Tag: Johns Hopkins

Medicare May Be Overpaying Hospitals For Patients Who Don’t Stay Long

By Susan Jaffe | Kaiser Health News in collaboration with National Public Radio | May 21, 2014, 9:35 a.m.

The federal government may be paying hospitals $5 billion too much as a result of an 18-month moratorium on enforcement of Medicare rules that tell hospitals when patients should be admitted, an independent Medicare auditing company told a congressional panel yesterday. The controversial rules were intended to reduce the increasing number of seniors hospitalized for observation but not admitted. If they have not been admitted to the hospital for at least three consecutive days, they are not eligible for follow-up nursing home coverage and may have higher out-of-pocket expenses while in the hospital. Medicare pays hospitals more for admitted patients than observation patients. MORE from NPR and Kaiser Health News …

Innovative Day-Care Program Seeks To Keep Frail, Low-Income Seniors In Their Homes

By Susan Jaffe | December 21, 2010 | Kaiser Health News in collaboration with

 Several mornings a week, a white van stops at Geraldine Miller’s house just east of Baltimore to pick her up for ElderPlus, a government-subsidized day-care program for adults on the campus of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Because videoMiller, who is 75 and uses a walker, has trouble getting down the stairs from her second-floor apartment, the driver comes inside to help. When she feels wobbly, he lends her an arm. When she feels strong, he faces her and steps down backward on the steps so he can catch her if she falls. When it rains, he shelters her with an umbrella. This is the sort of extra care that makes ElderPlus different.  ElderPlus is part of PACE, the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, which provides comprehensive medical and social services to frail, low-income seniors with serious health problems.   [Continued at Kaiser Health News or The Washington Post.]   Video: “Picking Up The Pace”

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