Living Well 60+ September-October 2014

SEPT/OCT 2 0 1 4
1 7
Nature lovers, hikers, cliff climbers
RENT THIS CABIN
Near Natural Bridge State Park and
Red River Gorge.
Call or visit website for reservations.
Ken & Sheila Brown
www.VRBO.com/361686
(606) 668-2599
(606) 643-6044
ksbrown@mrtc.com
not open to those who are
professional caregivers. Jointly
sponsored by the Bluegrass
Area Agency on Aging and
Independent Living, the UK
Sanders Brown Center on Aging,
Baptist Health - Lexington and
the Alzheimer’s Association.
Workshop registration fee: $10
(includes lunch). Registration is
required; to register, call 1-800-
272-3900 or email infoky-in@alz.
org. From 9:00 a.m. – 4:00p.m.
at Bluegrass Area Development
District, 1st Floor conference
room, 699 Perimeter Drive,
Lexington, KY.
September 20
A Day of Mindfulness
for Body, Mind and
Spirit
This mini-retreat will help you
promote resilience, positive
psychology and emotional
intelligence. Mobilize your inner
resources for healing, practice
self-care approaches for
promoting health, learn mindbody
skills for managing stressrelated
chronic conditions, relax
your body, quiet your mind and
open your heart and cultivate your
innate happiness, peacefulness
and compassion. You will learn:
CLASSES OFFERED:
• Yoga for Golfres, TM
• Beginners and Basic Yoga
• Yin and Restorative Yoga
• Gentle Yoga and Restorative Yoga
for Cancer
• Chair Yoga for Recovery
• Heated (80-85) Degree Slow Flow Yoga
Class Schedule at
agelessyogastudio.com
skilled relaxation, body scan,
guided imagery, journaling,
self massage, mindfulness
meditation and mindful gentle
yoga. Instucted by John A.
Patterson MD, MSPH, FAAFP,
Board certified- Family Practice
and Integrative Holistic Medicine,
Faculty member- UK College
of Medicine, U of L School of
Medicine, Saybrook Graduate
School of Mind Body Medicine.
Cost $95 includes food and drink
(discount available for financial
need). Pre-registration required:
9AM-4PM @ Mind Body Studio,
517 Southland Drive Lexington
KY 40503. www.mindbodystudio.
org. 859-373-0033.
October 4
Sound Healing
Workshop
11:00-12:30, Centered Lexington,
309 North Ashland Avenue Suite
180. This workshop will explore
the use of sound, vibration, and
mantra for yoga, meditation,
and relaxation practices through
gong, kirtan and chanting!
$15.00 donation will go toward
supporting the mission and
services of the Centered
community. See http://www.
centeredlex.com/ for the calendar.
October 11
NAMI Walk
www.namiwalks.org/Lexington
Saturday October 11, 2014 at
Masterson Station Park. Walker
check-in time: 10am. Walk starts:
11am. No registration fee but
walkers are encouraged to collect
donations. All proceeds fund
NAMI local programs. For more
info, call Marcie Timmerman, 859-
317-2792.
• Private 1-on-1 Yoga Sessions
• Reiki Sessions
New Student Introductory Offer:
30 days for $30
UNLIMITED yoga
(Offer good only if you have not been to
Ageless Yoga before)
FREE CLASS*
When you sign up a friend!
611 Winchester Rd, Suite 200
Lexington, KY 40505
859-303-6225
info@agelessyogastudio.com
agelessyogastudio.com
*on your next package deal
CMS Issues Revised
Guidance on Medicare
Part D for Hospice Patients
KAHPC & Several Members of the
Kentucky Congressional Delegation Played
Crucial Role in Advocating for Revisions
Provided by Kentucky Association
of Hospice & Palliative Care
Several members of the Kentucky
Congressional Delegation joined
the Kentucky Association of Hospice
and Palliative Care (KAHPC)
in calling for a temporary halt in
recent Part D Payment Reform
Guidance issued by CMS. Specifically,
Senator Mitch McConnell,
Representatives Ed Whitfield, Brett
Guthrie, John Yarmuth, and Andy
Barr co-signed letters sent by the
United States House and United
States Senate to CMS Administrator
Marilyn Tavenner requesting
that CMS suspend the current Part
D payment policy and instead bring
together all relevant stakeholders to
work together on a policy that does
not jeopardize Medicare beneficiaries’
access to medication. The joint
efforts of Congressional leaders and
hospice advocates have paid off and
now hospice patients everywhere
will have timely access to needed
prescription medications.
On March 10, 2014, the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) issued a memorandum to
Part D Plan Sponsors and Medicare
Hospice Providers entitled, “Part D
Payment for Drugs for Beneficiaries
Enrolled in Hospice – Final 2014
Guidance” (Guidance). The Guidance,
which became effective May 1,
2014, set forth a prior authorization
process aimed at limiting instances
in which a Part D plan inappropriately
covered prescription medications
related to a hospice beneficiary’s
terminal condition.
When a beneficiary elects hospice
under Medicare, the hospice is
required to pay for drugs associated
with terminal illness or related conditions.
Part D processes the medications
for conditions unrelated to
the terminal illness. This framework
means that medications that should
be covered by the Medicare hospice
benefit are sometimes incorrectly
paid for by Part D plans. Under the
prior Guidance, whenever a beneficiary
or family caregiver attempted
to fill a prescription at a pharmacy,
the pharmacy was required contact
the prescriber to determine whether
the medication was related to the
terminal illness. If it was not or if the
determination of relatedness was
unclear, the pharmacy could not fill
the prescription. Instead, the pharmacy
had to notify the beneficiary
of his or her appeal rights – thus
placing the burden on the beneficiary
to request a formal coverage
determination from their Part D
plan to access their prescribed
medication.
In effect, the Guidance placed
terminally ill patients at the center
of disagreements between hospice
providers and Part D plans, leaving
them to navigate payer disputes on
their own – a battle for which they
had neither the time nor strength.
Recognizing this problem,
KAHPC joined forces with hospice
providers across the nation and
went to Washington, D.C. to rally
for change. Specifically, KAHPC
met with the Kentucky Congressional
delegation and informed
them about the hugely detrimental
impact the Guidance was having on
hospice patients and their families.
The united front was successful.
On July 18, 2014, CMS issued a
new memorandum, which now limits
prior authorization by hospices
to four classes of drugs: analgesics,
antinauseants, laxatives, and antianxiety
medications. According to
the HHS Inspector General, these
CMS Continued on Page 31