9-24-08
CMS Launches Site for Caregivers
CMS has launched a new initiative this fall to provide resources for people who provide care for family, friends, or neighbors. CMS introduced the initiative in a live webcast with CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems and partner organizations on September 18, 2008.
Following the webcast, CMS’s new Web site for Caregivers (www.medicare.gov/caregivers) went live. The site provides one-stop shopping for information about what Medicare covers and how to access resources to help with caregiving. It also features links to partner organizations that assist caregivers and beneficiaries, as well as personal caregiver stories and tools to address common problems. CMS will begin a bimonthly e-newsletter for caregivers in November. To sign up for the newsletter, visit the Ask Medicare Web site.
In addition, CMS created a checklist that prompts patients and caregivers to ask questions about key discharge planning topics including their likely care needs, options for continuing care, post-discharge care instructions, community-based resources, and more. .
For more information
Read the September 18 CMS press release on the Caregiver initiative.
