The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) is continuing its mission to protect seniors from con artists. The agency is hosting a series of free events across the state to teach the state’s most vulnerable citizens how to spot, avoid and report fraud.
“The rise in the use of technology has given crooks new ways to scam people out of their hard-earned money,” said Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. “Seniors are especially susceptible because many of them have a substantial savings, excellent credit and aren’t likely to go to police if they think they’ve been scammed. We want to give seniors the upper hand the next time someone tries to take advantage of them.”
The U.S. Subcommittee on Health and Long Term Care estimates that seniors represent 30 percent of scam victims even though they make up only 12 percent of the population. One 2015 report estimated that older Americans lose $36.5 billion a year to financial scams and abuse. The perpetrators include fraudulent telemarketers, door-to-door con artists, identity thieves and Internet schemers.
At eight events across the state, experts from the OID’s Anti-Fraud Division, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, Oklahoma Bankers Association and Oklahoma Department of Securities will detail the latest scams. The conferences will be held in March, April and May. Two paper shredders will be given away to public attendees at each location.
Each seminar is free for seniors and includes breakfast. Insurance professionals can attend a conference for four hours of Continuing Education (CE) credit. The cost for CE credit is $30.
The conferences are partially funded by the Administration on Community Living’s Senior Medicare Patrol grant. Attendees must register online at map.oid.ok.gov or by calling 800-763-2828.

2018 Senior Fraud Conference Schedule
Registration – 7:30 a.m., Breakfast – 8:00 a.m., Conference – 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
March 13 – Ardmore – Ardmore Convention Center, 2401 N. Rockford Rd. Salons D & E, Ardmore, OK 73401
March 28 – Oklahoma City – The Tower Hotel, 3233 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
April 3 – Woodward- Woodward Conference Center, 3401 Centennial Lane Exhibit Hall A, Woodward, OK 73801
April 10 – Tulsa – Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills, 1902 E. 71st St. Council Oak Ballroom A-C, Tulsa, OK 74136
April 19 – Ponca City – Carolyn Renfro Event Center, 445 Fairview Ave., Ponca City, OK 74601
April 25 – Lawton – Cameron University, McMahon Centennial Complex, McCasland Ballroom A&B, 501 S.W. University Dr. Lawton, OK 73505
April 26 – Norman – Embassy Suites Norman, 2501 Conference Dr.
Norman, OK 73069
May 1 – Broken Arrow – Stoney Creek Hotel, 200 W. Albany St. Stone Room, Broken Arrow, OK 74012

