Medical

Livanta https://www.livantaqio.com/en/states/California Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO) responsible for medical case review, which supports the rights of people on Medicare. 877-588-1123.

Hospital discharge resources https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Resources/Factsheets/Hospital_Discharge.aspx

Challenging Hospital Discharge Decisions https://canhr.org/challenging-hospital-discharge-decisions/
Your Discharge Planning Checklist https://www.hhs.gov/guidance/document/your-discharge-planning-checklist
Hospital Discharge Planning: A Guide for Families and Caregivers https://www.caregiver.org/resource/hospital-discharge-planning-guide-families-and-caregivers/
Hospital to Home: Plan for a Smooth Transition https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Resources/Brochures/docs/HospitaltoHome.pdf
Next Steps in Your Care (hospital to SNF Rehab) https://www.eldercareca.org/next-steps-in-your-care
Taking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the Hospital
http://www.ahrq.gov/patients-consumers/diagnosis-treatment/hospitals-clinics/goinghome/index.html
Transition from Hospital to Rehab to Home https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2021/transition-from-hospital-rehab-home.html
Getting Mom or Dad Out of the Nursing Home (carepathways.com)
What To Do When Your Elderly Parent Is Discharged From the Hospital https://workingdaughter.com/what-to-do-when-your-elderly-parent-is-discharged-from-the-hospital/
UCSF Hospital Discharge Planning Checklist https://hospitalhandbook.ucsf.edu/04-discharge-planning-checklist/04-discharge-planning-checklist
Care Transitions from Hospital to Home: IDEAL Discharge Planning https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/professionals/systems/hospital/engagingfamilies/strategy4/Strat4_Implement_Hndbook_508_v2.pdf
https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/patients-families/engagingfamilies/strategy4/index.html

Hospital bill/charity care/financial assistance

Bill of the Month: Share your story with NPR and KFF Health News : Shots - Health News : NPR

How to Crush Medical Debt: 5 Tips for Using Hospital Charity Care - KFF Health News

How to pay less for your hospital care | JustCare (justcareusa.org)

How to ensure your hospital bill is correct | JustCare (justcareusa.org)

Engaging with Insurers: Appealing a Denial - Education Resource Library (patientadvocate.org)

What Can I Do If My Insurance Denies a Claim? (Brain & Life, Aug/Sep 2021)

Health Insurance Claim Denied? See What Insurers Said Behind the Scenes — ProPublica (5/10/2023)

Medical Debt Archives - Health Consumer Alliance (HCA)

Got an unaffordable or incorrect medical bill? Calling your hospital billing office will usually get you a discount (theconversation.com)

Fight Health Insurance uses AI to appeal claim denials (sfstandard.com)

What to Know About the New Surprise Medical Bills Law | Next Avenue (2022)

Bay Area Legal Aid Health Consumer Center helps individuals/families in obtaining and maintaining the health care services they need, resolving problems with their health plans or providers. 855-693-7285 https://baylegal.org/what-we-do/health-care/

California Department of Insurance 800-927-4357

https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/101-help/Independent-Medical-Review-Program.cfm

California Department of Managed Health Care protect consumers' health care rights 888-466-2219 https://www.dmhc.ca.gov/FileaComplaint.aspx

Medical Board of California file complaint against doctor, look up status of doctor's license 800-633-2322 https://mbc.ca.gov/

Chinese Hospital Patient Relations 415-677-2492 https://chinesehospital-sf.org/feedback/

CPMC Patient Relations https://www.sutterhealth.org/cpmc/for-patients

Kaiser Permanente Quality https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/pages/quality-safety/report-concerns

UCSF Patient Relations https://www.ucsfhealth.org/services/patient-relations

Patient advocate

Checklists from Your Patient Advocate - The Care Partner Project

The Care Partner Project | How to get good health care

Pacific Coast Health Advocacy 415-297-2167 https://pacificcoasthealthadvocacy.com/your-advocate/

At Home, On Air Podcast | A Conversation with Patricia Knight - Descript

Alliance of Professional Health Advocates https://aphadvocates.org/profession-overview/ https://app.umbrahealthadvocacy.com/search
Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) https://www.pacboard.org/bcpa-certificant-list/
Greater National Advocates https://gnanow.org/find-help.html
National Association of Healthcare Advocacy (NAHAC) https://nahac.com/directory-of-advocates

National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) https://www.npaf.org/

Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) https://www.patientadvocate.org/

VHA Patient Advocate https://www.va.gov/HEALTH/patientadvocate/

The Power of a Health Care Advocate | Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Patient Advocate’s Guide to Medical Futility in California - CANHR

https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/how-to-become-patient-advocate-neurology

Two Experts in the Room: Advocating for Yourself at Medical Appointments

CA Office of the Patient Advocate https://www.opa.ca.gov/ rates health plans and medical groups using health care performance measures based on quality of medical care and patient experience. https://www.cdii.ca.gov/

