Pathfinder Patient Advocacy Group

11/11/2021

Be careful out there, people. Medicare will NEVER call you unless you've requested the call.

Medicare officials say complaints are rising from seniors lured into private plans with misleading information or enrolled without their consent. In response, officials have threatened to penalize …

04/02/2021

Vaccinated, itching to travel, and on Medicare? Especially if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, make sure you check *how* you're covered for care domestically and internationally before you hit the road. You might not be covered the way you think you are.

It's worth making sure health services away from home would be covered by your Medicare plan before you take off.

03/26/2021

Pay attention if your doctor's practice has been bought by a hospital. Some great tips here to avoid big increases in services that your doctor delivers in his/her office.

Same building. Same procedure. Same doctor. But now you’re charged a hospital facility fee. For one Ohio Medicare patient, the copay for a shot that used to cost her about $30 went up to more than …

02/26/2021

When asked, most people say if they need help with activities of daily living they prefer to remain at home. But if you've tried to find that kind of help (outside of family members) recently, you might find caregivers in short supply.

The Caregiving CrisisBeing Prepared, Home Healthcare, Post / By Cindi Gatton The calls come pretty routinely. “My mom has long-term care insurance and it’s time for her to have help. I’ve called five agencies, and they all tell me they don’t have any available caregivers now. We promised her...

11/24/2020

It's that time again. If you're on Medicare, this is worth the read. And call if we can help!

It’s a complex program with many options — as well as confusing rules and nuances. Here’s how to get reliable guidance.

10/09/2020

"It shouldn't take a medical degree to insure great care." Indeed. And it doesn't necessarily take a medical degree, but rather someone who if "of the system, but not in it" that knows how the system "should" work and anticipates where the ball is likely to get dropped. There are advocates for us throughout the healthcare system, but sometimes a professional might be the answer.

When my father was in the hospital, I felt grateful for my medical training — and stunned by how often I relied on it to advocate for him.

09/01/2020

21% of patients who seek a second opinion get a completely different diagnosis! This article, quoting my fellow Patient/Health Advocate, Ruth Linden, provides some great guidance on how to execute that process.

How to find a superstar specialist

08/25/2020

If you have time, check out this program running later today by industry experts addressing how COVID is impacting senior care.

08/24/2020

Choice. It's a powerful word, and something that is bandied about relative to our healthcare. Most of us want to be able to choose our doctors, our hospitals, but the truth is our system is so complicated that it's easy to make choices that ultimately have physical, financial, and emotional harm. This article frames something we are sure to hear more about during this political season.

Part of the U.S. debate over health care is really a debate over the definition of freedom.

07/14/2020

If you're feeling desperate to connect with friends and family, you might find these guidelines interesting.

Even as most U.S. states and authorities reimpose many of the restrictions they had prematurely lifted, public health experts say you can still have a safe social life — just not the one you were u…

06/10/2020

If you're a Zoom fan and want to invest in some great presentations on the complex issues of COVID with our seniors, please check out this free series from Melissa LeBoueff and Mandy Merkel, trusted resources for our practice.

Hi Everyone,

We are excited to offer a new webinar series dealing with the complex issues of COVID from a senior perspective. Topics will include Planning, Staying Connected, Staying Healthy & more

See attached flyer for more details.

Please click https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpf-mprjMuHdfvFzxTp_JZKwFIcHh4rEk5

to register for our 2nd session, Staying Connected In The Time of COVID, Wednesday June 17th at 11:00AM EST

Melissa & Mandy

Webinar #2

06/09/2020

This is going to be one of the unfortunate consequences of COVID-19 (among other things). Please call us if this happens to you. We can help.

As doctors look for alternative ways to charge patients for care, some Medicare enrollees may lose access to their physicians.