My doctor recommended a Care Manager after my hospital stay. Why?
by Lisa Conway
About 20% of Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Often, they’ll have missed important follow-up appointments for help with new diagnoses, medications and treatments. So doctors understand that a Care Manager’s involvement can help — a lot.
Care management is a client-centered approach to caring for older adults or others with ongoing health issues. Certified Care Managers help family caregivers by doing assessments, monitoring their loved one and helping with medication management. Care Managers can be invaluable advocates, educating their clients and interfacing between numerous healthcare providers.
Before you ever leave the hospital, the Care Manager will gather your medical records and medication lists, speak to the doctors and nurses and consult on the best discharge plan for you. If home health is needed, they will make sure it has been ordered before you are discharged. If private duty care is needed to keep you safe at home, it will be arranged. If you’re heading to short-term rehab, the Care Manager will make sure everything is set up in advance.
From there, the Care Manager will oversee your healing and recovery process. Follow-up appointments with your doctor will be made –and the Care Manager will accompany you to them. They will ensure you have the correct medications and will monitor you for any drug interactions.
The frequency of the Care Manager visit is determined jointly with the client. While Medicare does not cover the cost of Care Management services, some long-term care insurance policies DO.
If you’re aging in place at home (or have elderly loved ones living alone), Care Management can make sense. Join me March 8th for Senior Health Friday, when we’ll discuss Care Management as a component of “Aging in Place.” RSVP online or call One Senior Place at 321-751-6771.
One Senior Place is a marketplace for resources and provider of information, advice, care and on-site services for seniors and their families. Questions for this column are answered by professionals in nursing, social work, care management and in-home care. Send questions to askOSP@OneSeniorPlace.com, call 321-751-6771 or visit One Senior Place, The Experts in Aging. Lisa Conway is a Registered Nurse, Certified Dementia Practitioner and a Certified Care Manager for Senior Partner Care Services, Viera. Ms. Conway hosts a monthly seminar, ‘Senior Health Friday with Nurse Lisa.’
Recent Comments