Article From the Philadelphia Inquirer, October 14th, 2016

This article details the financial impact one local family faced after a loved one was classified as “under observation” at a local hospital, receiving care for a fall.

One of the benefits of hiring a certified care manager is having a patient advocate well-versed in the complicated rules of Medicare….before you or a loved one is faced with a mountain of out of pocket costs.

In-Patient vs Observation Status.  There is a critical difference between these commonly used terms that we often hear with regards to the care of a loved one. Knowing the difference can be the difference between the two can impact your finances dramatically.  This particular article hit close to home.  As an experienced care manager, the patient classification, “observation” vs “in-patient” was a red flag to CCS President, Beverly Bernstein Joie when her husband was in the hospital & put under observation for a possible stroke.  Her blog post, A Stroke Under Observation from March 2015 details why it’s so important to understand the difference.

 
Care Management & Patient Advocacy ~ This is our area of expertise every day…for our clients, and occasionally for our own families.