Insurance

1. Collaborate with other healthcare professionals, such as the patient's primary care physician and nurses, to ensure that your patient receives the best possible care.

Here are some of the other healthcare professionals you would collaborate with to ensure your patient receives the additional healthcare coverage she needs:

• Social worker: Social workers can help patients and their families navigate the complex world of healthcare and long-term care. They can also help patients apply for Medicaid and other financial assistance programs.
• Discharge planner: Discharge planners help patients transition from the hospital to other care settings, such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities. They can also help patients and their families understand their insurance coverage and financial options.
• Nurse: Nurses can provide patients with information about their long-term care options and can help them apply for Medicaid. They can also monitor patients' health and provide them with support as they transition to a new care setting.
• Physician: Physicians can assess patients' long-term care needs and can certify that they meet the medical criteria for Medicaid coverage. They can also provide patients with information about their insurance coverage and financial options.

Medicaid plays a vital role in supporting long-term care for the elderly and disabled. Medicaid is the largest single source of funding for long-term care services in the United States. It pays for nursing home care, home health care, and other long-term care services for low-income individuals and families. Medicaid also provides financial assistance to help people pay for private long-term care insurance.

If you have a patient who needs long-term care and has limited income, you should encourage them to apply for Medicaid. Medicaid can help to ensure that your patient has access to the care they need.

To advocate for your patient who only has Medicare Part A and B and limited income, while she is still in the acute care setting, you can take the following steps:

1. Talk to your patient and her family about her long-term care needs. Explain that Medicaid may be able to help pay for her nursing home placement.
2. Help your patient apply for Medicaid. You can provide her with the necessary application materials and help her complete the application process.
3. Work with the social worker at the hospital to develop a discharge plan for your patient. The social worker can help your patient find a nursing home that accepts Medicaid and can help her with the transition from the hospital to the nursing home.