Your Partner for Meeting the
Mental Health Needs of the Elderly |
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Welcome.
On these pages, you will learn more about our clinical programs and the delivery of
quality mental health and behavioral health care to older adults. We encourage you to
peruse the following pages. This will help you to develop an appreciation for our
standards and ethical guidelines, and for the ways we conduct our business.
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| If you are looking for quality, convenience and professionalism in your mental health
provider, Vericare wants to partner with you.
Our plans for this year will bring us
into other states. If you are a facility, or if you are a part of a chain that is located
in
a state other than where we
are currently working, please let us know of your interest. There may be an
opportunity for contracting with you, and we would like to discuss this possibility with
you |
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WHY YOU
NEED A MENTAL HEALTH AND
BEHAVIOR MEDICINE SERVICES PARTNER |
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Many caregivers have always believed that the elderly
have special
mental health requirements. New evidence confirms those beliefs, and new regulations have
made the issues more urgent.
- 40% of nursing home residents exhibit symptoms of depression.
- Among the 2/3’s of nursing home residents with a mental disorder, fewer than 5%
receive treatment.
- 40% of dementia patients have additional psychiatric symptoms.
- Depression in nursing home residents is associated with increased staff care time.
- Government regulations demand more emphasis on therapy and discourage reliance on
psychotropic medication or physical restraint.
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recognized the value of psychological services provided to
individuals in recovery or management of medical conditions. On the
basis of a medical disorder only, older adults may now get behavior
medicine assessment and treatment services to aid in the prevention,
treatment, or management of acute or chronic medical disorders.
Referrals are made by the primary care physician, facility staff, family member, or
are self-referred by the resident |
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The Challenge of Meeting Mental Health and Behavior
Medicine Needs |
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Despite the need and genuine concerns among nursing home administrators, it has not
been easy to provide this care for residents. Some of the practical questions have been:
- How do you know when mental health and behavior medicine care is needed?
- What steps must be taken to obtain resident and family agreement?
- Can adequate reimbursement be obtained?
- Which provider should you recommend?
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A Solution at No Cost to Your
Facility |
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Vericare was formed to make high quality mental health care a routine and convenient
adjunct to your current programs. All of the services we provide are paid for by Medicare,
Medicaid, private carriers or by the resident, with no cost to your facility. We furnish
the administrative help you need to set up and operate a mental health and behavioral
health services program.
Our Providers will become part of your treatment team, provide input for
your care plans and develop a collaborative relationship with physicians and ancillary
service providers.
These services are covered by most insurance payers, including:
Medicare
Medicaid/MediCal |
Managed Care
Private Insurance |
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Putting our program into your facility is as simple as a phone call. We will contact you
and help you assess your needs. If you select us as your facility’s mental and
behavioral health service provider, our local staff will take care of the details.
Please let us show you how simple it can be to add our services to your facility.
Inquire
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The services we provide are based on the needs of your residents. Our
providers are all licensed and thus qualified to administer evaluations to help determine
the best treatment plan for the individual resident. In addition to these initial
evaluations, treatment alternatives include:
- Individual psychotherapy for residents
who can participate in and benefit from a one-on-one format, improving coping and
adjustment skills, enhancing quality of life and provides insights into the
resident’s special needs
- Group therapy
which offers the
benefits of interaction, socialization and peer support
- Family therapy to help family
members deal with the feelings generated by placing a loved one in the care of others,
such as helplessness, guilt or frustration, and to develop problem solving skills
- Family support groups
providing a forum for
ongoing support and problem resolution for family members
- Specialized programs
to individualize the
mental health and behavioral health
needs of your residents. These programs provide comprehensive assessment and interventions
for dementia patients, geared to their functional ability, with less reliance on
medication or restraint, and assists the treatment team with residents who are not
progressing in their rehabilitation
- Residential services developed for assisted,
independent living and other residential settings for the elderly
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THE BENEFITS Vericare OFFERS YOUR FACILITY |
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| Although current information and changing laws make programs like ours virtually
mandatory, we believe the positive benefits are even more significant.
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Your residents benefit from
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- improved mental functioning and increased sense of well-being;
- reduced anxiety and fearfulness;
- better adjustment to a new lifestyle and reduced functioning – medical evidence
even implies that reducing depression can improve outlooks for physical illnesses and
extend longevity in the case of terminal conditions.
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Your staff members benefit since
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- residents will be easier to treat; untreated residents add to the burden of care;
- problem behaviors can be reduced or better controlled, especially among those residents
with advanced dementia, often with fewer restraints; they develop more effective
communication approaches to enhance their caregiving;
- employee morale increases due to increased knowledge and effectiveness in dealing with
mental health issues.
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Your facility
benefits from
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- better positioning to comply with OBRA regulations and other licensing
requirements affecting psychoactive medications and behavioral interventions;
- gaining an important marketing advantage for attracting new residents;
- comprehensive programs at no cost to your facility.
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A COMPARISON OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES |
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| When comparing mental health services, asking these questions will help
you in your search. Vericare is large enough to change an industry, yet personal enough to
fit into your facility. These standards reflect our attention to quality resident care,
and our dedication to meeting the needs and expectations of your facility. |
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DOES THE MENTAL HEALTH
PROVIDER: |
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Have a mission statement that emphasizes quality of care and
customer service? |
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Have a management structure that emphasizes ethics and
regulations? |
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Have long term care as 100% of their focus? |
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Employ LICENSED Providers and provide you with current
license/malpractice information on their providers? |
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Offer specialized service tracks like Behavior Management
and Rehabilitation as well as AIMS testing? |
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Offer inservice training and specialized consulting as an
integral part of their program? |
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Conduct an extensive orientation with the provider before
placement into your facility? |
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Provide APA-approved continuing education for their
psychologist providers on a bimonthly basis and provide updates, current articles, and
documentation essentials through monthly mailings? |
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Review cases, programs, and facility needs every quarter
with your IDT? |
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Conduct an ongoing concurrent and retrospective quality
review process utilizing a full time QM Director? |
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Have a Regional Psychologist/Director with long-term care
experience responsible for hiring, training, evaluating, and overseeing the
provider and program quality? |
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Employ Program Coordinators with long term care experience
whose priority is to ensure a smooth, "user friendly" program? |
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Assure you through a check and balance system that residents
are not seen without a physician order? |
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Provide an organized intake process that insures the
resident's and/or responsible party's consent to receive treatment and to bill before any
services are provided? |
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Document service delivery to facilitate your
care planning process and revenue enhancement? |
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Provide an inservice on the interface between
the MDS and Quality Indicators and psychological functioning? |
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Have separate professional corporations that
can employ and place psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to
assist with medical consultation and work alongside the
mental and behavioral health providers? |
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How Our Customers
Rate Vericare: |
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90% Agree our services are helpful in
improving the resident’s quality of life.
94% Agree that our documentation is
easily integrated into their care plans.
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90% Report our providers demonstrate an understanding of
OBRA and
state regulations.
98% Rate the provider as professional in demeanor.
87% Feel our services are helpful in reducing the staff’s burden of care.
94% Agree our providers build strong relationships with the facility’s staff. |
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QUALITY –
Vericare
improves the quality of life of residents and reduces the burden of care for staff |
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TEAMWORK –
Vericare works closely with the IDT
for integrated service delivery |
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COMMUNICATION
–
throughout the treatment planning and documentation process |
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UNIQUE
Vericare FEATURES
THAT ILLUSTRATE
OUR PROGRAMS IN ACTION: |
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