Senior Resources 2024 Health Care Guide

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W HAT IS S HORT -T ERM C ARE OR R EHABILITATION ? condition and progress. They’ll review the care plan that is indi vidually designed for the patient. The patient and family members are included. During the course of the patient’s stay, suggestions for adaptive devices to be used at home or during their stay to make the person safer, such as a cane, walker, tub bench, shower grab bar or toilet riser may be made. The patient’s physical and cognitive (memory, prob lem-solving, reasoning) skills are assessed to ensure safety when the short-term stay is finished. A home visit is sometimes sched uled before a patient’s discharge to assess his or her ability to function at home. If needed or requested, the discharge planner will help arrange for services to be provided at the patient’s home or provide a list for alter native living arrangements to ensure the safest living situation for the patient. Outpatient thera py may be recommended so that the patient can return home safe ly and remain independent. Finances People often ask about financial issues regarding short-term care. If the patient is age 65 or older and has Medicare, the patient must be hospitalized three nights or longer to qualify for Medicare coverage. Once the individual is a patient in the short-term unit, the patient is eligible for Medicare reimbursement as long

as he or she is making progress or what is known as functional gains. (The staff will keep you apprised of the situation.) Medicare pays in full through day 20 of the short term stay. Day 21 forward, Medicare pays at a specific level and typically a supplemental or secondary insurance will pay for the remaining percent. The patient may be financially responsible for deductibles or co-payments depending on their insurance. The patient will also be responsible for doctor charges and limited outside services. Call your insurance com pany or the rehabilitation facility if you need to preauthorize a short term stay or find out about your benefits prior to the actual transfer from the hospital. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan (Medicare replacement plan), men tion that when you call to verify your insurance coverage. Medicare has specified limits on the total number of Medicare days they will pay for as well as how many days must elapse before the same individual qualifies for a sec ond hospitalization and a new Medicare period. If you have ques tions about this, ask your hospital discharge planner or social worker for further information prior to your transfer to a short-term unit. As a patient, you have a choice of which rehabilitation facility you go to. Patients can choose a non-hos pital setting for recovery and thera py. If you have an upcoming surgery, you can call ahead and schedule a tour at the rehabilitation facility to make the decision that’s best for you. You can also ask your doctor for recommendations.

ospital stays occur for older people after surgery, injury or ill ness. Following a hospital stay, many patients need additional medical care or a rehabilitation period. This care may be called short-term care, rehabilitation or transitional care, depending upon which hospital system or skilled nursing facility is involved. The goal of short-term care is to enable patients to regain as much of their independence as possible in order to return home or to another housing option. Stays range between a few days to sever al weeks, and can include physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Services can also include: • General nursing services of medically complex patients • Rehabilitation and restorative nursing

• Iv Therapy • Wound care • Tube feedings • Pain Management

Patient - focused While at the hospital, treatment may have consisted of high-tech nology monitoring or complex diagnostic procedures. In short term care, each patient is the focus of an interdisciplinary team. This may consist of a:

• Patient • Family • Physician • Nurse • Rehabilitation Therapist • Dietician • Pharmacist • Activity Therapist

• Social Worker • Pastoral Care

Discharge planning professionals will frequently assess each patient’s

Submitted by: VMP

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