My friend’s father spent several days in a hospital recently due to a heart condition. His treatment was excellent and he recovered and was discharged appropriately and in a good time frame. He has returned to his activities unscathed. But, there are many patients who are not so lucky…

Joanne suffered a stroke two days ago. Although they expect her to make a near full recovery, the incident shook the family. Her grandson found her on the floor while taking in her newspaper. The hospital is planning to discharge tomorrow, feeling that they have done their duty to perform tests and diagnose what caused her stroke. Joanne’s daughter, Kerri, doesn’t agree with the doctor, but decides that “the doctor knows best,” and is happy to have her mother go home. Joanne’s son, Ben, feels quite differently and adamantly opposes the discharge plans and feels that Joanne should undergo more testing and some time should be taken to develop better rehab options and to get a plan in place to avoid this from happening again. In the end he doesn’t push the subject, because, “Kerri should make the decisions for mom. She’s the daughter, right?”

Many are discharged from the hospital too early, and their health can suffer. Hospitals have strong financial incentives to discharge Medicare patients as quickly as possible. Huh? Wouldn’t the hospital make more in fees if it held a patient longer? Not necessarily, Medicare generally pays hospitals flat rates based on the type of medical problem being treated. So, if the hospital spends less money on your care than Medicare pays, it makes money.

To protect your parent from being discharged too quickly, Medicare gives you (yes, YOU) the right to appeal hospital discharge decisions. At or near admission, and usually again before discharge, a hospital must give you a notice which explains that the patient may appeal if the patient or their representative (either with the patient’s permission or through a Health Care Proxy) believes they are being discharged too soon. The notice also explains how to file an appeal.

Know your rights. If you think your parent, or loved one, is not ready to leave the hospital, discuss your concerns with the doctor and the hospital staff. If your concerns are not resolved, file an appeal and ask for an expedited review. Be an informed and effective advocate – be involved in their care.

This week’s blog is guest post from Micha Shalev, owner of Dodge Park Rest Home in Worcester.

Adult children and caregivers play an important role in helping older people avoid scams. Oftentimes seniors are lonely and looking for someone to talk to, and unfortunately scammers prey on this.  Sit down and talk to your elderly parents. Remind them not to give out personal or financial information to a stranger — no matter how friendly or persistent the caller or visitor is. Even if someone claims to represent a well-known charity, your loved one should hang up the phone.

Here are some of the con artists’ favorite senior-directed scams:

Telemarketing Fraud – Fabulous offers – A scammer will call or send a letter or e-mail alerting you that you’ve won a big prize or that you can buy a product, perhaps prescription drugs, at a great price. Hang up the phone.

Health Insurance Fraud and Fraudulent “Anti-Aging” Products.

• Never sign blank insurance claim forms.
• Never give blanket authorization to a medical provider to bill for services rendered.
• Ask your medical providers what they will charge and what you will be expected to pay out-of-pocket.
• Give your insurance/Medicare identification only to those who have provided you with medical services.

Counterfeit Prescription Drugs frauds – Use caution when purchasing drugs on the Internet. Do not purchase medications from unlicensed online distributors or those who sell medications without a prescription. Reputable online pharmacies will have a seal of approval called the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS), provided by the Association of Boards of Pharmacy in the United States.

Funeral and Cemetery Fraud – Be an informed consumer. Take time to call and shop around before making a purchase. Take a friend with you who may offer some perspective to help make difficult decisions. Funeral homes are required to provide detailed general price lists over the phone or in writing.

Reverse Mortgage Scams – Reverse mortgage scams are engineered by unscrupulous professionals in a multitude of real estate, financial services, and related entities to steal the equity from the property of unsuspecting senior citizens aged 62 or older or to use these seniors to unwittingly aid the fraudsters in stealing equity from a flipped property. Reverse Mortgages themselves are not scams, but some have preyed upon unsuspecting seniors and taken advantage of good intentions.

Phony Mortgage Offers. If you have a bigger mortgage than you can afford comfortably, watch out for companies that offer to negotiate a payment plan or loan modification. The fraudster might claim to be affiliated with your lender. You might be told to pay upfront fees. If you’re having trouble making your payments, call your lender, an attorney, or find a housing counselor approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Phony banks. Watch out for callers who claim to be from your bank or credit card company. They’ll tell you they’ve noticed suspicious activity on your credit card and want to check it with you. You’ll know the call is not legitimate if the caller asks for your credit card or Social Security number to confirm he’s talking to the right person.

Phony emails. Beware of e-mails from what purports to be a trusted institution asking for your Social Security number or account numbers. Phony Bank of America and Citibank messages are common. One prevalent scheme is an e-mail promising you a tax refund from the IRS — except the IRS doesn’t e-mail taxpayers.

Investment schemes. If you think you can tell a con artist from a legitimate adviser, consider this finding from a major study: Investment-fraud victims are more financially literate than nonvictims. The hook: a promise of high returns with little risk.

Micha Shalev MHA is the owner of Dodge Park Rest Home at 101 Randolph Road in Worcester. He can be reached at 508-853-8180 or by e-mail at m.shalev@dodgepark.com or view more information online at www.dodgepark.com.

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