www.servingourseniors.org
11
800-564-1856 419-624-1856
You’re sick, tired, and afraid. The doctor just told you that you are
going to have to stay the night in the hospital for tests, and who
knows what else. Then someone comes to you and tells you that
you are being admitted as an “observation patient” and Medicare
may not pay for your medications while you are here. That same
person tells you it is unsafe for you to be permitted to take your
own medications from home, and you need to send them home,
or they will need to lock those up for safe keeping.
Now you are concerned about your health and the infamous
eleven dollar Aspirin. At Firelands Regional Medical Center, we
understand the burden this new federal mandate places on our
patients. For this reason, a group of employees at the hospital
put together a plan specifcally for patients whose medications
fall into the self-administered drug category while staying in the
hospital for “observation”. It is during an “observation” stay that
the patients’ medications are not covered by Medicare. These
medications cannot be provided free, however, the medications
will be provided at a reduced rate to our patients. This is a safe
and cost effective alternative that many patients have already
beneftted from at Firelands Regional Medical Center. It is
always the right of a patient to refuse medications if they do not
want to incur additional costs, but now there is a way to get the
medications you need at the hospital without paying higher than
usual rates.
For more information about the cost of medications while in
“observation” call Susan Hosang at Firelands Regional Medical
Center, (419) 557-5431.
Medications During Your
“Observation Stay”
Beth Kluding, Patient Experience Specialist,
Firelands Regional Medical Center
OSHIIP is an
acronym for
O
hio
S
enior
H
ealth
I
nsurance
I
nformation
P
rogram.
We are trained by
the Ohio Department
of Insurance to be
consumer advocates
and provide “Medicare counseling”. We
have completed 22 hours of classroom
study and passed a test to earn our
certifcation. We are proud to say that
we volunteer our time to help you
understand your Medicare coverage.
In Erie County, Serving Our Seniors,
310 E. Boalt Street – Sandusky,
provides us with the offce space and
equipment necessary to provide our
Medicare counseling services. Our
job is to help you understand your
Medicare insurance and your options.
If you have seen the advertisements
on television “Open Enrollment for
Medicare is Oct 15th to December 7th”
and you don’t know if this pertains to
you…We can help. Medicare health
plans and prescription drug plans can
change what they cover and what it
costs you to buy their coverage. It is
always good to review your plan for
the coming year to make sure your
plan meets your needs for 2014.
You can call Serving Our Seniors at
419-624-1856 or 800-564-1856 to
make an appointment to speak with an
OSHIIP consumer advocate to review
your Medicare health plan and review
the changes for 2014. We are available
Wed & Thurs 9am - 2pm starting
Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2013.
Who is OSHIIP
& How Can They Help Me?
Patricia Stineman,
OSHIIP Volunteer Counselor