Friday 7 September 2012

How to Fund Nursing Home Care



As more and more Americans reach retirement age and far, far beyond, family members are increasingly faced with the decisions of providing long term care. Long term, home management care is difficult to secure and often much more expensive than people estimate.

There are an abundance of sources of home management care available for people today and almost as many ways to pay for it. There are state, public and private funding resources available to people who need nursing home care but can’t afford to pay for it. State and federal programs like Medicaid and Medicare may help you offset some of the costs.

Before you decide which home management care your family needs you should consider all your options. Also, be certain you inquire about their fee structure, what everything costs and how much you should expect to pay each month. If you still cannot afford nursing home care it is time to start looking at alternative funding resources.

Start by contacting Medicare about what coverage you can expect to received from them. Medicare does not pay for everything, however, so be prepared to contact your state health insurance assistance program for additional funding. These two groups are responsible for assisting the majority of people in need of financial help to pay for their homecare scheduling software each year.  They are specific about what sorts of programs they will fund. For instance, Medicare will only pay for Medicare approved and certified facilities to provide nursing home care.

You might also consider buying a private policy to cover long term care costs. Medicare Supplemental Insurance is available and Long Term Care Insurance is very popular among people reaching a certain age. Both these policies will offset whatever out-of-pocket costs you expect to be hit with. Every plan is different so make certain you know your benefits. What is covered and what is not covered can vary widely between policies and providers.

It is possible you qualify for low-income assistance through Medicaid. Contact your state Medicaid office to see if you qualify. They will also provide you with a list of approved home management care facilities.  Again, there are strict limitations about what sort of care is provided and who can provide it, but Medicaid can be helpful for families with limited resources.

Finally, you might consider setting aside a portion of your personal savings to cover the costs of home management care. You can then set a up special account to make payments to the nursing home facility via direct deposit from savings kept in a high yield savings account. At least you could be earning interest on money you have set aside for nursing home care.

How to Start a Non-Medical Home Care Business



If helping others and running your own business sounds like a good idea to you, maybe a non-medical home care business is right for you. There is much to be gained from a non-medical home care business including a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction from providing a service that is very much in need. Working one-on-one with people in need of care can become its own reward and care manger software can make it easier. You can end each day feeling better about yourself and the job you do. Instead of making widgets anonymously in a darkened factory you are having a positive impact on someone’s life every day.

Before you decide to pursue a career as a business owner in the homecare software reviews services industry, be certain you know the laws for your state and local community. There are specific regulations and stipulations required for every business and non-medical home care businesses are no exception. Check with your local and state departments of health before you get started. They are great resources for knowing what will be required of you before you get started. And before you waste money on things you don’t need or will never use.

Although you are working in a client’s home you will still need a base of operations and good caregiver scheduling software. This is true if you are a one-man-show or managing a team of several non-medical homecare services professionals. You will need an office, a business phone number a web site and multiple points of contact. You will also need to file as a business with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. All businesses must have a Federal Employment Number for tax purposes. Don’t wait until you are ready to file taxes before you get this information. You need it before you open on your first day.

Be certain if you hire professionals for your non-medical homecare services business that they have all the required background and certifications needed to perform their duties. Take your time and be picky when it comes to whom you hire. Not everyone who is qualified is a great choice for a non-medical home care professional. Some folks just don’t have the right people skills. Avoid those employees at all costs. Also, hire everyone on a 30-day temporary trial basis, in case things don’t work out.

Be certain you secure all required insurance coverage for yourself, your business and anyone who is providing services on your behalf. Proper insurance coverage is not only a good idea it is the law. It will also protect you against accidents and protect your homecare software business investment. Finally, start marketing your business to area medical professionals. Introduce yourself and your business and look for referrals. This is the best way to grow your business and be as successful as possible.

Homecare Solutions that Work for You



When you are finally ready to seek homecare solutions you have no doubt already done a fair share of soul searching. The decision to seek a homecare management program to help provide home care for your loved one is no easy decision to make. It requires a great deal of thought and hand wringing.

Home care scheduling software is one difficult task all in its self. How to pay for home care services is another problem altogether. There is no one size fits all solution to providing a homecare solution. Every family is different and so, of course, is every patient. There is something to be said for doing your homework, however, finding the homecare solutions which are right for you.

First, start by looking at your own unique situation and determining just what sort of home care solution is right for you. How much home care service does your situation call for? What hours would work best for you or your loved one? Do you need someone available all day, or are nights better? When does the patient most need attentive care?

These questions are tantamount to finding a home care solution which will work for your family. The next thing you want to do is sit down and write out a set of questions you need to ask any prospective home care services provider. First, understand exactly who they are and what services they provide. What are their credentials? Where have they provided home care services before and what references can they provide.

Every legitimate home care solutions provider should be able to provide you with a list of references which you can contact to see how they performed. You should also be able to receive a list of all applicable fees for every service which they provide and a list of additional fees which might come into play for unforeseen circumstances. Also, ask about training and certifications. Are they legally allowed to provide the services they claim to be able to provide? If so, they should be able to provide copies of these same licenses to you which you can then verify through your state.

Don’t take chances with your loved one’s home care. Ask the right questions, first.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Medicaid for Homecare Services



When it comes to providing homecare services, Medicaid can help pay the bills. Unfortunately, these types of homecare services also leave the door open for Medicaid fraud which costs the government billions of dollars every year. An estimate of Medicaid fraud say somewhere between $11 and $60 billion is lost every year due to fraudulent phantom payments. Money paid out to patients who aren’t there or companies which do not even exist, much less provide home care solutions for anyone.

The best way to prevent this type of fraud from taking place is to be thorough before hiring a home care management solution. Does your home work? Ask lots of questions and don’t settle for partial answers. Every home care provider should be able to supply you with information about where they received their license, where they have worked previously and whether or not they are certified to work in your community.

In 2009 alone Congress put aside an extra $200 million for the Medicaid anti-fraud budget. This is money which is spent to fight fraudulent services from taking advantage of the federally funded program. In 2010 Congress increased that amount by another $300 million. That is a half a billion dollars in federal funds just to prevent a specific type of crime. Despite these staggering sums of money billions more were lost in the last two years due to fraudulent Medicaid claims.

Some of the money spent by Medicaid to fight fraudulent claims was invested in new computer software to flag suspicious bills. You can purchase your own home care software to help you properly manage bills and submit them to Medicaid for payment. This will help legitimize your claim and speed funding.

Part of the new Federal Affordable Care Act plans to use funds re-captured through the prevention of fraudulent claims to Medicaid. This money, which is currently being paid to criminals looking to make an easy buck would instead help provide medical and preventative medical care for people in need. With billions of dollars at risk each year from Medicaid fraud for homecare scheduling software

services it is essential the government stem the flow of fraud.