Aging Health Matters
This podcast will cover topics of interest to people who have Medicare. Episodes will include Medicare rights and health care. We hope you tune in for helpful tips that can improve the healthcare journey of you or someone you know.
Kepro is now Acentra Health.
All future podcast episodes will say "Acentra Health" - while older episodes (those posted prior to July 1, 2024) will refer to "Kepro." Rest assured, that all content about our free services for people who have Medicare are accurate. Our name has changed, but our services remain exactly the same.
Acentra Health is a Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization, also referred to as a BFCC-QIO.
For more information about Acentra Health, please visit www.acentraqio.com.
Aging Health Matters
Learn about Medicare and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Care
SUMMARY
As a contractor for Medicare, Acentra Health serves as the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization, also referred to as a BFCC-QIO. While Acentra Health provides BFCC-QIO services in 29 states, the general information is relevant to everyone who has Medicare (including Medicare Advantage) and everyone who works with people who have Medicare.
This episode is a conversation with our guest, Ed Guzmán, the Regional Ombudsman for the Olympic Washington region. He was born and raised in NYC and worked as a teacher. He eventually went to Southern California for graduate school in philosophy.
He has worked in advocacy for approximately three years. He spent one year as an Assistant Regional Ombudsman for the Olympic Region Long-Term Care Ombuds Program. Since July 2023, he has served as the Regional Ombudsman for the Olympic Region. He is passionate about advocacy and empowering the self-determination of facility residents in Washington state.
In this podcast, Mr. Guzmán will share information about some of the differences between skilled nursing care and long-term care, how Medicare pays for skilled care, skilled service terminations with Acentra Health, and a successful reconsideration in his state.
For more information about Acentra Health BFCC-QIO, please visit www.acentraqio.com.
KEY TOPICS
00:29: Overview, introduction of guest, Ed Guzmán
02:22: Differences between skilled nursing and long-term care
04:54: Requirements for Medicare to pay for skilled care
07:23: Information about appealing a skilled service termination with Acentra Health
09:28: Successful reconsideration
12:19: Final thoughts
SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to our newsletters: Case Review Connections, On the Healthcare Front
RESOURCES
BFCC-QIO Information for stakeholders: www.acentraqio.com/partners
BFCC-QIO Information for people who have Medicare: www.acentraqio.com/bene
Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: https://www.waombudsman.org/
Acentra Health’s Skilled Service Appeal Information - https://acentraqio.com/bene/appeal.aspx
Music: Motivational Upbeat Corporate by RinkevichMusic https://soundcloud.com/rinkevichmusic
https://protunes.net/
Video Link: https://bit.ly/3NNqGTs
