Unfortunately, Medicare fraud is outrageously profitable and rather low risk.  Miami is the current Medicare fraud capital of the country.  Schemes that are launched there are perfected and then exported to other parts of the nation.  Situations could involve setting up health care clinics (many often just empty storefronts or post office boxes) and then charging Medicare millions of dollars for therapies that were never actually performed.  Criminals learn to submit their bills correctly for bogus claims, and they are compensated in full and in a timely manner by a computer, with no human interaction at all.

Individuals running these scams obtain Medicare numbers by stealing or buying them from doctors, clinics or patients.  In one documented circumstance, one Medicare number in the wrong hands triggered payment of more than $1 million for phantom care.

Estimates of losses due to national Medicare fraud range from $11 billion to $60 billion.  Arriving at an exact figure calculated by industry experts is difficult.

Medicare’s vulnerability to crooks is due somewhat to the fact that the enrollment program is based on an honor system that is evidently broken.  Medicare’s anti-fraud budget is obviously inadequate.  This year Congress is allocating an additional $200 million for that budget with another $300 million scheduled for 2010.  Hopefully, this money will help the agency upgrade its computer software to flag suspicious bills, to call for more investigations of dubious claims, and to make more random visits to providers.  The Obama administration feels that health care reform can be significantly financed with anticipated savings derived from cracking down on Medicare fraud.

Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care

Senior Home Health Care Denver - My Journey to Understanding the Challenges of our Seniors

The transition from a normal, independent middle-aged person to one with incapacitating Guillian Barré Syndrome is not a pleasant one.  A three-week hospital stay and countless diagnostic tests resulted in my GBS diagnosis.  This is an insidious immune system disorder that causes severe nerve and muscle damage.  My case is much less severe than many who are afflicted with it, but it still caused a paralysis that made me fall numerous times ultimately resulting in a broken ankle.

I’m glad to finally be home, but I  currently have to rely on a walker to move around.  Daily mundane tasks like running the vacuum, driving a car and watering plants are still out of my ability range.  My feet and hands are not working properly;  the broken ankle is the least of my problems.

On a positive note, this experience has given me a new appreciation for the challenges that so many people face every day.  I’ll never look at a person using a walker or a cane in the same way again; I will always wonder what chain of events led them to that predicament.  Severe illness can take you to a dark place.  I have been fortunate, until now, to be a very healthy adult and never visited this very frightening place before—one that forces you to realize that circumstances beyond your control can result in a loss of your independence.

Even though very little is known about the causes of GBS and there is no cure for it, the nerve damage generally reverses itself.  The time frame for the reversal varies from individual to individual.  There is hope for full recovery; many other illnesses do not offer this hope.  This experience has taught me to “empathize” with those who are dealing with severe health issues.  I have a better understanding of their fears and their hopes for recuperation.

Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care

Senior Care Colorado - You Do Have A Choice

As a result of these difficult economic times, many families are turning to hiring their own private caregivers in hopes of saving some money. In many cases, this may work out just fine - however, there are pitfalls that should certainly be considered. Our list below is meant to raise the awareness of all that goes into providing care to elder clients by a professional home care organization.

The advantages to hiring a professional home care company like, Barton Home Care, for your elder care is as follows:

1. We hand-pick our caregivers after careful scrutiny of their background, talents, personality, compassion and desire to make a difference.
2. We choose only those who have demonstrated their caring capabilities through helping someone in their family or from having a professional care background.
3. Everyone goes through a thorough background check including validation of their social security number, address check, criminal background check and screening of their motor vehicle record.
4. All employees are bonded and insured.
5. Employees sign off on an extensive Policy and Procedures document as well as an Employee Agreement. Nothing is left to interpretation.
6. Every employee goes through an Orientation session to ensure they know our expectations and requirements for providing superlative care.
7. All employees are required to access our training site which covers the spectrum of challenges facing our elder clients as well as the fundamentals of providing extraordinary care.
8. As a company, we carry general and professional liability insurance exceeding the requirements of the State of Colorado license law.
9. All employees are covered by Workman’s Comp insurance so if they are injured on the job - it is not the concern of the client. We take care of the problem.
10. All employees are supervised so if there ever is an issue, our client’s do not have to confront the employee - we handle the issues … and we have very few.
11. Our caregivers keep us constantly updated with the status of our clients. We, in turn, keep the family up-to-date on how things are going.
12. Compatibility is key - we ensure that the client caregiver match is as good as it can be.
13. If an employee gets sick or has personal problems, we will arrange for substitute care if desired.
14. Since we do employ, our clients are not faced with payroll tax issues including completing a 1099 at the year’s end and the potential for the IRS to consider their caregiver contractor as an employee requiring back payment of withholding taxes.
15. As with all home care companies in this area, we are to be subject to regulation by the State of Colorado. Independent, private caregivers have no overseeing authority.
16. Ours is a completely managed process. Our (almost) eight year track record is proof positive that our approach makes the most sense to those families needing elder care.

So, one can conclude that there is much to consider when exploring care for an elder in their home. The cost differential between a private caregiver and employing a professional home care company should not be the only consideration.

Tom Barton

Barton Home Care