SFDPH Medical Respite, 1171 Mission St., SF 94103, 415-734-4200, post-acute recuperative care for homeless people who are too sick/frail to be on the streets or in the shelter https://nimrc.org/medical-respite-directory/1392/san-francisco-medical-respite-sobering-center/

Rehabilitation http://carf.org/

Choosing a High-Quality Medical Rehabilitation Program: An NRH Field Guide https://search.naric.com/public/choosingquality.pdf

Acute rehab hospital https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/inpatient-rehabilitation-care
Rehab @ SNF https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/skilled-nursing-facility-snf-care

Nursing Facility Resident Rights in Medicare “Short-Stay” Rehabilitation - Justice in Aging

https://justiceinaging.org/nursing-facility-resident-rights-in-medicare-short-stay-rehabilitation/

Home Health Agency (HHA) https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services

Search https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/results?searchType=HomeHealth&page=1&city=San%20Francisco&state=CA&zipcode=&sort=alpha

https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/10969-Medicare-and-Home-Health-Care.pdf

10 signs of a good quality home health agency | Medicare

Top 25 Questions to Ask a Home Care Agency - AgingCare.com

Home health care https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Resources/Factsheets/Home_Health_Care.aspx

Standard for continuing rehab services – whether skilled service needed to prevent/delay deterioration, Jimmo v. Sebelius https://medicareadvocacy.org/toolkit-medicare-home-health-coverage-jimmo-v-sebelius/

https://www.cms.gov/Center/Special-Topic/Jimmo-Settlement/FAQs

Notice of Medicare Provider Non-Coverage 2 days before covered services end, appeal through BFCC-QIO

https://qioprogram.org/file-complaint

Outpatient rehab https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/what-part-b-covers
Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) - see Health

Cal Long Term Care Compare https://callongtermcarecompare.org/ provides free, unbiased information about LTC options: Nursing Homes (NH), Hospice Care, Home Health Care, Assisted Living Facilities (ALF), Adult Residential Facilities (ARF), Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC), Adult Day Health Centers (ADHC).

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) 415-974-5171 https://canhr.org/

SF Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) 415-751-9788

https://felton.org/social-services/seniors/sf-ltc-ombudsman-program/

Nursing Home Compare

https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?providertype=nursinghome&providerType=NursingHome

Questions to Ask When You Visit a Nursing Home https://www.medicare.gov/publications/12130nursing-home-checklist508.pdf

How do I choose a nursing home? https://www.medicare.gov/providers-services/original-medicare/nursing-homes/choosing

Your guide to choosing a nursing home (booklet, 7/2024)

https://www.medicare.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/02174-your-guide-to-choosing-a-nursing-home.pdf

Your guide to living in a nursing home (fact sheet, 7/2024)

https://www.medicare.gov/publication/12217-your-guide-to-living-in-a-nursing-home.pdf

Government

Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Ctr D/P Snf, 375 Laguna Honda Blvd., SF 94116, (415) 759-2300 (769-bed, govt) LHH admissions https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l7NjXoyDF7n25fDqSRcphUcL459-_Lg_/view

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hosp & Trauma Snf, 1001 Potrero Ave., SF 94110, (415) 206-8283 (30-bed, govt)

Non-profit

California Pacific Medical Ctr- Davies Campus Hosp, 601 Duboce Ave., SF 94117, (415) 600-6000 (38-bed, non-profit)

Heritage on the Marina, 3400 Laguna St., SF 94123, (415) 202-0300 (32-bed, non-profit)

Jewish Home & Rehab Center D/P Snf, 302 Silver Ave., SF 94112, 415-334-2500 (378-bed, non-profit)

San Francisco Towers, 1661 Pine St., SF 94109, (415) 776-0500 (27-bed, non-profit)

Sequoias San Francisco Convalescent Hospital, 1400 Geary Blvd, SF 94109, (415) 922-9700 (50-bed, non-profit)

St. Anne's Home, 300 Lake St., SF 94118, (415) 751-6510 (46-bed, non-profit) closing 4/08/2025

For-profit

Central Gardens Post Acute, 1355 Ellis St., SF 94115, (415) 567-2967 (92-bed, for-profit)

City View Post Acute, 1359 Pine St., SF 94109, (415) 673-8405 (180-bed, for-profit)

Hayes Convalescent Hospital, 1250 Hayes St., SF 94117, (415) 931-8806 (34-bed, for-profit)

Laurel Heights Community Care, 2740 California St., SF 94115, (415) 567-3133 (32-bed, for-profit)

Lawton Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 1575 7th Ave., SF 94122, (415) 566-1200 (68-bed, for-profit)

Pacific Heights Transitional Care Center, 2707 Pine St., SF 94115, (415) 563-7600 (120-bed, for-profit)

San Francisco Health Care, 1477 Grove St., SF 94117, (415) 563-0565 (168-bed, for-profit)

San Francisco Post Acute, 5767 Mission St., SF 94112, 415-584-3294 (53-bed, for-profit)