Eleven Oklahoma skilled nursing care centers, their nurses and other staff members were recently recognized by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.
The centers, located throughout the state, were recognized through AHCA/NCAL’s Quality Initiative Recognition Program for quality and service improvements. Facilities honored were:
*Cedar Creek Nursing Center – Norman
*Claremore Nursing Home – Claremore
*Forrest Manor Nursing Center – Dewey
*Grace Living Center – Edmond
* Grace Living Center-Southwest – Oklahoma City
*Emerald Care-Southwest – Oklahoma City
*Medicalodge of Dewey – Dewey
*Montevista Rehabilitation and Skilled Care – Lawton
*Rainbow Health Care Community – Bristow
*Shanoan Springs Residence – Chickasha
*The Village at Southern Hills – Tulsa
AHCA’s Quality Initiative Recognition Program recognizes association members who attain at least four of eight quality initiative goals, President/CEO Mark Parkinson said. Those objectives include:
*Reducing hospitalizations – Facilities are assessed either for their safe reduction of long-stay resident hospital stays of at least 15 percent from December 2014 or for achieving or maintaining a 10 percent or lower rate.
*Minimizing nursing staff turnover – Centers that either accomplish a 15 percent decrease from 2015 levels or maintain less than 40 percent total nursing turnover rates meet this criteria.
*Cutting hospital readmissions – This goal aims at safely reducing hospital readmissions, within 30 days of first admission, by 30 percent, compared to December 2011 levels or maintaining a 10 percent readmission rate overall.
*Decreasing off-label antipsychotics use – Long-stay nursing resident use of off-label antipsychotics must be reduced by 30 percent from December 2011 levels to qualify for this particular achievement.
*Reducing unintended health care outcomes – Accomplishing this goal “improves the lives of the patients, residents and families skilled nursing care providers serve,” the Office of Inspector General found, according to a 2014 report.
*Improving discharge rates – Facilities are tasked with maintaining a 70 percent rate, or 10 percent improvement since December 2014, of patient discharges back to the community.
*Boosting functional outcomes – Centers must improve functional outcomes by 10 percent since December 2015 or maintain a 75 percent improvement rate to attain this goal.
*Adopting Core-Q questionnaire – AHCA developed the Core-Q questionnaire specifically for use by post-acute and long-term care providers, Parkinson said. Adopting the practices outlined, measuring and uploading results may satisfy this particular program aspect.
“Improving quality care as a profession requires dedication from many organizations,” Parkinson said. “The program provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the progress that our members have made by achieving the quality initiative goals and improving care for individuals living in their communities, and I commend their hard work.”
Oklahoma Association of Health Care Providers is the AHCA state affiliate. More information about AHCA may be found on its website, located at https://www.ahcancal.org/Pages/Default.aspx; OAHCP’s site is http://www.oahcp.org/index.php.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) recovered more than $3 million for policyholders in 2017. The money was paid out to Oklahomans who had claim disputes with their insurance company.
“Oklahomans have the right to expect their insurance company to uphold the agreement made in their policy,” Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak said. “I am very proud of our Consumer Assistance Division for its work to recover this money and their daily dedication to educate and help all Oklahomans with insurance issues.”
OID’s Consumer Assistance/Claims Division processes and investigates all complaints lodged by the public against insurance companies. The division opened 6,220 files in 2017. In that year, employees also answered more than 16,000 phone calls. The money recovered for last year totaled $3,326,828.16.
“Our department’s mission is to protect consumers by making sure insurance companies are following all laws and regulations,” said Lydia Shirley, Assistant Commissioner of the Consumer Assistance/Claims Division. “We are here to make sure Oklahomans are getting the coverage they were promised.”
Oklahomans who believe their insurance claim has not been handled properly are encouraged to call the Consumer Assistance Division at 800-522-0071.
The Oklahoma Insurance Department, an agency of the State of Oklahoma, is responsible for the education and protection of the insurance-buying public and for oversight of the insurance industry in the state.

Accel at Crystal Park to offer BCBS and Humana options

In a move that increases health care insurance options and manages cost for consumers, StoneGate Senior Living, LLC, an award-winning full spectrum senior care and housing facility, announces new in-network insurance provider agreements with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Humana for Accel at Crystal Park. Accel at Crystal Park is a skilled nursing care and rehabilitative facility serving the Oklahoma market, and its newest agreements join existing contracts with Medicare Advantage, the Health Insurance Marketplace, Tricare military health benefits plan and the Oklahoma government employee’s health plan.
“Our commitment at Accel at Crystal Park is to ensure the highest standard in patient care and rehabilitation, and access to in-network insurance providers is a critical part of this effort,” says Tamara Meadows, RN-BC, StoneGate Senior Living Divisional Director of Clinical Operations, Oklahoma. “We are proud to add Blue Cross Blue Shield and Humana to our in-network insurance options, and offer expanded choice and cost management to our patients.”
The new in-network insurance provider agreements with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Humana for Accel at Crystal Park will allow admittance for short-term, inpatient therapies and skilled nursing with lower, in-network copays, deductibles, & annual out-of-pocket expenses.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield contract agreement was effective as of December 1, 2017, and the Humana agreement took effect February 1, 2018.
For more information, visit: http://accelcrystalpark.com.
Accel at Crystal Park opened in February 2017, and features 59 private transitional care suites designed for patients recovering from an acute care event. Accel delivers modern amenities and technology, with a rehabilitation gym offering modern equipment and technologies that help patients complete post-acute rehabilitation as quickly as possible and return to their lifestyle. Learn more: http://accelcrystalpark.com/

