Page 62 - Healthcare News Sept.-Oct. 2020

Hospital
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The reason for this disconnect is that most of that money is spent not on actual care, but on adminis- trative costs. A recent study by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that, of the $3.5 tril- lion spent on healthcare in 2017, 33%, or $1.1 trillion, was paid to hospitals. Unfortunately, a signifi- cant portion of that money covered
unnecessary costs to process bills and get paid by insurance compa- nies, meaning the total spent on actual hospital care was far less. The same is also true for doctors’ offices.
In a study published in 2017 in Annals of Internal Medicine, Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmel- stiein noted that the administra- tive cost of our healthcare system was estimated to be $1.1 trillion, of which the vast majority is excess and unnecessary spending. We are
spending vast sums of money on a deliberately confusing and complex insurance system.
Trying to navigate the onerous billing requirements, denied-claims management, pre-authorization requirements, and a host of other administrative hurdles unique to the U.S. healthcare system is wasteful and frustrating to hospitals, doctors, and patients alike. We spend more money administering the system than we spend on care. This should alarm each and every one of us and prompt
us to look a little more carefully at proposals for a single-payer system.
It is time to ignore private insur- ers who portray a single-payer sys- tem as the boogeyman, or the end of healthcare as we know it, and recognize their argument for what it really is: a reluctance to part with huge profits being made from a broken system at the expense of our health. v
Spiros Hatiras is president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center.
STCC Medical Assistant Program Top-ranked for Affordability, Quality
SPRINGFIELD — Two websites have ranked Springfield Technical Community College’s medical as- sistant program first in Massachu- setts for quality and value.
One site, medicalassistantadvice. com, listed STCC as having the best medical assistant program in Massachusetts, beating out other community-college and train-
ing programs in the state, while another site, medassistantedu.org, rated the program as the most af- fordable in the Commonwealth.
“One of the top medical as- sistant schools in Massachusetts, Springfield Technical Community College prepares you for a reward- ing career in the allied healthcare field by combining practical learn- ing with didactic classes,” medica- lassistantadvice.com wrote about
STCC.
The medical assistant program
at STCC offers a ‘one-plus-one’ op- tion, which means students in the program obtain a certificate after one year of successful coursework. They can either enter the work- force or continue another year in the program to pursue an associate degree.
In naming STCC among the most affordable medical assis-
tant associate-degree programs
of 2020-21, medassistantedu.org noted that the program costs more than $1,800 less than the state average for public medical assis- tant associate degrees and praised its comprehensive curriculum, which includes hands-on learning through laboratory and simulation experiences. “Becoming a medi-
cal assistant is one of the quickest routes to a career that offers a big return on a relatively small invest- ment of time and money.”
Professional medical assistants perform administrative duties such as word processing, re-
cord keeping, billing, electronic medical records, and scheduling procedures. Clinical responsibili- ties include assisting the physician with patient care, performing electrocardiograms, assisting with physical examinations, perform- ing phlebotomy, and obtaining and processing specimens. Gradu- ates are qualified to accept posi- tions in medical offices, clinics, health-maintenance organizations, insurance companies, hospitals, ambulatory-care centers, or any other area where their broad basic
skills are needed.
Karolyn Ryan, program direc-
tor and associate professor in the Medical Assisting department, said she was delighted to find out the program made two separate lists of top schools. “Our program offers value and quality for our students who are well-prepared to sit for the national certification exam offered by the American Associa- tion of Medical Assistants. We’re proud of the work we do to train students and help fill the demand for skilled workers in the health- care field.”
For more information about the medical assistant program and to apply, visit stcc.edu/explore/pro- grams/mast.as or call STCC Admis- sions at (413) 755-3333.
LifePath Announces $16,500 in COVID-19 Response Grants
GREENFIELD — LifePath an- nounced it will grant $16,500 in CARES Act funds to four organiza- tions to provide services to older residents in need due to the pan- demic. The funded programs are:
• Bernardston Senior Center: $3,231 to provide an outreach newsletter to residents helping them stay informed about how to stay safe, state and federal updates, available services, programs of- fered at the senior center, instruc- tions on how to make face masks, and more. These newsletters, while being informative, also contain some levity to ease the stresses faced by those affected by the pandemic;
• CommunityLegal Aid Inc.: $6,000 for the Elder Law Project in Unprecedented Times. New legal issues have emerged for elders
who are vulnerable during the pandemic, from fighting to keep
a laundry room in public hous-
ing open to tenants to getting an assisted-living resident readmitted to her apartment after a hospital visit and positive COVID-19 test result. The funding will be used for increased outreach, responding to new and different legal issues aris- ing from the pandemic, assisting elders with access to unemploy- ment benefits, and assisting elders at risk of homelessness, loss of income, healthcare coverage and other basic benefits, and more;
• NorthQuabbin Citizen Advoca- cy (NCQA): $4,500 for advocacy to reduce isolation and support well- being for elders. NQCA provides protection, advocacy, support, and practical assistance for people with a behavioral-health, cogni-
tive, or developmental disability by developing and supporting voluntary relationships between
a person who would benefit from support and a community citizen whose interests and capabilities are relevant to the person’s needs. They will recruit, train, match, and support advocates to become involved with elders who are ex- periencing loss of previous ability, increased isolation and loneliness, greater need for practical supports at home, and access to basic needs such as food, medical care, and other community resources due to COVID-19 and its effects; and
• Northfield Senior Center: $2,769 for technology assistance for seniors who are isolated. Those elders who do not have computers or internet access are now unable to participate in social activities or visual wellness
checks, which alleviate isolation and ease concerns for caregivers regard- ing wellness during times of physi- cal separation and social distance. Seven to ten iPads will be distributed to those most isolated and unable
to access online information and programming. Volunteers will assist with setup, internet connection, and installation of e-mail, text messag- ing, videoconferencing, and person- alized apps for each elder.
“Partnering with these organiza- tions actively engaged in provid- ing these vital services in the COV- ID era will make us more effective in our mission to support elders,” said Barbara Bodzin, executive director of LifePath. “We are grate- ful to them for their outstanding work, and to our funders for mak- ing these programs possible.”
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