ErrorException Message: Argument 2 passed to WP_Translation_Controller::load_file() must be of the type string, null given, called in /home/customer/www/postacutecarelife.com/public_html/wp-includes/l10n.php on line 838
https://postacutecarelife.com/wp-content/plugins/dmca-badge/libraries/sidecar/classes/{"id":520,"date":"2019-08-20T02:12:48","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T06:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/?p=520"},"modified":"2021-10-22T11:55:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T15:55:23","slug":"do-doctors-see-patients-in-the-nursing-home-and-assisted-living-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/do-doctors-see-patients-in-the-nursing-home-and-assisted-living-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Do doctors see patients in the nursing home and assisted living facilities?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With so many opportunities available to physicians, it can be a\nchallenge to determine which opportunity to pursue. Nursing homes and assisted\nliving facilities have changed over time requiring more oversite of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, do medical doctors work in nursing home\nfacilities? The answer is yes. Medical doctors of all specialties work in\nskilled nursing homes. They also work in similar settings, such as assisted\nliving facilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors trained in internal medicine, family\nmedicine, pulmonologists, cardiologist, and other specialist make rounds in\nnursing homes. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical Director<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Doctors can act as medical directors for this setting. This\nmeans that they take on the added responsibility of a medical director to\nprovide oversite of the care of the residents. This is usually with extra pay\ncalled a stipend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attending Physician<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The doctor can focus on their patients in the nursing home as an\nattending physician. An attending doctor only takes on the responsibility of\nthe patients assigned to them by the facility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These patients can be attributed to them on a rotating basis or\nhave a group assigned when they agree to join the home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Level of Care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Physicians have been rounding in long term care facilities for\nyears. They are a vital component in the care of the residents. Gone are the\ndays of the little old mom and pop that require minimal medical care. Patients\nare sicker and frailer than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The residents in Nursing homes require regular visits by medical\nstaff. With the level of care increasing, the oversite required has increased.\nThis increase in the complexity of residents has resulted in nursing homes\nbecoming the new step-down unit for the hospital and require oversite by a\ntrained medical provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much responsibility do doctors\ntake on while working in a nursing home?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It really depends on how much you want to take on as a medical\nprovider. Do you want to get involved in the day to day operations as a\ndirector, or do you just want to come in and evaluate your patients?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of the medical director can be all-encompassing at\ntimes while working in a nursing home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The medical director will be the one who looks over and assists\nin providing medical oversite for the facility and its residents. There can be\na high level of responsibility involved in this position. If done correctly,\nthe role of the medical director can be rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some doctors pass on nursing homes and work in assisted living\nfacilities, which is similar to the old-style nursing home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Doctors make money working for\nnursing homes or assisted living facilities?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nursing homes and Assisted living facilities are often\noverlooked as a viable source of revenue and patient visits to supplement their\noffice work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two settings are different, and you need to evaluate the\npros and cons of each setting before deciding which setting you want to work\nin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical doctors in Nursing homes usually receive a stipend to\nact as medical director. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assisted living facilities usually do not pay their doctors a\nstipend. They will try to recruit doctors by offering them a panel of patients.\nThe assisted living facility gains oversite by a doctor and the physician has a\nbuilt-in group of elderly patients that are easily accessible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors in assisted living facilities will evaluate and treat\nresidents, review and sign the paperwork, and review charts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of doctors rounding in nursing home  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many types of physicians rounding in nursing homes and assisted\nliving facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1.  Internal medicine<\/li>
  2. Family medicine<\/li>
  3. Pulmonologist<\/li>
  4. Cardiologists<\/li>
  5. Dentist<\/li>
  6. Podiatrist<\/li>
  7. Wound care specialist <\/li>
  8. Orthopedics<\/li>
  9. Nephrology<\/li>
  10. Basically, any specialty in medicine<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Many types of specialists round in the nursing home. Specialist\norder and perform many of the same tests\/procedures that they would in the\noffice setting.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The specialist usually rounds in this setting and then send them\nto their office when specific testing is required that cannot be completed.\nMost homes will pay a stipend to a specialist so that they can advertise\nspecialty programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Stipend<\/strong> for nursing home doctors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Most medical directors in this setting command a monetary\nstipend based on the size of the facility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The size of the monthly stipend ranges from 1000 on the low end\nand 5000 per month for larger facilities requiring more medical oversite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The stipend is usually paid every month after the facility is\ninvoiced. Some facilities pay on time, but many can delay their payments. This\ncan be frustrating to many providers, so be prepared for payment issues for\nsome facilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Role of Medical Director<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The medical director signs off on facility mandated forms,\nattending quarterly medical staff meetings, and covering for other attendings\nwhen not available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    APRN oversite<\/strong> by medical director in nursing home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