Free program offers help for those recovering from loss of loved ones

INTEGRIS Hospice will sponsor three identical community grief workshops facilitated by Reverend Bob Willis, B.A., Theology.
Each free-of-charge session is open to the public. Attendees must register for only one session, in advance. Call the INTEGRIS HealthLine to enroll, 405-951-2277. Space is limited.
Willis will sculpt a broken heart from clay as he shares helpful grief information. Content will cover normal grief responses, myths about grief, honoring relationships and healthy expressions of grief.
A short break during each session is offered for networking and resource gathering. Session 1 – Thursday, March 8, 2018, Time – 6 to 8 p.m., INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, 5911 W. Memorial Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73142, Conference Rooms D and E southwest entrance. Session 2 – Tuesday, March 13, 2018, Time – 6 to 8 p.m., INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, 5911 W. Memorial Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73142, Conference Rooms D and E southwest entrance. Session 3 – Thursday, March 15, 2018, Time – 6 to 8 p.m., INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, 5911 W. Memorial Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73142, Conference Rooms D and E southwest entrance.
Willis served as a hospice bereavement coordinator for 17 years and has authored two books: The Ultimate Caregiver and A Guide for Grievers.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

For the better part of a decade Melissa Hill and Greg Bridges traveled Oklahoma trying to improve the health care landscape in our state.
They saw the good and often times the bad.
What they walked away with was a better understanding of what assistance seniors need to stay in and thrive in their own homes as long as possible.
And through that, Home Care Assistance was born in the metro.
IMPROVING HEALTH CARE
The group has cared for Oklahomans through Home Care Assistance for almost four years now.
Bridges – who brings more than 35 years of registered nursing experience to the company – worked with Hill consulting Medicare providers prior to opening Home Care Assistance.
“Quality improvement and patient safety initiatives,” Hill said of two things that occupied their time as they traveled. “We did a lot of work … particularly around the issue of readmissions. Why are people going back into the hospital and how many of those readmissions could have have been prevented?”
The answer to both questions could be found at home.
“It was very eye-opening for me personally to understand some of the risks or hazards of hospitalization and some of the safety issues that are prolific in the health system,” Hill said of her decade of process improvement. “We know people really want to avoid being institutionalized and the majority of people want to remain in their homes.”
HEALTH AT HOME
Typically, Home Care Assistance hires just one in 25 applicants – all home health aides and certified nursing assistants.
The focus is on activities of daily living – allowing clients to do as much as they possibly can on their own while also being there to help shore up any deficits.
“It’s A through Z, personal care, dressing …” Bridges said. “Statistically, 60 percent of people who come out of the hospital with strokes have depression. Having that relationship with a caregiver one-on-one and not feeling like they are a burden … can really lift someone out of that depression.
“It’s broad spectrum.”
Services range from personal care to medications reminders, running errands and light housekeeping.
“You want to maintain an optimal environment for them to thrive,” Bridges said.
Bridges noted that as health care moves more towards an in-home setting it’s important to understand that bringing someone into your home has legal ramifications.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health is cracking down on “rogue” caregivers who are unaffiliated with licensed agencies.
The reason is that these individuals often do not go through state and national background checks, carry workman’s compensation insurance or withhold required taxes.
Home Care Assistance leans heavily on Bridges’ three decades of experience ranging from the ICU into the home.
“With us you transfer that into the home and the practical things that keep a person safe,” Bridges said. “We try to focus on consistent assignments so the same caregiver and same team knows the patient’s idiosyncrasies. And we’re the owners and I’m the case manager so we know each client intimately and because of that we can intervene and tailor a plan of care.
“Watching a person that closely, supporting physical therapies and having that much feedback and intervention on a daily basis we really nip all sorts of stuff in the bud.”
Most clients who utilize Home Care Assistance are in their 70s or 80s – although Hill points out one client just turned 101 – and need assistance dealing with multiple chronic conditions. Heart and pulmonary issues are prevalent as are Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Following an acute medical issue is often when families realize not only the value but the need for assistance in the home.
“We wish more physicians understood the value of a non-medical home care service and where to find them,” Hill said. “It’s just not top-of-mind yet among health care professionals.”
That will be changing.
Through its Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, Medicare has been financially penalizing hospitals with high rates of Medicare readmissions and is extending the penalties to other settings of care such as skilled nursing facilities.
It’s estimated that in 2017 hospitals with relatively high readmission rates were penalized more than half a billion dollars.
That occured when Medicare patients were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge for the same diagnosis.
February is Heart Health Month, highlighting the leading cause of death for men and women.
Hill points out that the good news is heart disease is also one of the most preventable diseases. And heart disease can be managed at home.
“We see a lot of people coming out of the hospital after a heart incident or a stroke and that’s the perfect time to have in-home care services to help people recover,” Hill said. “That first 30 to 90 days after a hospital stay people are in a pretty vulnerable state.
“Our services are holistic.”
In late January, Home Care Assistance was honored by Home Care Pulse as a 2018 Best of Home Care aware winner in both provider and employer categories.
You can find out more at www.hospitaltohomecare.com.

