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Here's to Your Health:  Have You Heard About This Health Care Requirement?  |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 11:59:14 AM
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Hi girls!
Yesterday I was at the cardiologist's office, and he had signs posted on almost every wall informing us that very soon Federal law will be enacted which will now require patients to provide an email address in order to be seen and treated. It went further to say that if you do not have an email address, you must provide one from a nearest relative. Apparently it's all in an effort to have patient records available to every patient online. I meant to take a picture for you, but forgot - 'sorry about that. It just doesn't make sense to me to have such a requirement/stipulation for health care services. Has this been in the news? If so, I haven't heard about it until yesterday! Is this for real? Is this not a bit ridiculous? I haven't been able to find anything about it when searching online, but perhaps I am using the wrong key words... Is anyone able to shed light on this? When does it actually go into effect? Many thoughts are running through my mind, but I would really like to hear what your take is.
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Oct 28 2014 12:01:11 PM |
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rphelps4
True Blue Farmgirl
620 Posts
roxanna
westport
indiana
USA
620 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 12:19:52 PM
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I am sure it all has to do with Affordable Care Act, I received a letter from Anthem stating I have to move to a ACA so I got a quote, it would cost me $1042.00 amonth it with up by $600.00, I am mot sure how they think that is affordable, I don 't know what I am going to do
Roxanna Farmgirl# 3963 |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 3:31:42 PM
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Does it say anything about HIPPA? Health Information Patient Portability Act. If not, it's probably bogus. I work at a hospital and I haven't heard anything. Health info. is strictly protected by law.
Cindy
"Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free; And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the rocks reach the sea.Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun. and cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done"--Loreena McKennit
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 3:46:13 PM
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Everything is going to "paperless" and electronic. We have been getting email addresses in the office where I work or a while now, but new requirements are making it where patients will have to access their records, lab results, etc online and will need an email address for that. It also seems to be moving towards allowing patients to email with the office (not sure if that is a requirement or just something that our office is doing). There is also ALOT more documentation that the clinical staff has to do these days, and I am sure there is more to come...it is crazy at the things that are being required by the physicians and staff to do now or they have to either pay fines or have their reimbursements cut. I still don't have insurance, and if this crap is all I have to choose from I will just pay the fine. Hopefully something will change for the better very soon, this is all very ridiculous. The ACA is not affordable at all from what I've seen so far.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
www.madameapothecary.com |
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Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6663 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6663 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 4:58:37 PM
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Nini, I had not heard that but I am not surprised. Our country has been moving towards being paperless for several years in an effort to provide patients with access to their medical records no matter where they are located. So, once everything is online, if you are in another state and need medical help, a physician can access your medical history and know more about how to help you. Likewise, when you have tests done, you will be able to look up the results online and know what happened. You can also look up you medications if you need to or check something like your blood pressure if you took it at the pharmacy and it seemed off. Just like online banking, you will have instant access to your information and that will give you more knowledge and information about your health. My husband has VA medical benefits and it is all online and he loves the ease. You can even email your MD for questions and get a prompt response!!
As to everyone who thinks the ACA is worthless, I encourage you to go to your state's plan under Healthcare.gov and see for yourself. Most states have many plans at all different costs. Based on your income, you might also qualify for federal assistance each month towards the cost of your premium thereby lowering what you pay out of pocket. Florida had 18 plans to choose from and I was able to get one that was very affordable and less than I had been paying under the Cobra plan I had. So, please know that each state is different, but there are a variety of plans being offered at different price points. You will have a choice and you can choose what you want and review if your doctors are accepting that particular plan you are looking at before you select. Each plan lists all the physicians in your area who accept payments. When I signed up for my plan, all of my same doctors were in the network so I made no changes to my pharmacy or doctors. Healthcare.gov also gives you a 1-800 number to call if you have questions or need help. They were wonderful last year in helping me. It was surprisingly easy to do and this past year has been a breeze with my plan and regular visits and medications. Just remember that each state is offering plans under the ACA which are separate from buying them outside of Healthcare.gov. For example, If I just called BlueCross/Blue Shield for a plan here in Florida, I would pay a whole lot more than I do under the same plan in the ACA site. Why? Because I qualify for some federal assistance based on my personal and combined income. The BC/BC outside of the ACA has a rate that is about twice what I pay for the exact same thing on the Healthcare.gov site. So, I encourage each of you to go look for yourself, review all of the plans in your state, call the help number and ask lots of questions. Open enrollment is November 15-December 15 for new people needing a plan.
