“More Docs Specializing in Nursing Home Care,” by Robert Preidt, HealthDay “More doctors in the United States are turning to a new clinical specialty — nursing home care. The number of physicians and health care providers concentrating on nursing home patients grew by about one-third between 2012 and 2015, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found. The trend is likely driven by the aging population and increased federal government oversight of nursing homes, the researchers said. . . . The nursing home industry may now be adapting to closer government oversight by employing physicians who specialize in
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“Retirees Still Have 80% of Savings After Nearly Two Decades,” by Lee Barney, PlanAdvisor “Research conducted by the BlackRock Retirement Institute and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found that after nearly two decades of being retired, the average retiree still has 80% of their nest egg intact. The researchers say this finding challenges long-held fears about retirees spending down their savings too fast. They also discovered that more than one-third of retirees continue to grow their assets late into life, ‘leaving considerable potential consumption on the table.’ And for all of the talk about long-term care insurance, the researchers
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“Issue Brief: Use of Paid and Unpaid Personal Help by Medicare Beneficiaries Needing Long-Term Services and Supports,” by Amber Willink, Karen Davis, John Mulcahy, Jennifer L. Wolff, Commonwealth Fund “This analysis shows that the amount of unpaid care provided varies little between those who receive both paid and unpaid support and those who receive unpaid support only, suggesting that paid care does not replace unpaid care, but supplements it. Addressing and supporting the need for LTSS can result in savings to individuals and the government through delayed nursing home and Medicaid entry. A public LTSS financing solution, like Medicare Help
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“Could quality measures be causing deaths?,” by Arthur Allen, Politico “This morning we’re offering you a report by David Pittman that doctors are avoiding some of the nation’s sickest patients for fear that they’ll get dinged by Medicare or graded poorly on health quality measures. . . . … A recent study found doctors who served higher-risk patients under MACRA’s precursor, the Value-Based Payment Modifier, had lower quality scores, giving them fewer bonuses and more penalties. Doctors worry that if they have too many sick patients they’ll get poor scores, which will make prospective patients think they are bad doctors.
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“When home-care costs go through the roof,” by Donald Jay Korn, Financial Planning “For clients who need long-term attention, the home-sweet-home solution unfortunately may be a money pit. . . . Advisers can become part of the solution by apprising clients of the possible costs involved, and starting early with a financial plan designed to help clients stay put as long as possible.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Article urges early LTC planning and recommends LTC insurance and home equity conversion. When home-care costs go through the roof #home-care #goldencareagent
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“Drugs intended to calm people with Alzheimer’s may lead to early death,” by Linda Searing, Washington Post “A study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found people with Alzheimer’s may die earlier when administered benzodiazepines, reports the Washington Post. . . . Those taking benzos were 41 percent more likely to have died than those who did not take these drugs, with the strongest mortality risk occurring within four months of starting the medication.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Excuse the dark humor, but this is one way to reduce the
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