story and photo by Traci Chapman, Staff Writer

Jillene Sroczynski’s life and career have always been one of service, something perhaps best illustrated by her dedication and skill as a nurse at Oklahoma City Veteran’s Administration Health Care System. It is dedication recognized far beyond her supervisors and peers, as the American Legion recently named Sroczynski 2017 National VA Health Care Provider Award.
It was something particularly special to Sroczynski, she said, because she knows what the veterans she treats face – as a former U.S. Air Force pilot, she’s been there.
“It’s especially important to me to remember where I’ve been and what my experiences were in the Air Force and how everyone we treat has been in the same position – many much more with intense, painful and emotionally challenging memories and issues,” Sroczynski said. “It means the world that I can be there for them and help them through what they’re facing.”
A member of Mustang American Legion Post 353, Sroczynski always knew about military life – her father, John Knutson, served in the Vietnam War; he was the one who encouraged her to join the local American Legion post. Her father, in fact, is on her mind most frequently because many of the veterans she treats each day also served in Vietnam, she said.
“Those veterans were different because of the climate in the country when they came home and really for a long time after,” Sroczynski said. “I want to make sure I always give them the respect they deserve, try to be there to support them and show them the gratitude for their service.”
It was, in fact, a Vietnam veteran who put the wheels in motion for Sroczynski’s national honor. Post 353 Commander Paul Ray approached the VA nurse and told her he wanted to throw her name in the hat – something she thought would just end there.
“There are so many accomplished and amazing people working throughout the country for the Veteran’s Administration – I just never expected it to go any further,” Sroczynski said. “When Paul told me about it, I just didn’t think it was for real for the longest time.”
It was indeed real, as last week Department of Oklahoma Commander John Bloxom traveled to Post 353’s monthly meeting to jointly with Ray present Sroczynski with a legislative proclamation signed by Rep. Leslie Osborn (R-Mustang) and Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle). Sroczynski and Bloxom will in February travel to Washington, D.C., where she will receive the national award.
The honors were a big deal for a little girl who grew up in Montana, graduating in 1992 from Montana State University with a computer science degree. During college, Sroczynski took part in ROTC; after graduation, she went into the U.S. Air Force, where she flew KC-135 Stratotankers.
“It was the best thing, I absolutely loved every single minute of it,” she said.
But, things changed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Sroczynski’s husband, Andrew, served in the Air National Guard, and the couple knew things would change – the country was headed to war.
“We knew it was time for me to get out, that it was just smart with a small child,” Sroczynski said. “So, my life really changed as I decided to stay home as our family grew.”
The couple would have three children – Megan, Gunnar and Julia – and Sroczynski spent the next decade as a stay-at-home mom. When her youngest daughter, Julia, began preschool, Sroczynski decided it was time to go back to work.
Her new career would be nursing, she decided.
It was not necessarily a completely new thought. In the years since Sroczynski retired from the Air Force, the family experienced a tragedy, and it was a nurse who helped her at one of the lowest times of her life, she said.
“This nurse was the kindest, the most understanding person, and the person that I needed at that time,” Sroczynski said. “I knew that I wanted to work again, and I missed the camaraderie of the military – and I saw that was something very strong in the nursing field, so I knew where I was meant to be.”
Sroczynski knew the first step was education. She enrolled in Oklahoma City Community College’s nursing school, before completing her training at Oklahoma City University’s Kramer School of Nursing. Both were experiences she said she would always cherish.
“I loved both OCCC and Kramer, and particularly as I moved through the program at Kramer, they really taught not just the technical aspects of nursing, but also the caring part of nursing,” Sroczynski said. “I loved that.” With her degree in hand, Sroczynski was as certain about where she wanted to be a nurse as she had been that nursing was what she was meant to do. She applied to Oklahoma City’s VA Medical Center – and waited.
“I tried for three or four months to get a job at the VA Center, and I was starting to worry that I might have to go somewhere else first and then come back and apply again at the VA, when I was so lucky – there was an opening,” Sroczynski said. “They needed someone in the intensive care unit, and I was basically offered the job right then.”
From the start, Sroczynski knew her instincts were correct. While the ICU was amazingly busy, the pace fast and at times beyond stressful, Sroczynski said she loved her job – and the people, both patients and the co-workers who worked side-by-side to help veterans when they needed that help the most. “They are amazing people, the staff that works there,” she said. “It’s kind of a calling to work at the VA Center, it’s certainly not easy, but it’s so, so fulfilling.”
Sroczynski worked in the ICU, one of three intensive care units in the sprawling Oklahoma Center Veteran’s Center facility, for about three years. She then moved to the intervention radiology department – and found she could love her job even more, beyond anything she’d ever dreamed possible.
“The other staff members, the patients, just working at the VA Center – it’s a fun job, a fulfilling job, and I wouldn’t change any of it,” Sroczynski said.
“I loved what I did before changing over to this department, but this is so, so far beyond that.”
Sroczynski is one of three nurses who, along with two doctors and three radiology technicians, comprise the intervention radiology department. It’s a job with long hours and more than it’s share of challenges, but something she said she would never change.
“Being a nurse is harder than flying airplanes – emotionally, physically, it’s a coordinated chaos when you’re trying to save somebody,” Sroczynski said. “It’s more than I expected it to be, but it’s so rewarding.
“To be given an award for doing what I love, where I love to do it, is beyond anything I could have believed,” she said.

