Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/403756
Once a list of potential facilities has been developed, the Contact Center's nurses advise callers to research each facility's ratings for health inspections, staffing and quality measures via Medicare's compare tool at medicare.gov/NHCompare. Other suggestions they recommend to callers include asking trusted resources, such as friends, doctors, hospital staff and state ombudsmen for recommendations; visiting facilities of interest to personally observe patient/staff interaction; and finding out what other services and activities are offered to meet the patient's individual needs and preferences. "We have an information sheet that we will e-mail or mail to a caller upon request. It's also available on our website KindredAnswers.com," says Kost. In addition to helping to identify local care options, the nurses at the Contact Center provide assistance for families to understand their financial options, including Medicare and private insurance. Help for Referring Physicians According to Dr. Felver, Kindred's Contact Center is a resource for physicians, too. "Unless they practice in this post acute care space, the vast majority of physicians really don't understand what the capabilities are in this space or what kind of medical supervision their patients are going to get once they're moved into this space," he says. Physicians can call with any questions, for example, about the availability of intrave- nous antibiotics or TPN in a nursing facility or the number of days each week a patient can receive rehab services. "The Contact Center can help educate physicians about the variation in services that are available across the post acute care spectrum," Dr. Felver explains. Patient information handouts, related to short-term rehab or choosing a long-term care facility, for example, are available to physicians for their offices. Upon request, the Contact Center will also make arrangements for customized informational handouts for physicians to give to their patients. If physicians want to direct admit a patient to a Kindred facility, this, too, can be done via the Contact Center, where a nurse will connect them to the appropriate person to help them or their staff members. "The Contact Center is like a one- stop shop. The people in the Center are equipped to answer any and all questions in one phone call," says Kost. "There's a lot of paperwork with direct admitting and with the changes in Medicare and reimbursements, etc. So if a doctor has a patient coming straight from their office or they want to admit one of their patients directly from the hospital, we can help them do that . . . even with insurance authorizations and pre-certifications." Sometimes the process works in reverse — a patient or family members calls the Contact Center for information, for example, because they're considering home care. In this case, the Center's nurse will ask for the primary care physician's name and phone number and call the physician to let him or her know that one of his or her patients is considering home care. A Personal Touch Once in a while someone will call Kindred's Contact Center with a request that has nothing to do with post acute care. Kost relays a story about a man who called the Center because he needed a ride to his doctor's office for an appointment. The Center's nurse contacted a global ambulance service and helped make arrangements for his transportation. "We offer that personal touch — for patients, family members and physicians. We try to provide whatever they need," says Kost. "The goal is to find a resolution to every inquiry, regardless of the nature of the inquiry," says Dr. Felver. "What it comes down to is helping people and making a difference." Kindred's Contact Center is currently open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–7 p.m. EST. The phone number is 866-KINDRED. For more information, call Kindred's Contact Center or visit www.kindred.com. ■ Raelene Kost, RN, is the Manager of Kindred Contact Center, an information resource for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers who want to learn about the post acute care world. 2 0 1 4 N OV E M B E R / D E C E M B E R ■ M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Cleveland/Akron/Canton | 1 9