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On the Healthcare Front Issue #11: January 2023 Do you receive the On the Healthcare Front? If not, sign up to receive important news and updates. It's free. |
when should you call kepro?
- If you are not ready to be discharged from the hospital.
- If your Medicare skilled services are ending too soon. Examples of skilled services include things like physical therapy and nursing services.
- If you have a concern about the quality of care you received.
- If you have a concern about your medical care that needs to be taken care of right away.
Click on the link below for the phone number for your state. These services are free for people who have Medicare.
january is glaucoma awareness month
Learn about glaucoma. Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States. Glaucoma has no early symptoms. The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam. There’s no cure for glaucoma, but early treatment can often stop the damage and protect your vision.
Read more from National Eye Institute: www.nei.nih.gov
The Understanding and Living with Glaucoma booklet is a guide for patients who have been recently diagnosed with glaucoma.
Order a free booklet: www.glaucoma.org
videos: learn about your medicare rights
Kepro started a YouTube channel in 2020 to help people learn about their Medicare rights.
Videos include information about how to file appeals (if you're being discharged from the hospital too soon or if your Medicare skilled services are ending) and how to file quality of care complaints.
We created a playlist on YouTube called People Who Have Medicare. The playlist includes all of the videos we have that talk about your Medicare rights and Kepro's free services.
YouTube playlist:
www.youtube.com
phone app from medicareimmediate advocacy |
healthy living
videos |
reminder: download the "what's covered" phone app from medicare
If you have a mobile device and have Medicare, you may want to download this app from Medicare.
The What’s Covered app lets people with Original Medicare, caregivers, and others see whether Medicare covers a specific medical item or service.
You can use your mobile device to get accurate, consistent Original Medicare coverage information in the doctor’s office, the hospital, or anywhere else you use your mobile device.
Search for What’s Covered or Medicare in the app store and download the app to your mobile device. Once What’s Covered is installed, you can use it to get reliable Medicare information
Read more about the app:
www.cms.gov/newsroom
immediate advocacy services for people who have medicare
If you have Medicare and have a concern about the health care (or related medical services) you had, you can do something about it. You can call Kepro and ask about Immediate Advocacy services. This process can be used to resolve an issue quickly.
immediate advocacy services can help when you call your healthcare provider to work things out and don’t get a call back
Anne was discharged from the hospital. As part of her discharge plan, Anne would have a physical therapist from a home health agency come to her home to help her continue her recovery.
After the first visit with the physical therapist, Anne had some concerns about the therapist’s care as well as the lack of time spent with her. Therapy sessions should last for about an hour, but the therapist stayed for only a half hour.
When you’re not happy with medical services you get, the first step should be to contact your healthcare provider. Anne called the home health agency but wasn’t able to speak to anyone who could help. She left a message for someone to call her back.
After not getting a call back within a day or so, she decided to call Kepro. Her friend Sharon had read about Kepro’s free Immediate Advocacy service in an email she received from a local organization.
When Anne talked with the nurse at Kepro, she asked about the possibility of getting a physical therapist from another agency. The nurse listened and asked some additional questions. When the Kepro nurse talked with the home health agency, he explained Anne’s concerns. The agency apologized about what happened with Anne and said that they have been dealing with a staffing shortage.
The Kepro nurse spoke with Anne and shared what he learned and suggested that Anne try to stay with the same home health agency to maintain consistency and to ensure that she could stay on the same schedule with another physical therapist. Anne agreed and thanked Kepro for helping to work through her concerns.
If you are on Medicare and are not happy with the care you received or if you need help working through an issue that needs to be taken care of right away, please call Kepro and ask about Immediate Advocacy services.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A discharge planning checklist for patients and their caregivers preparing to leave a hospital, nursing home, or other healthcare provider: www.medicare.gov (PDF Document)
How to compare different Medicare-certified home health agencies:
www.medicare.gov/care-compare
Read more about Immediate Advocacy services: www.keproqio.com/ia
Publication No. R146810-265-1/2023. This material was prepared by Kepro, a Medicare Quality Improvement Organization under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.
