Frequently Asked Questions
If any of your questions cannot be answered here, please contact us directly.
1. DO I KEEP MY CURRENT DOCTOR OR IS HANSA MEDICAL GROUPE NOW CONSIDERED MY PRIMARY PRACTICE?
We are happy to be your new primary care practice, and/or work with your existing outside primary care physician and specialists. Your needs can be determined further at your initial consultation or by phone. Please ask for specific advice regarding your particular healthcare needs. Often, we become the preferred practice to manage medical care since we are on site and available to residents at senior communities with direct contact with community staff. This allows us to prevent problems and treat things faster and more efficiently.
2. WHAT ABOUT MY HEALTH INSURANCE? DO YOU ACCEPT MY INSURANCE?
We accept most insurances including medicare. You should absolutely maintain your insurance policy. We directly bill your insurance for services rendered. We recommend to all our patients to keep the best health insurance you can afford. NOTE: If we are out-of-network or do not accept your insurance, we charge a flat rate of $90 per visit. HMG will work with patients and families on advice about health insurance options and working on payments and plans for any balance due to HMG.
3. WHAT DOES A HOME OR ON-SITE VISIT EXACTLY ENTAIL?
The standard on-site visit starts with a detailed patient history, vital signs, and a full physical & mental assessment. Some or all information can be obtained by records kept by community staff. This would not apply to independent living seniors. Next, your current needs are determined and treated. Your chronic medical conditions are next evaluated in detail including medication management and the need for any further testing or diagnostics. A home assessment is also performed during each visit for anyone requiring further assistance with ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living). Total time of the visit could be as little as several minutes for a routine follow-up, up to an hour or more. It depends on the patients’ needs each time.
4. I AM MOVING FROM ONE COMMUNITY TO ANOTHER. WOULD YOU STILL FOLLOW PATEINTS AT THE NEW LOCATION?.
In most local moves, we definitely prefer to follow our patients. This helps with continuity of care and prevents confusion and decreases errors that could occur with any transition. If there is a potential that you are moving, please let us know so we can help in the process.
5. HANSA MEDICAL GROUPE PROVIDES CONCIERGE STYLE SERVICES AND MEDICAL CARE. DOES THAT INVOLVE AN OUT OF POCKET FEE?
There is no out-of-pocket fee for our service. Although many of our services go above and beyond the “standard of care”, we feel there should not be any charges aside from insurance co-pays and balance billing. For example, our patients receive our provider emails and cell phone numbers.
6. HOW MUCH PHONE PRIVILEGES DO I HAVE?
As a patient, you have the privilege to call, email, or text our staff and/or provider at your convenience. The provider determines how much information, advice, and length of call is appropriate. The provider will also determine if a home visit is necessary at that time or in the near future. We urge all our members to respect the providers’ time and to be patient. In case of any utmost emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
7. DOES THE PRACTICE ALSO MAINTAIN AN ACTUAL CLINIC?
No. All our visits are conducted in a patient’s apartment or other designated area in the community. Some buildings do have a clinic area; however, not all locations are the same. Please contact us or the community staff directly to discuss how your senior community is set up.
8. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDEPENDENT LIVING, ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE?
All three are senior living options with various services and benefits. This can vary from one senior community to the next.
Independent living seniors need fewer services and patients are seen by our provider either in an on-site clinic or in their apartment. No on-site nursing staff is typically present and provider orders are carried out by the patient.
Assisted living seniors require more care and have increased levels of service and benefits based on that specific senior community. Our providers will evaluate patients in the assisted living nursing stations, designated clinical area, or in the apartment and communicate orders to be carried out by the on-site nursing staff.
Memory care seniors require care based on cognition and are typically seen in controlled and monitored locked areas. This is similar to assisted living but with an enhanced security for the safety of the residents. Our providers again evaluate patients in the memory care nurses station, common areas, designated clinical area, or in their rooms and communicate orders to be carried out by the on-site nursing staff.
9. HOW OFTEN ARE SENIOR PATIENTS LIVING IN SENIOR COMMUNITIES EVALUATED BY OUR PROVIDERS?
We evaluate our patients based on medical need and prevention of complications. We typically strive to see our patients at least 1-2x per month for prevention, sometimes more frequently based on medical need. Our goal for this visit frequency is to prevent medical complications of chronic conditions and reduce expensive and preventable ER visits and hospitalizations.
10. I WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A PATIENT OF HANSA MEDICAL GROUPE. HOW DO I PROCEED?
Please start by communicating directly to community staff and they will contact us. We then try to see patients within 24-48 hours. Please complete page 2 and 3 of our Consent Packet and return to the community or our email kelly@hansamg.com. This can also be completed via our Patient Registration tab above. We cannot start until we have 4 items including the signed consent, medication list, building face-sheet, and insurance information.
11. DO PATIENTS OR FAMILIES RECEIVE A VISIT SUMMARY AFTER EACH VISIT?
We typically do not provide a summary after each visit. Communicate with community staff, our chronic care nurse liaison, or our provider directly by phone or email with any questions or concerns before or after one of our visits. Details can be requested for specific visits. We do have a portal system for messaging as well, if we have your cell phone and email address.
12. HOSPICE SERVICES
The hospice company is in charge of all medications and any paperwork including death certificates. Hansa Medical Groupe will continue to follow the resident patient for any primary care or non-hospice related issues. We do not stop our services just because a resident/patient is on hospice services.