Mother's day Special: In defense of Mama Medicare

For those of us in Home Health, Medicare often seems like a very stern, demanding, tough-love type of father figure. But I think just the opposite is actually true. She can definitely be strict and demanding, but to really understand her you have to realize she's actually more like a loving mother. Can she be meddling, nit-picky and over involved at times? Sure. Does it feel like she's being unfair on occasion? Definitely. But she really does care and wants the best for the family. And she's actually pretty darned smart.

To understand Mama Medicare, you just have to keep these factors in mind:

Mama Medicare's heart swells when all her children play together nicely. She wants to see us all collaborating, communicating, working together, helping each other and building on each other's strengths. She wants us all to double check each other to make sure nothing's missed. She wants us to hang out together and conference, problem solve and bring out the best in each other (coordination of care).

Mama wants you to have nice handwriting. You need to write it all out and very clearly. She really wants to hear from us. Don't be a stranger, drop mama lots of notes. (Quality documentation)

Follow Mama's rules. Sometimes we just don't understand why our parents have such crazy rules. Why can't I have ice cream for breakfast? Mama Medicare actually does a really good job explaining her rules (CMS training updates, alerts, MLN Matters, conference calls, etc.), so try to listen and learn. Take advantage of these resources and do your homework. But sometimes you just have to follow the rules whether you agree or not.

Mama's on budget. Medicare's a working mother, and her boss - Congress - is very stingy! We often feel overworked and underpaid, but that’s nothing compared to the enormous responsibility of caring for nearly all our nation’s elders with soaring health care costs, while the pay is dwindling. Every day she has to do more with less. If you're going to spend the family's hard earned, limited resources, you'd better clearly explain why it's needed. She wants to make sure that money is there for the next child in need as well. (Medical necessity),

Tell Mama how it's going. She wants to hear about life's ups and the downs. She knows things don't always go well, but when they don't she wants you to have a plan for changing your approach up. (Document progress, explain and solve barriers, constantly re-asses) Mama doesn't expect you to be perfect, but she wants you to keep trying until you get it right.

Mama wants to hear all about your day. Sit right down. Tell mama what you did today. Tell her all about it. Paint a picture so she feels like she was there. Don't leave any details out. (Client-centered, individualized, detailed documentation)

Mama wants to brag about you. Go ahead and brag about your accomplishments. Tell Mama in detail. Tell her about all those skilled services you provided. Don't leave anything out. She's so proud of you and your degree. Use all those big highfalutin professional words (skilled action verbs, medical jargon, full names of techniques and tests). And speak up clearly. No mumbling (unapproved abbreviations) around Mama!

Mama wants her babies at home. Help mama keep everyone home. Not in the hospital, at the emergency room, in rehab or in nursing homes. Keep them all at home and take good care of them there! She knows we all need a little help every now and then, so help her help all of us.

So this Mother's day, let's show this abused, neglected, taken-advantage of, over-worked and underappreciated Mama some long over-due love. Happy Mother's Day Mama Medicare. You may get on our nerves some time, but we know you love us and we love you back!

Note: I realize this article reinforces and makes light of traditional gender stereotypes and assumptions about roles. I want to rewrite this in the future. If you have suggestion please contact me.