The Avenues Transitional Care Center, 2043 19th Ave., SF 94116, 415-661-8787 (140-bed, for-profit)

Victorian Post Acute, 2121 Pine St., SF 94115, (415) 922-5085 (90-bed, for-profit)

How to Get a Loved One into a Nursing Home (medicaidplanningassistance.org)

8-Step Guide: How to Get a Senior Admitted into a Nursing Home (thecaringchoice.com)

Nursing Home Requirements for Seniors | A Place for Mom

Nursing Home Database | Nursing Home Inspect | ProPublica

Nursing Home Debt Collection Practices Put Residents’ Family and Friends at Risk - Justice in Aging

Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule recognizes that inadequate staffing is the leading driver of poor care and establishes long overdue minimum staffing standards for nursing facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding. The rule will require facilities to have a Registered Nurse onsite 24-hours per day, 7 days per week, and to have 3.48 hours per resident per day (HPRD) of total staffing, including a minimum of .55 registered nurse HPRD and 2.45 nurse aide HPRD. The rule also increases transparency by requiring reporting on the percent of Medicaid payments that go directly to compensation for direct care workers. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-minimum-staffing-standards-long-term-care-facilities-and-medicaid-0

Medicare Hospice https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care

https://money.com/does-medicare-pay-for-hospice/

American Academy of Family Physicians https://familydoctor.org/family-health/seniors/

American College of Physicians (ACP) https://www.acponline.org/practice-resources/patient-and-interprofessional-education

AGS Guide to Geriatric Syndromes https://www.healthinaging.org/tools-and-tips/tip-sheet-guide-geriatric-syndromes-common-and-often-related-medical-conditions

AMDA (Society for Post-Acute and LTC Medicine) Caring for the Ages https://www.caringfortheages.com/

Better Care Playbook https://www.bettercareplaybook.org/

BGS Fit for Frailty https://www.bgs.org.uk/resources/resource-series/fit-for-frailty

California Association of Long Term Care Medicine (CALTCM) https://www.caltcm.org/resources

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/health-topics.html

Fair Health Consumer https://www.fairhealthconsumer.org/for-older-adults

Healthfinder https://health.gov/myhealthfinder

HIPxChange Toolkits https://www.hipxchange.org/browse

Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/

McMaster Optimal Aging Portal https://www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org/

Medical abbrev https://www.medicinenet.com/common_medical_abbreviations_and_terms/article.htm

Medical dictionary https://www.health.harvard.edu/a-through-c

MedlinePlus Health Information in Multiple Languages https://medlineplus.gov/languages/languages.html

MedlinePlus Understanding Medical Terms https://medlineplus.gov/medwords/medicalwords.html

Merck Manual of Geriatrics https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/geriatrics

National Institute on Aging https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/topics

Northwestern U. Plan Your Lifespan https://www.planyourlifespan.org/

Patient Priorities Care Initiative https://patientprioritiescare.org/

University Health News https://universityhealthnews.com/free-guides/

Ageism in healthcare

https://changingthenarrativeco.org/age-friendly-healthcare/

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/03/cover-new-concept-of-aging

https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/how-draw-narrative-mitigate-ageism/2023-10

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00524-9/fulltext

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-020-00004-4

https://www.nextavenue.org/ageism-health-care/

https://www.research.colostate.edu/healthyagingcenter/2023/10/25/overcoming-ageism-in-healthcare/

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-73820-8_13

How to avoid medical gaslighting

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-medical-gaslighting-6831284#toc-how-to-avoid-medical-gaslighting

Talking with Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/doctor-patient-communication/talking-with-your-doctor

Misdiagnosis/Second Opinions

How seniors can avoid misdiagnosis (improvediagnosis.org)

How to Get a Second Opinion on a Medical Diagnosis (brainandlife.org)

Virtual Second Opinions

If you don't live near an academic medical center, can't travel to one easily, or cannot find an experienced expert locally, consider seeking a second opinion via videoconference. The following institutions offer remote second opinion programs.

The Clinic by Cleveland Clinic: clinicbyclevelandclinic.com, 216-445-5588
Houston Methodist: houstonmethodist.org, 713-441-2340
Massachusetts General: massgeneral.org, 617-726-2000
New York-Presbyterian: nyp.org, 877-697-9355
Stanford Medicine: stanfordhealthcare.org, 877-254-3762
UCLA Health: uclahealth.org, 310-825-2631
UC San Diego Health: health.ucsd.edu, 858-657-7000
UCSF Health: ucsfhealth.org, 888-689-8273
University of Chicago Medicine: uchicagomedicine.org, 888-824-0200
Yale Medicine: yalemedicine.org, 877-YALEMDS

How to Share a Diagnosis with Friends and Family (brainandlife.org)

Should You Disclose Your Illness to Your Employer? (brainandlife.org)

How Long is PHI Protected after Death? (hipaajournal.com)

Filing a HIPAA Complaint | HHS.gov