Articles
Articles
One new article a week: research-driven, practical, and specific. Answers solve one question; articles go deeper into how the system works and what the evidence says.
-
After a hip fracture, one hospital label can change what Medicare pays
Inpatient or “under observation”? After a parent’s hip fracture, that one label and the next stop shape what Medicare covers.
-
PT and OT: the Medicare therapy “limit” is just paperwork
Medicare has no yearly cap on medically necessary PT and OT. The “threshold” is a billing step, and OT is the therapy people forget to ask for.
-
The wrist “sprain” that’s really a break, and what it can signal
That wrist “sprain” might be a hidden break. And after a simple fall, an older parent’s wrist can be a clue about bone strength.
-
Sprain or break? Only an X-ray can tell you
A bad sprain can look and hurt just like a break. How it gets sorted out, how long each takes, and the step that prevents a weak ankle.
-
Broken arm? The bone heals. The stiff joint needs the work.
The bone usually heals on its own. The stiff shoulder or elbow is the part that needs you, and moving early when the doctor says matters.
-
Broken collarbone? The bone is the easy part.
The medicine is usually simple: a sling or a plate, and time. The real work is weeks of life with one arm, and an OT helps with exactly that.
-
Doctors can tell family more than you think. Your parent decides.
Doctors can share more with family than most people think, but your parent has the final say. Here’s why the talk comes first.
-
Why one hospital visit becomes five different bills
The facility/professional split, the doctors who bill from behind the scenes, and how to match every bill to the EOB so you never overpay.
-
Prior authorization, explained — and how to push it through
The permission slip that quietly delays care: what triggers it, how to speed it up, and the peer-to-peer shortcut when it's denied.
-
The hospice six-month rule — what it actually means
Not a countdown: how the prognosis is really determined, what happens when someone lives longer, and the conversation physicians avoid.
-
Medicare home health: the benefit most families never use
No copay, no limit on visits, no prior hospitalization required — the four qualifying criteria and why most families never use it.
-
We thought it was rehab. It was a nursing home.
A family story about leaving the hospital, and the questions we now ask before anyone agrees to a place.
-
Garlic for gout? One man’s story, and what the research says
Someone we know found that garlic helped with his gout. His story, what the research says so far, and what to ask your doctor.
Case studies
Real experiences, and what we learned
Stories from families who have been through it, with what happened kept apart from what the research says.