Medicare And The Most Frequent Error In Medicine

Want to know the most frequent error in medicine for seniors

? According to a study (Medical News Today) that appears in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice about one-third of patients who are 65 years or older are referred to a specialist, but then appointments are not scheduled. The end result: they dont receive the treatment their primary care doctor intended.

The study cites that only about 71 percent of seniors -- typically on Medicare -- referred to a specialist are seen by one, while only 70 percent of those who actually get an appointment go to see the specialist. That means that only about 50 percent (70 percent of 71 percent) ever receive the specialist treatment intended by their primary physician.

Why Dont Seniors See Specialists?

When you think about it, says Alan Weinstock an insurance broker at www.MedicareSupplementPlans.com, there are a lot of reasons why someone might fail to follow through on a referral. Some possible explanations include the primary care doctors office failed to make the appointment or the referral wasnt received by the specialists office, which are easily correctable health care system problems.

And while patient problems such as health issues or no transportation might be beyond health care system control, other issues can be corrected through the use of health information technology and electronic medical records.

Where are we on Electronic Health Records?

The concept of electronic health records has been around for years. The difficulty has been the cost, according to a study (TIME) published March 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine. In fact, the indication is that the cost for even a small hospital to buy and install the technology would run into the millions of dollars. So imagine what it would cost a large hospital. Plus there is often push back from physicians who feel they have enough on their hands without having to learn a new system. These reasons coupled with a belief (nearly one third of respondents) that the facility may never recoup the investment cost, and its easy to see why there is a reluctance to move forward.

However, the study also found that among hospitals that had implemented electronic recordkeeping usually teaching hospitals and larger hospitals in urban areas 82 percent had received additional reimbursement for electronic health records use and 75 percent got financial incentives for adopting the system.

While national electronic health records might still be somewhere in the future, the fact remains that Medicare beneficiaries are not always getting the specialist care their primary physician had intended. That means there is a need for health care professionals and their patients to work together to ensure that important services are not overlooked.

by: Dallas

POST COMMENT

Searching For An Employee Drug Test Company? Five Boros Mold Removal Remediation Reasons Why I Want To Become A Medical Transcriptionist What Matters Most On Your Medical Transcription Resume? Get Cost-effective Medical Treatments At A Super Specialty Hospital In India Biomarkers Changing The Face Of Medical Research The High Price Of The Crime Of Drug Paraphernalia Possession Reflexology, Reflex Points And Benefits Of This Alternative Medicine Why Medical Transcription Is For Me Passion, Influences And Decision Factors To Become A Medical Transcriptionist Tips For Finding A Well-equipped Hospital In Delhi For Medical Treatments My Medical Transcriptionist Goal China Medical System Holdings Limited (cmsh) - Financial And Strategic Analysis Review --- Aarkstore