Orange County, California (PRWEB) August 21, 2013
In 2010, the Obama administration was able to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which penalizes hospitals for higher-than-expected readmission rates as part of its overhaul of the United States’ healthcare system. Though this was done in an effort to force improvements in hospital quality (readmission is certainly not a desirable thing), many argue that the new government initiatives seek to mandate and penalize without providing viable solutions. Michael Demoratz, PhD and Certified Case Manager, says in-home senior care and assisted living placement services may very well help solve this issue.
“A lot of times, elderly patients end up back in the hospital or emergency room simply because they don’t know what to do, or because they have nowhere else to go,” said Demoratz. He explained the typical scenario where a patient is discharged in the afternoon and gets home a few minutes after 5 p.m. “If that patient has an issue or concern for the doctor and his office is closed when they call, they may dial 911 - or end up back in the hospital some other way when they don’t necessarily need to be. This has become a serious problem.”
The Silver Tsunami – a phrase meant to describe the rising senior population caused by the aging of the Baby Boomer generation – is also largely responsible for this epidemic. Given that there are more seniors in the US now than there have ever been (and that the population is expected to more than double over the next forty years), this readmission problem is certainly not something that will just go away.
“Hospitals, case managers, and physicians have to work together with senior care providers, assisted living placement experts and in-home caregivers for this to change,” Demoratz said. “They have to find ways to help seniors use other resources that are available to them. Facilitating those relationships, providing workable solutions, and alleviating the strain this causes for hospitals, patients, patients’ friends and their family will be my primary role at Amada.”
Michael said he is extremely excited about enabling this kind of collaborative effort among healthcare professionals. With the help of others in the healthcare community, he will be developing a network that will strengthen Amada’s presence in hospitals. “To facilitate this, Amada Senior Care has recently partnered with a new division of Lifescript.com - a Mission Viejo based company and one of the fastest-growing online healthy living publishers in the United States,” Michael said. “They’ll help a lot with implementation and management of some crucial systems and structure.”
Michael is back on board with Amada after having worked with founders Tafa Jefferson and Chad Fotheringham for 2 years back in 2009. He will also help the Orange County, California company further develop care options for franchise partners by expanding their assisted living placements business and their workers’ compensation business.
Amada Senior Care is committed to enriching lives by providing nurturing, compassionate non-medical in-home care and by guiding families through the many senior housing options available for assisted living and care homes. Healthcare professionals and families look to Amada to help them navigate the complexities of the senior care system.
If you would like more information about this topic or would like to arrange an interview with Michael Demoratz, please call Jeremy Brooker or email jeremy(dot)b(at)amadaseniorcare(dot)com.