Read moreIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
READ MOREIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
READ MORECareful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.
READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
READ MORECareful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.
READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
READ MOREMost states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.
READ MOREApplying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.
READ MOREMedicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.
READ MOREMost states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.
READ MOREApplying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.
READ MOREMedicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.
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