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A Time To Change
By
Nate Murray |
Marshfield - A
host of new rules and regulations along with the continuing
bleakness of the economic recovery may spell changing times
for organizations providing services to elders and the
availability of services to the elder population. Certain
factors are very clear:
1. The move to the “Pay for Performance” (P4P)
reimbursement strategies by Medicare and a reduction in the
amount visiting nursing companies will receive on a
per-patient basis may force cutbacks in services and the
depth of the services that are provided. Although the idea
of pay-for-performance (P4P) is very popular among health
care policy makers and private insurers, positive health
results do not necessarily translate to the patient.
2. Hospitals face increasing pressure to cut costs
through P4P while responding to ever increasing requests for
high cost specialty services.
3. Private caregivers working “under the table” will
draw off market share from legitimate licensed providers of
private care services. Furthermore, this poses a possible
legal risk to the individual who hires them without
liability insurance and bonding.
4. State and federal stimulus dollars will disappear
leaving gaping holes in government supported services
budgets. This will prompt further cutbacks in state budgets
for social service agencies.
However, the news can also be seen in a more positive light.
First, the pressure to compete effectively to provide care
for elders should lead to new and more effective service
delivery models. Secondly, the high technology industry
aimed at elders, currently in its infancy, will be given
stronger impetus to grow and to be creative in developing
new products that will support individuals who want to
remain independent in their homes. Lastly, a greater move
towards wellness and less emphasis on illness may produce a
healthier aging population.
In my nearly 35 years as a human service professional, I
have seen how slowly the field of geriatrics responds to
client needs. It has historically been mired in an old
school medical model, driven by government and private
insurance funding schemes, which have consistently eroded
the client’s ability to choose the direction of their care.
The most significant challenge we face in the next decade
will be to create new and more effective models of aging in
place and the services to support them.
Private home care agencies and those who provide elder care
services will need to be more creative in identifying the
needs of the aging boomers in order to continue to grow and
meet the needs of the individuals they serve. |
About The Author
Nate
Murray, LICSW, is the President of MBC Senior Services,
Inc., parent company of Visiting Angels of the South Shore.
Visiting Angels provides home care to elders wherever they
live and is Licensed, Insured and Bonded. Nate may be
reached directly at (781) 834-6355 or through VisitingAngels.
com/Marshfield.
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