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
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motherhen
Chatroom Moderator
42 Posts
Henrietta
Moscow
Idaho
USA
42 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 6:05:52 PM
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I thought I’d chime in here with a word of caution. First off, I’d like to mention that the ACA is (for better or worse) a hot-button political issue so I’d like to remind everyone to keep their comments polite and respectful. Having this thread degenerate into the usual partisan back and forth that the ACA seems to generate would make us lock it. We can all turn on the TV and get that type of rancor whenever we want. The Farmgirl Connection is the place for us to get away from the vitriol.
Now to the email requirement … I hate to say it, but I’m pretty sure that your cardiologist may be confused about federally mandated requirements. We’re all human and let’s face it, federal regulations aren’t always the easiest to read and interpret. I saw a great article detailing just what types of pitfalls consumers (read: patients) should be aware of regarding medical information. Here’s the link (http://abcn.ws/1vbRpXz])
Here’s an excerpt:
“…like many small businesses, doctor's offices often don't understand best practices when it comes to protecting the information they keep on their patients, and their record-keeping is often based on antiquated forms and methods of documentation that are long past their prime.”
“If you want to keep your medical information private (and you do), then don't even give the doctor the option to communicate in this way with you. They may set up a secure portal where you can log in to see your test results, but they should never email your test results or other personal health information to you.”
The second excerpt regarding the patient portal is most likely what your cardiologist is referring to and where the ACA may actually be coming into play. Here’s a more in-depth article on medical reimbursement: http://bit.ly/1cuBVce
The article’s a little dry, so here’s the important take-away:
“As quality-based reimbursement metrics roll out and new provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect, new tools to improve efficiencies and engage patients will become increasingly important to help office-based practices thrive, and, in some cases, survive. Adding a patient portal to your practice Web site is one avenue that can help you engage patients in entirely new ways.”
The way that the patient portal works is that you set up your portal account (using your email address as your username and choosing a password), and then official communication can be done over the portal. You shouldn’t receive confidential direct communication from your doctor through email. Instead, you’ll get a message saying that you have test results, or other communication (appointment reminders) and that you’ll have to log into the secure portal in order to view them. It’s actually pretty great since as soon as your most recent test results arrive for example, you’ll get a message on your phone (linked to your email, ain’t technology nifty) and see your results sooner than the old way of waiting for the doctor to find time to call you. No more waiting by the phone all day!
What does this all mean? It means that there is no part of the ACA that requires an email address. You can apply over the phone or through mail if you don’t have a computer. The ACA does have incentives for medical practices to set up an online patient portal.
Insurance premiums for some did go up last year. Luckily, since the tax credit is based on income, the credit nulled most of the increase for people without a lot of money and in some cases also lowered their co-pay. It’s looking like people with higher incomes pay more per month.
The one crystal-clear change the ACA has given us is that pre-existing conditions are a thing of the past.
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 6:21:44 PM
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The full effect on the ACA will not go into effect until well into 2015. We have seen increases already, and hubs work is having a meeting this month outlining the decreases in coverage for us.
We are just average Joes. Both working full time since we were in our 20's. We are both 54. The increases are substantial.
"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – R.R. |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2014 : 7:25:14 PM
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Thank you very, very much for that information. I will be sure to pass it along to the cardiologist's office. To be truthful, I'm not super big on any type of online transaction - I just don't trust hackers - so this comes as a great relief to me. The one thing I just couldn't understand was why this would be imposed on people who do not use the internet. < Yep! There are a LOT of people out there who still do EVERYTHING the old fashioned way! ;) > In particular, I was thinking about our elderly family and neighbors. Sure, they can give their family member's or friend's email, but it did not seem fair to me at all that they would force someone to have that service - or simply just to have to use it - if they didn't want it. I am VERY grateful for the information, and will be sure to clarify not only with my physician's office, but with my friends and family. I realize this is a great way to streamline communication, especially in an emergency, but I don't give out my email for any purpose if I do not have to. This is just such great news!
Having said all of that, I do have access to a patient portal through one of my health providers. They did ask for my email to send me the link, but when I explained that I preferred not to give out that information, they simply gave me the web address and called with my passcode once my portal was set up. I don't really use it, but it's nice to be able to look things up if I want or need to. :) Our doctors are all in-network, so they can access my information at any time through their own network links. I really don't see any need for anyone else to have my email address, you know?
Thanks again -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Oct 28 2014 7:36:01 PM |
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Here's to Your Health: Have You Heard About This Health Care Requirement? |
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Have You Heard About This Health Care Requirement?
