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Archive for the ‘patient rights’ Category

As a chiropractor in Tampa, health care issues always get me to sit up and take notice. So, “fairness” in media coverage, in my opinion, is essential.  I have to say that if we were to believe the news media these days, it would appear that senior citizens are being “scared away” from supporting health care reform. The inference, of course, is that it doesn’t take much to convince older people to believe what you’re saying to them, whether you’re a con artist trying to steal their savings,  a telemarketer trying to sell them a useless gadget,  or an insurance company trying to extract from them ever-rising costs for health insurance. But, I don’t think that older Americans simply believe what is being “fed” to them, and as a chiropractor who treats patients of all ages in my clinic, I can personally vouch for the mental clarity and social/political savvy of the seniors I see on a daily basis.

So, I was particularly happy to read that an AARP survey of 500 members in Iowa aged 50 and older indicating a strong backing for Congress to take action to curb health-care costs and strengthen Medicare.

“This survey is a firm rebuttal of the notion that older Americans don’t want health-care reform this year, and in fact, it shows our members believe just the opposite,” said Bruce Koeppl, Iowa state director for AARP. “After the past few weeks of well-documented concerns, myths, town hall protests, and far too often uncivil debate, this survey shows majorities of Iowa AARP members still believe change is necessary and the status quo is not sustainable.”

I’m sure that, despite media proclamations to the contrary, the seniors of Iowa are not the only older Americans who feel this way.  Such “civil” surveys should be taken by AARP in other states. And, wouldn’t it be a lovely change if the gentel, worldly-wise voices of those who’ve lived in America long enough to witness its many social chances could finally be heard in this debate?

Technorati Tags: AARP, chiropractor, health care reform, older Americans, seniors

I know full well that my Costa Mesa Chiropractic is so buried in paperwork that I have very little time to keep up with the latest technologies.

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When Dr. Lee Sacks was in a private practice with two other family physicians, he said, they were so busy with time-consuming insurance paperwork that it was difficult to keep up with trends in patient care.

Most Americans receive their care from practices of fewer than five doctors.

As the top administrative physician at the largest provider of medical care in Chicago, Sacks is lending resources to the more than 3,200 independent doctors, largely in small practices, affiliated with Advocate Health Care in hopes of improving quality of care.

If doctors in small practices don’t get funds and support to equip their offices with the latest technology and quality data, Sacks said, there will be little hope for President Barack Obama and Congress to effectively implement health-care reform that is high-quality and cost-effective.

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“Unless you create an organization among all of these small practices, there is going to be a great disconnect because a lot of the [health-care reform] plans are predicated on organized groups,” said Sacks, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Advocate, which operates nine Chicago-area hospitals.

“Some of that is coaching and training, and some of that is infrastructure, data and feedback.”

Advocate says its efforts to help individual doctors and those in smaller practices are paying off. Over the past two years, Sacks said, smaller practices that once scored in the 60th or 70th percentile on measurements of quality are routinely in the 90th percentile, much like large practices.

Ways to improve quality of care and patient outcomes can be as simple as paying for doctors and their staff to attend a daylong workshop or providing physicians with e-prescribing technology, which reduces errors. These are among Advocate’s efforts to improve patient care, which Sacks thinks could work more broadly across the country.

Under the stimulus package approved by Congress and signed by Obama in February, doctors will receive more than $40,000 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over a five-year period beginning in 2011 for the electronic conversion of medical records.

“Physicians are faced with an unprecedented offer from the federal government to essentially pay them to automate their practices and provide better care for patients with electronic records,” said Glen Tullman, chief executive of Allscripts Misys Healthcare Solutions Inc[.], the nation’s largest publicly traded electronic health record firm. “Advocate is offering them a relatively easy first step that’s both a simple solution to a key public safety issue and an on-ramp to the complete electronic health record.”

Sacks expects hospitals to be called on to reduce costs, improve patient outcomes and reduce errors.

“We know we have to do more with less,” he said. “I can’t imagine that additional money is going to be enough to offset the additional coverage.”

Technorati Tags: patient rights

By Tampa Chiropractor

There are many things to consider when caring for an elderly loved one. Now that people are living well and living longer, elder healthcare has become very important. This relatively new area of healthcare and provider services is often referred to as elder care. It encompasses a wide variety of issues which include: choosing an appropriate physician or physicians to care for an aging patient, setting up home care is possible, and making decisions about moving the patient from his or her home to a residential care setting. Persons age 65 and older are the fastest growing segment of America’s population. Many in this population are living a healthy, active, independent life do to lifestyle choices such as preventive care and seeing a chiropractor. The fastest growing segment of my patient population is seniors. As a Tampa Chiropractor, I realize how important it is to educate patients, however, as more and more people reach their 80s and 90s, the number of people who need assistance with daily living is increasing, as are the responsibilities of those who are providing the care. The statistics on elder healthcare may surprise you.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, the elder population, (those age 65 and older), numbered more than 35 million Americans in recent reports. Since people are living longer, these numbers are constantly increasing and not expected to dip any time soon.

Also reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, the number of elders increased 12 percent since 1990, , compared to a 13.3 percent increase of the population under 65 during the same time period. Today, persons who reach age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional 17.9 years. This calculates out to 19.2 years more for women, and 16.3 more for men than what was estimated in the year 1900.

In 1900, the average life expectancy was 49.2 years, whereas today, it is 76.9. As you can see, this has dramatically increased. While this is greatly attributed to the advances in modern medicine, it is also in part because people are taking an active stance in their own lives knowing their patient rights, and taking better care of themselves. Today we see all types of fitness programs from senior balance training programs at the YMCA to home based yoga exercise programs using props such as yoga blocks and chairs for stability. Still, it is crucial to plan for the time when a great health insurance plan will mean good care and improved quality of life.

One of the biggest problems facing many seniors today is their inability to afford medication. Since many people over 65 take medication on a regular basis, most often more than one type simultaneously, it has become necessary in recent years to address this issue. Many healthcare plans won’t cover various medications, while others cover only a small part. This often means choosing the medications, or in some cases medication, the individual can afford, and which one or ones he or she can do without. This can be met with negative results, since it is presumed the person wouldn’t be taking the medication if it wasn’t necessary. There are, however, companies who have begun addressing this problem by offering prescription plans and insurance targeted for the elderly.

While there are many important aspects of elder healthcare to consider, there are steps that are being taken to help make it easier and more affordable. Legislature is addressing some of these issues and trying to come up with solutions to suit a variety of needs. Perhaps one day, seniors can look forward to retirement without having to worry about how they’ll pay for it.

Technorati Tags: patient rights, senior fitness, senior healthcare