Medical claims assistance for seniors requirements

In order to be able to provide assistance to seniors with claims you’ll need current knowledge of medical terminology and Medicare practices, regulations and procedures. Knowledge of how private insurance companies works, as well as regulations and procedures. Having experience with claims for health insurance is extremely beneficial.

Medical claims assistance tips

Treat your customers like you want a referral.

Many health care companies will work with (or hire) medical claims assistants to ensure that all services are billed.

Build rapport with medical offices, elderlaw attorneys, seniors, accountants and other senior services businesses.

Members are getting found by their profiles

You may not look at a profile page in the directory as content, but Google does. We’re seeing a weekly increase in traffic to the profile pages and much of it is coming in from Google (or other big search engines).

Many members are being searched for by name or business name. (Many members have first page results for their profile pages when you search this way.) However, that is not the exciting part.
 
 

Many members have first page ranking for keywords about their services in their city.

That may not seem like a big deal, but it is. People (consumers, seniors, caregivers) use the Internet to find local products and services for aging in place. We created member profile pages to be optimized for search engines (and we’re doing even more). In terms of being found locally, this is huge!

This part should really excite you. Here are some of the keywords/phrases consumers are using to find member profiles with. Keep in mind the way Google works: many search results are based on where you are searching from. (These are taken from our website metrics over the last 3 months):

People are finding our members online and it is just starting. As membership grows, Google is going to send more traffic to profile pages because member profiles are relevant to what people are searching for.

People are looking at your projects

For those that have submitted projects to the Home Remodeling Showcase at AgeInPlace.com; you’re going to enjoy this. The HRS is quickly becoming one of our most visited sections on the site.

People like just about any home project (remodeling, automation, monitoring technology, lifestyle modification, etc.) and Google knows it.

We currently have Bathroom Remodels and Kitchen Remodels, but we’re ready to create sections for home automation, home exteriors, lifestyle modification and more. All we need are projects to put in them.

Our HRS projects were indexed and showing up in search results within days of being posted. Plus, people are sharing them on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

So, if you haven’t taken the opportunity to submit a project, you should. Go here to learn how to get it submitted in just a few minutes. If you aren’t sure whether your project qualifies, drop us a note.

People are reading your articles

For those that have submitted articles for publishing consideration, they are doing well, too. We’ve been careful to select articles from professionals that deal with the real world issues that people face, including home safety, kitchen remodeling, insurance and retirement issues, to name a few. This type of content keeps people coming back and getting your name in front of them. (Not to mention, the search engine benefits for the bio information we include with each article.)

Some member articles consistently rank in our top content.

If you have an idea for an article or would like to submit one, let us know.

What’s next?

We’re working a detailed project plan focused on several new opportunities over the next few months. These projects include growing the directory, new promotional opportunities online and further exposing members to our AgeInPlace.com audience. (See Advancing Age in Place Professionals: 2012 Plan)

There is one BIG project (that we can’t tell you about yet) that is going to provide incredible opportunities for members (we’ll even say, unprecedented for small business owners). You’ll just have to stay tuned to find out more about it. In order to keep up on the latest developments and opportunities, make sure you subscribe to the Age in Place Professionals News (if you’re a member, you’re subscribed).

Other errand service activities

• Mailing or shipping, package delivery
• Light grocery shopping
• Delivering home health supplies
• Drop-off services (dry cleaning, prescriptions, gifts)
• Returns (store purchases, videos, etc.)
• Meal delivery
• Holiday, gift or personal shopping
• Car washes or vehicle service

Errand services tips

There are so many types of errands seniors need help with; be flexible and imaginative. Spend a few minutes to learn about each client to discover how you can help them maintain their quality of life as they age in place.

Services that a concierge business may provide someone aging in place include transportation, shopping, shipping and even sitting for family members. Even if they cannot provide the assistance themselves, they often can coordinate the service needed.

Other services concierge services might provide

• Travel companionship
• Money management
• Handle insurance or medical disputes
• Companion shopping or recreation activities
• Life planning
• In-home assistance (meals, companionship, etc.)
• Medical care liason
• Caregiver respite assistance
• Arrange for home services (maintenance, housekeeping, lawn care, catering, etc.)
• Filing and mail services
• Errand or shopping services
• Event or holiday planning
• Provide teaching (computers, cell phones, Internet, subject matter experts)
• Telephone check-in
• Transitional services (downsizing) or moving services
• Home organization

Concierge senior services tips

Be flexible. Some clients are going to want less; some more. Many won’t know exactly how you can help them.

These types of services are not just about daily living. Some things you are going to be asked to setup are going to be about building experiences to help them feel vibrant and alive! Add those extra touches to make them memorable.

State or local licensing may be required (particularly if you are transporting seniors). Be sure to check with the proper agencies to ensure your compliance.

