Good Medical Care for the Elderly and How to Get It

Patients & caregivers as partners in care

Jim Conway, chairman of The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence and senior vice president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement was a featured Op-Ed writer in the Boston Globe on October 29, 2007.

Conway advocates for partnerships between patients, their advocates and the healthcare system. These key points are part of his important message:

Informed, empowered, and engaged patients are key to preventing medical errors and improving the quality of healthcare

Patients who view themselves as partners in their care

• seek doctors and hospitals who provide quality of care
• are empowered to ask more questions about their conditions and to more accurately describe their symptoms
• are better able to comply with treatment regimens because they understand them

What keeps patients from being actively involved in their treatment decisions? Conway says that evidence indicates it’s a lack of knowledge. He says that his partnership is working to empower patients and caregivers by providing them with information on crucial topics such as medication safety, how to choose a doctor or hospital, how to make the most of doctor or hospital visits, etc.

You may read Conway’s editorial, Partnering for better care here.

Medicare audits reveal problems with insurers

The New York Times reported on October 7, 2007 that federal audits of insurance companies selling Medicare drug coverage to seniors reveal that “tens of thousands of Medicare recipients have been victims of deceptive sales tactics.” The Times said that many private insurers also improperly denied claims. In fact, Medicare has levied fines of over $770,000 on 11 companies. Among those fined are three that control a hefty portion of the Medicare supplemental insurance market, UnitedHealth, Humana and WellPoint.

Medicare cited two major concerns about the insurers. These were marketing abuses and failure to implement procedures to allow for proper handling of claims and appeals.

The information revealed by the Times might help you choose a supplemental insurance carrier.

You can read the New York Times article here: Medicare Audits Show Problems in Private Plans. A one-time registration may be required.

Technorati tags: Medicare, health care, medicare part d

Health Vault - online medical records

Is this what we've been waiting for? Continuity of care is enhanced when consumers' medical team has access to a broad health record of patients. Microsoft announced on October 4, 2007 a free online service where folks can store their personal health records. Called HealthVault, this is an online project based upon two years of collaboration with partners Johnson & Johnson, the American Heart Association, the Mayo Clinic, and numerous hospitals. Of course, privacy is a huge issue. According to the New York Times, each individual putting his or her health information online will do so in secure, encrypted files. The individual is in charge of setting the privacy controls and can decide what information goes into the files and who can have access to it. Take a look and judge for yourself. Microsoft HealthVault can be accessed at www.healthvault.com

Read the New York Times article, Microsoft Offers System to Track Health Records.

Take a look and judge for yourself. Microsoft HealthVault can be accessed at www.healthvault.com

Read the New York Times article, Microsoft Offers System to Track Health Records.

Technorati tags:health vault, online medical records