If this is your first time joining us, you’ll like our first blog post about this topic, which you can read here.
To spread awareness around the principles of best practice used by PASRS (The Professional Association of Senior Referral Specialists), we’ll be sharing the five most prominent principles each week.
This week, we’ll explore the second principle below.
Best Practice #2: Paying for Referrals
PASRS Senior Referral Specialists Members abide by and honor all Medicare/Medicaid policies at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health, and hospice companies regarding vendor visitation, gifting, and compensation referrals. PASRS Members will not pay for or compensate employees of these companies for referrals.
If you’re reading this and thinking, ‘but isn’t this self-explanatory?’ the answer is unfortunately ‘no.’ As the senior referral and placement industry is mainly unregulated, there are MANY instances of referral specialists and placement agents who will offer compensation in exchange for referrals. This usually happens when a placement agent provides gifts or money to hospital staff or any other variation of a healthcare worker to charge a referral fee.
Why is this Problematic?
Let’s consider the following example based on a real-life example. Let’s say your aging mom lives happily in an Assisted Living community. She suffered a health setback and needs to be taken to the hospital for further observation and treatment. Upon arriving at the hospital, your mom is admitted. After a whirlwind 48 hours, you are introduced to a placement agent at the hospital who has a better suggestion for an Assisted Living community that offers added support for seniors with your mom’s specific needs. You are in solutions mode, and after listening to the testimony of the new placement agent, you accept that this new Assisted Living community will be best for your mom’s new chapter.
What Happens Behind the Scenes?
Well, this new Assisted Living community is not a better fit for your mom. She is unhappy, and you are stuck in the middle as the placement agent is unreachable. Often, black hat placement agents will lurk around the hospital and bribe staff with gifts or money to obtain information about seniors who can potentially be replaced. While this is great for lining the pockets of black hat agents, the senior and their family suffers.
How Can I Protect My Senior?
Our first bit of advice would be to stick to your original placement or referral agent. That being said, you would have to feel comfortable with this professional, and you would have to feel you trust this individual. If someone new pops onto the scene at a pivotal moment, and there was no ‘handover’ from your previous placement or referral agent, it’s time to pick up the phone and find out why you are not hearing from them. A referral and placement agent who adheres to the PASRS best practices would never pass you or your senior on like a hot potato. They will walk alongside you on this journey and will ensure you are comfortable and informed every step of the way.
At Options for Senior Living, this best practice is fundamental to our daily operations with every senior and family we interact with. If you need advice, a trusted referral or assistance with senior resources, reach out to us directly by calling 602-845-1320 or email us at support@optionsfsl.com.
