Medicare Targets South Florida

Five Florida hospitals, including Memorial in Hollywood and Jackson in Miami have scored so poorly regarding readmission rates that they are actually getting a grant to fix things up.   This means that too many Medicare patients that are discharged a being readmitted within weeks or even days to the same or another hospital.

Hospital Readmissions has become such a problem that the new health care bill includes sanctions for hospitals who do not address this issue.

Obviously hospital readmissions are very costly for Medicare and are often preventable with concentration on a “team approach” to making discharge more comprehensive, educating the patients and family and using all resources in the community.  This comprehensive approach has also shown to reduce the patients stay in the hospital.

Obviously addressing these issues is not only good for Medicare but for the patients as well.  We routinely get calls from frantic family members whose elderly relative is being released from a hospital and they have no idea what to do next.  Typically the elder was independent before; now they may need a higher lever of care.

We appreciate the overwhelming burden discharge planners have and work with them and the family with regard to placement, public benefits and a myriad of issues a family has when an elderly loved one is discharged from a hospital.  Putting the elder law attorney as part of the comprehensive team approach can reduce readmissions to hospitals, benefiting Medicare, the patient, their family and the hospital.

Our firm advocates for seniors and senior care, so we have made a significant investment in acquiring the best materials and resources that address the unique needs of these communities. We also offer a unique suite of resources to aide the Caregivers to Alzheimer’s patients. We are pleased to make these valuable resources available to you COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. These materials represent the initial steps you need to take to provide the best possible care for yourself, your family members, clients, patients and friends. Sign up for one or all of these unique and valuable online resource centers:

www.medicaidcrisislawyers.com/reiterfeld

www.estateandlonglifeplan.com/reiterfeld

www.learnvabenefits.com/reiterfeld

and

www.southfloridamemorylawyer.com for caregivers to Alzheimer’s patients.

You may also visit our website any time for access to information on all of the areas of law we practice under “The Elder Law Umbrella” at www.florida-elderlaw.com or follow our blog: www.southfloridaelderlaw.blogspot.com