     The medical director provides oversite of the advanced\npractice registered nurses that may be providing care in the facility. This\ncollaboration care is mutually beneficial because the APRN can provide sick\nvisits and alternate monthly visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When the APRN in the building needs to collaborate in the care\nof your residents, they will usually call. The APRN will usually be the first\nline in evaluating the resident because they are generally in the facility more\noften.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can set the standard of care for your patients when it comes\nto APRN care. Do you want to be updated on all changes in care? How do you want\nthem to communicate changes in care? Protocols that you would like to see\nfollowed? You can set the standard that you would like the APRN to follow and\nhow they communicate with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What does a Medical doctor do in\nNursing home?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

     The doctor has many responsibilities when it comes to the\ncare of their residents. When new patients come to the facility, the medical\ndoctor will need to “admit the patient” within 48 hours. This is\nusually to keep the facility in compliance with Medicare rules and regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The 48-hour rule can be a challenge for many medical providers\nwho don’t want to come in to see a patient that was admitted on a Friday night\nand needs to be seen before Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are requirements by Medicare for the care and frequency of\nvisits by a doctor. These requirements are vastly different between the setting\nof a nursing home compared to assisted living facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Do Doctors see Patients in an Assisted Living facility?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

     Medical practitioners do provide care in assisted living\nfacilities. Assisted living facilities are taking sicker patients than ever\nbefore. Many of these patients have CHF, COPD, diabetes, and multiple\ncomorbidities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With such ill patients in assisted living facilities, doctors\nwilling to round in assisted living facilities are in demand more than ever\nbefore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The only way the assisted living home makes money is if the\npatient is in the facility. This means if they are in the hospital, they\nusually don’t charge the resident. This can vary from homes, and some will\nstill charge even if they are in the hospital or nursing home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If they don’t return, then that means no more revenue for the\nfacility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Does assisted living facilities pay stipends to doctors?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Should you expect that an ALF will pay a stipend to have a\ndoctor round in their facility? Unfortunately, most assisted living facilities\nwill not pay stipends to doctors for becoming an attending in the assisted\nliving facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Should you avoid rounding on patients in the assisted living\nfacility? Most definitely not! You will get a higher rate of reimbursement for\nevaluating patients in the ALF compared to an office visit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    An established patient seen for an average level of complexity\nvisit can collect 101 dollars from Medicare. Compare that to an office visit\nfor the same level of care which can pay approximately 78 dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plus, the patients will be pleased that you are coming to their\nhome to provide medical care. You will be in a relaxed environment and will be\nable to get a good understanding of how they live their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What does a doctor do in an assisted\nliving facility?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

     A doctor will usually round twice per month, sometimes\nmore depending on the size of the facility. You may need to go to the facility\nmore when they get a new resident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rounding will entail “admitting the patient” and\nclearing them to stay in this setting. Many will have already been\n“cleared” by their PCP in the community before they arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why would a patient want to be seen\nat an assisted living vs. office setting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

     These residents are elderly and do not want to travel to\nan office if they can avoid it. Why would someone who has decreased muscle\nmass, or in a wheelchair want to come to a doctor’s office when they can have\nthe doctor come to them? The answer is, they would prefer you to see them in\ntheir home setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The doctor will have access to their medication cabinet, list of\nproviders, and will be able to ask questions of the nursing staff at the\nassisted living facility. If the patient is seen in an office, the provider\nwould not have access to any of the above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cons and benefits of Nursing home\nand assisted living facilities:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

     There can be liability risks for seeing patients in the nursing home and assisted living setting. However, there are risks for liability in all settings of medicine. Just make sure to follow guideline-based medicine and follow thru with care, and you should be fine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are also problems with paperwork, phone calls, and faxes.\nThese problems will exist in all settings, but due to your mobile nature, it\ncan be more challenging. With more apps and programs available to doctors, this\nis becoming less of a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Commuting to the facility is a problem for some doctors.\nTherefore, we recommend covering facilities closer to home when possible or on\nthe same route as your primary job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion about doctors working in\nnursing homes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Doctors see patients in the nursing home and assisted living\nfacility setting all the time. It is up to you to determine if this setting is\nright for you and your style of medicine. It can be a great way to supplement\nyour income and change the pace from the office setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You need to determine if you want the responsibility of becoming\na medical director for the nursing home (along with the stipends) or would you\nprefer to round on patients at nursing homes and assisted living facilities as\nan attending physician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Having a doctor in the nursing home and assisted living facility\nis no longer an option for these facilities. They need to have a medical doctor\nthat can provide the care that is required for these patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keeping them out of the hospital is priority number two, and\npriority number one is maintaining the patient’s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Disclosure: some links contains affiliate links, meaning, that at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click thru and make a purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\"\"

    With so many opportunities available to physicians, it can be a challenge to determine which opportunity to pursue. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities have changed over time requiring more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[24,23,27,21,28,26,22,25],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2480,"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions\/2480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postacutecarelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}