A personal assistant business is much like a elderly concierge services business; both offering a wide variety of services to someone aging in place. The difference is that a personal assistant is more focused on the day-to-day activities of an elderly person’s life. Many businesses do offer other, ad-hoc services, yet still call themselves personal assistants.

Other services personal assistants may provide seniors

• Help plan travel and make arrangements
• Home organization tasks
• Arranging home services (cleaning, maintenance, lawn care, etc.)
• Assist with paperwork
• Take notes
• Assistance with shopping
• Assistance with personal hobbies
• Arranging for vehicle maintenance or other services
• Help plan and prepare for holidays
• Run errands or make deliveries
• Plan and arrange social activities

Personal assistant senior services tips

They sky is the limit for services you can provide to the elderly. The focus should be on helping them maintain their quality of life and is about life, their way. Be sure to check state & local licensing or insurance requirements, especially if you will be transporting seniors.

Build on what is working

From our perspective, one of the things that is working is the directory at AgeInPlacePros.com. We are seeing a lot of new traffic directly to member profile pages. And, it is GOOD KEYWORD TRAFFIC, not just people searching for member or company names. (Which is happening as well.) We’ve detailed a little bit about what is working in another post. (See Member Update: Measurable Results).

The directory alone is helping many small businesses get 1st page ranking in Google for their cities.

So, we’ve laid plans to improve the directory (structure and looks), as well as create more ways for consumers to get into the directory or get member information from our other sites. Not to mention, a significant effort to further optimize every profile for search engines.

Member Promotion

This is probably the biggest challenge with such a diverse group of people. Our goal with member promotion is to leverage everything we can to make consumers more aware about your company and get you in front of them online. There are several facets to this (and some fairly technical), but simply:

• Leverage our online properties and assets to make your company more relevant in local searches and;
• Provide opportunities for your company to be presented to consumers in relation to their needs, interests or location.

This is already taking place to a degree with search. However, we have laid much bigger plans to really bump up member promotion. For example, we are:

• Creating new websites that are focused on members;
• Curating a new online paper that only contains only social media posts from members and;
• Executing a 6 month plan for projects that will highlight members to consumers.

Network Promotion

Obviously, members benefit as more consumers become aware of members in their communities. The member directory is going to go a long way towards this, but we feel like there needs to be more promotion. Here are a few things we’re going to be doing:

• One of our projects for AgeInPlace.com is re-vamping the newsletter. Part of the changes will be to highlight Age in Place Professionals and drive consumers to the member directory.
• Every reference to a member, including any articles we publish by a member, will note that the person is a member.
• Part of our 6 month plan entails projects that are location focused. I can’t say too much about this, but suffice to say it is THE opportunity we’ve been working towards for you.

Membership

The directory has great SEO value to members and we want to be able to get even more attention from the major search engines. In order for that to happen, we’re going to need to grow membership. Our goal is to triple membership by the end of 1st quarter 2012. All-in-all, more members mean more choices for consumers, better ranking for your profile pages and and (ultimately) the more people you have calling you.

Over the next few months, we’ll be hard at work on a membership campaign to engage more service and product providers across North America.

Member Service

We’re also going to step up communication to members to make sure everyone is aware of the latest news, information and opportunities for members. (We’ve got the brand new news email that you just received, for starters, including actionable opportunities for you.)

As membership grows, we want to make sure we’re here for you when you need us. So, we did a little restructuring to ensure your questions or comments are addressed in a timely manner.

So, that’s a peek into what we’ll be up to over the next few months and the value we’re striving to build for you. Look for more very soon, including some great opportunities. If you have any questions or comments, let us know.

Age in Place Professionals Member

Lifetime Home Solutions is an aging in place home remodeling contractor in Ocala, FL. Their goal is to assist seniors by helping them stay longer and be safe in their homes. They offer a wide variety of aging in place solutions to improve a home usability, visitability and safety. Lifetime Home Solutions provides walk-in tubs, grab bars, access ramps, as well as kitchen, bathroom and other home remodeling services.

Lifetime Home Solutions has a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) on staff and is part of the Age in Place Professionals Network.

Project details:

• Website design (view website)
• Newsletter design & newsletter service setup
• Facebook custom landing page (view page)
• Customer handout design

Are you a go-to person?

Are you the jack-of-all-things-senior-care? Do you know a lot about aging in place, the needs of seniors, services and products, who can help with this or that, have all kinds of contacts in the aging in place professional community and everyone knows your name because you’ve earned a reputation and they know they can take what you say (who you say they should talk to, what you think they should do, etc.) to the bank?

Well, you should be. And, for very good reason. But, I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

I see 2 distinct opportunities

We all know a bit about the issues our communities are going to face in the coming years due to Boomers getting older. And, that most cities are not prepared to handle the current level of need, much less what’s coming. (Let’s not forget rural areas either; they are really going to be in a predicament.) If you think things are rough for seniors now, wait a few years; it’s going to get ugly.