by Tara Vreeland

Senior residents rom The Villages at Southern Hills, collected donations for Emergency Infant Services over the holiday season. The residents chose EIS because they wanted to give back to the community and thought it was a good idea after seeing a donation box at the facility. They collected new/gently used baby/toddler items like diapers, bassinets, wipes, clothes, toys, blankets, and strollers. A few of the residents, staff with Lifetime Wellness and social worker, Caitlyn Morgan paired with the Eastside Christian Church Youth Group to collect the times. They boarded a bus to deliver the items to EIS and were personally greeted by Executive Director, Tim Gowin.
Gowin says, “Our agency is pretty much 100% grassroots Tulsa. Donations like this are what make our agency tick. It is the way we are able to serve.”
The residents were able to visit with Gowin and he says they genuinely expressed interest in EIS and its mission. “I could feel the connection with them. And you could see it on their faces. They were very proud to be able to help. They should be proud.” One Villages at Southern Hills resident said, “I didn’t realize there was such a need for the items. I love the cause and am amazed it has no state or local grants behind it.”
Gowin says last year, they served 18,800 children between the ages of 0-5 thanks to generous donations from the community. He also says the items the residents donated were processed the next day and have already been distributed.
Gowin says right now, EIS is in need of volunteers to help serve families. He also says this time of year, there is a need for winter coats for kids 0-5… specifically the middle sizes 24 months 2T and 3T. For more information visit http://www.eistulsa.org/or contact volunteer coordinator Kimberly Deardorff directly at [email protected] or call 918-582-2469 for any additional information or questions.