The SCAN Foundation - Medicare & Medicaid

The SCAN Foundation's Comments on the CMS Request for Information Regarding Accountable Care Organizations and the Medicare Shared Savings Program

scanadmin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:48:15 +0000

The SCAN Foundation presents its comments on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services request for information regarding Accountable Care Organizations and the Medicare Shared Savings program.
To read the commentary, please click here.

Looking at the Big Picture of Old Age: A Treasure Trove of Statistics

scanadmin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:08:12 +0000

The Stanford Longevity Institute has produced a detailed and comprehensive look at the rapidly aging population in the United States. Millions of people will need long-term services and supports as they age. The report, “New Realities of an Older America,” discusses the critical issues and underscores the urgency of effectively addressing the anticipated challenges with relevant public policies.

Osteoporosis Damages May Rise Because Medicare Cuts Testing Services

scanadmin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:05:12 +0000

Osteoporosis is a serious and common condition that can lead to falls and fractures, making a person suddenly dependent on long-term services and support. “Osteoporotic fractures are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and health care expenses,” according to the November 2008 study, “Osteoporosis Care at Risk in the United States,” published in the Journal Osteoporosis International.

Patients Staying Longer in Hospice Care

scanadmin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:56:56 +0000

The length of the average hospice stay in a nursing home has doubled in the past 10 years, increasing from 46 days to 93 days, according to a July 20, 2010 announcement in HealthLeadersMedia about a research study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, “The Growth of Hospice Care in U.S. Nursing Homes.”

Chronic Disease: Painful, Costly, and Growing Rapidly

scanadmin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:52:04 +0000

For many older Americans, chronic illnesses make life painful. Multiple ailments often require a variety of drugs, and can lead to weaknesses that rob them of their autonomy, forcing them to rely upon a substantial amount of long-term services and supports. Unfortunately, the situation is worsening, with large increases in the numbers of people suffering from chronic diseases, according to a new February 2010 edition of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation chart book “Chronic Care: Making the Case for Ongoing Care.”

Life Expectancy May Be Underestimated

scanadmin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:43:58 +0000

Current government projections of future life expectancy may fall short by three to eight years in calculating accurately how long Americans can expect to live, according to recent scientific research. If people indeed live longer in the future than experts now predict, there will be a surge in demand for long-term services and supports (LTSS) as the need for LTSS rises as people age. In a December 14, 2009 video titled, “Dr. John Rowe, Chair of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network, on an Aging Society,” he discusses the accuracy of life expectancy forecasts.

Nursing Assistants Need Friendly and Supportive Supervisors in Nursing Homes

scanadmin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:40:50 +0000

Working in a nursing home is a low-paid and often stressful job for the nursing assistants who are delivering long-term services and supports to people with serious physical and mental ailments. Pay and benefits aren’t always the determining factors in whether the workers are happy, according to a July 2008 report in the Gerontologist titled, “Nursing Assistants' Job Commitment: Effect of Nursing Home Organizational Factors and Impact on Resident Well-Being.”

Measuring the Health and Wealth of Older Americans

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:34:30 +0000

“Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being," provides a comprehensive picture of our older population’s health and well-being,” a consortium of federal agencies said in announcing the latest edition of the encyclopedic chart book. Fifteen agencies collaborated to produce “an accessible compendium of indicators drawn from the most reliable official statistics. The indicators are again categorized into five broad groups: population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care.”

The Impact of Health Reform on Low-income People

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:31:45 +0000

Older adults with low-incomes who are receiving long-term services and supports through Medicaid and also are enrolled in Medicare will face significant changes under the Affordable Care Act, according to an April 2010 report by the National Council on Aging. These people are called dual eligibles, because they qualify for two programs, Medicare (federal program for those over 65 and the disabled) and Medicaid (federal-state program for the poor). The report, “April 2010 NCBOE Training: Health Care Reform and Your Clients,” includes material used in a webinar, questions and answers, and key sections of the law.

The Origins of Cash and Carry Programs to Give People Spending Power

scanadmin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:27:41 +0000

Current federal and state policies encourage people who need long-term services and supports to make their own decisions about how to spend for their care. If they do not suffer from dementia or other cognitive problems, they are offered choices about whom they will hire to help with care, including their own family members. This is a relatively new concept, and was pioneered in various local experiments, according to a May 2010 report by Mathematica Policy Research. The report, “The Starting Point: The Balance of State Long-Term Care Systems Before the Implementation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration,” describes the first round of grants for the program, called “money follows the person,” with the federal government sending money to 29 states and the District of Columbia.