Patient-based funding begins for long-term care residents – March 1, 2013
Home > Blog > Patient-based funding begins for long-term care residents – March 1, 2013Funding for long-term care centre residents will be based on the specifichealth care needs of each person under a new funding model being implemented.
The new funding model – called Patient Care Based Funding – is designed to provide
equitable funding for every resident in long-term care across the province.
“The more care a resident needs, the more funding their care providers will receive,”
ensure sustainable funding for providers. About half of all long-term care residents
said David O’Brien, Senior Vice President, Primary and Community Care.
will see funding levels increase for their care,
AHS-operated long-term care sites began implementation April 1, 2012,
while AHS-owned subsidiaries Carewest, CapitalCare & Covenant Health will
implement the new funding model at their 17 long-term care centres starting March 1, 2013.
Preparation for this model has been taking place for several years.
They will continue to closely monitor these facilities to make sure residents continue to
receive safe, quality care.
Questions:– Has client funding changed accordingly where this protocol has been implemented?
– Will there be pressure to raise the alleged needs of the client such as unnecessarydiapering in order to increase funding for the facility?– Who will monitor the funding protocol?O’Brien assures us “We want to make sure the care Alberta residents receive inthese long-term care facilities continues to meet the safety and quality standards that
we have seen, and that residents and their families expect and deserve”.
Unfortunately we do not share Mr. O’Brien’s positive observations.
In LTC, food is often substandard.Baths or showers, maybe, once a week.Because there is no viable, enforceable, protective legislation, seniors can beharmed with impunity in elder care facilities.In recent years, it has become public knowledge that LTC residents have sufferedtheft, dehydration, starvation, asphyxiation, fatal scalding, rape, assault, total neglect,malpractice and other unbelievable happenings.We can find little evidence or intentby government to guarantee safety for the vulnerable victims of these crimes.Disregard & silence meets the reporting of horrific, deadly abuse.