As a business person who serves seniors or their families, this is an unprecedented opportunity. Perhaps, the biggest opportunity you will have in the life of your company; it’s huge. As a human being, it presents a different kind of opportunity and one with equal potential for incredible success. The profit of this venture? Hundreds of thousands of senior lives changed across this country, starting in your community. Both of these opportunities are yours for the taking.

Thankfully, they aren’t mutually exclusive.

What’s it going to take?

If you’re still reading, you’re probably thinking both of these sound pretty good. Truth is, if you’re going to capitalize on both of these opportunities, you’re going to need a plan. To pull it off, it’s probably going to mean making some changes in how you do things and (maybe) some of what you do.

The good news is that you don’t have to implement it overnight. You can start small and work your way through the things you need to do. In that vein, I think you already have an underutilized resource that can take you pretty far towards this goal.

Your low-hanging fruit

One of the most powerful tools you have in your arsenal is your knowledge. That single thing can help you kick-start you and set you apart in your community. It also is the thing that your (current and future) clients need. But, it’s only effective if you use it.

Of course, what that means will be unique to the person, business, clients, services (or products), etc. However, I think there are certain things that everyone can do, regardless of any of the above.

Educate everyone, all the time and in any way you can: Open your mouth and draw on your experience, insight and education for your clients (their families), peers, competitors, or people who need your services now (or may someday); pretty much anyone who will listen. Do it even when you don’t feel like it.

Listen like your business depends on it: Because, honestly, it does. Listen to the fears of your clients/families. Take note of the thing that makes X situation different than Y. Be mindful of what your competitors are doing (and why). Keep your ear to the ground and be in the know.  Any or all of this information can be the thing that separates you from the competition, keeps a client sitting in your office or changes a person’s life. Be aware and speak from your knowledge.

Use every avenue available to you to share what you know: We live in a time where you can talk to as many (or few) as you want to and consumers WANT you to talk to them. (Well, as long as you’re giving it to them straight.) We have so many outlets available to us for this new kind of conversation with them, including some incredibly underutilized channels online. Get out there and let your voice be the one they hear.

Let your knowledge do the talking: Sure, business goals are really important; so is that brand new service or product you just started offering. You know what, though? Consumers don’t care about that. Well, at least not initially. They don’t want to listen to the marketing speak because they have too many other things vying for their attention. If you want to be listened to; be a help. Let your knowledge lead; help first, sell later. It will work out better for them (and you) that way.

Some of that may sound scary. But, you know what? I believe every senior-focused business person has the opportunity to succeed and spreading their knowledge can help pave the way. Do you believe you can make that big of an impact in your community AND realize massive success for your company while doing it? If you do, I want to hear from you.

More to come …

Begin using the logo on your website, handouts & business materials

As many of you know, one of our primary objectives is to promote the local businesses that help seniors and their families across the country. Though we’ve whittled away at this for a while now, the time has come for us to implement the next stage of our plan.

As part of that, we are building a network of professionals that are focused on aging in place and publishing a directory to promote these businesses to consumers. The goal for this directory is two-fold:

1. Continue to provide more awareness about local companies that serve seniors;

2. Drive business to you.

It is little bigger than just a directory on this website, though. Once the directory is of sufficient size, we’re going to use it to build a directory on our flagship site at AgeinPlace.com.  (That means more exposure for you and greater service for consumers.) Don’t worry though; there are more benefits to be had before then. (More on that here.)

The Offer

This offer is only for businesses that provide goods or services to seniors or their families at a local level. (Sorry, there can be no exceptions on that one.) For those that sign up now, here is what we’re going to do:
Join Age in Place Professionals FREE (for a limited time) and get these great  benefits:

• Age in Place Professionals directory – Listing for you, fully optimized for the search engines. Many members have first-page ranking because of their profile.
• Logo Usage – You will be able to use the Age in Place Professionals logo to help highlight your credibility, professionalism and your dedication to this industry.
• Promotional opportunities – We have a variety of opportunities for you to get more exposure for your business, including:
  AgeInPlace.com – Our sister site. Opportunities to have projects published in our Home Remodeling Showcase, as well as aging in place related articles published.
  Aging in Place Today – Online newspaper that only contains stories members share on Twitter.
  Aging In Place News - Website that promotes content from member’s websites or blogs.
  Social networks – We have a strong (and respected) presence on social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook & Google+. In addition to sharing content, we use these channels to promote members and their content.

And, those are just a few ways we help promote members; we’ve got a lot more planned. Join today to get in on the ground floor of this one-of-a-kind opportunity for your business.

What you need to do now

Click Here to join  Age in Place Professionals and start your membership.