As a contractor for Medicare, Acentra Health serves as the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization, also referred to as a BFCC-QIO. While Acentra Health provides BFCC-QIO services in 29 states (visit www.acentraqio.com to see the states served), the general information is relevant to everyone who has Medicare (including Medicare Advantage) and everyone who works with people who have Medicare.

This episode is a conversation with our guest, Crystal Strong. She is the Program Director for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program within the South Carolina Department on Aging (SCDOA). She provides oversight and direction to the state grantees to support their work assisting Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers through outreach, counseling, and education. In this role, she is also responsible for the education and certification of the counselors/volunteers statewide. Crystal actively supports the program networks by providing training and technical assistance whenever possible. Prior to this position, she has functioned in various roles and programs since 2000 when her tenure at SCDOA began. Crystal holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from South Carolina State University.

For more information about Acentra Health BFCC-QIO, please visit https://www.acentraqio.com.

KEY TOPICS

00:21: Overview, introduction of guest, Crystal Strong

02:08: What is SHIP?

02:31: What and when is Medicare Open Enrollment?

03:03: How do SHIPs help with Medicare Open Enrollment?

03:42: Tips for Medicare Open Enrollment

04:20: Summary and final thoughts

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe to our newsletters: Case Review Connections, On the Healthcare Front at https://www.acentraqio.com/newsletters

RESOURCES

BFCC-QIO Information for stakeholders: https://www.acentraqio.com/partners

BFCC-QIO Information for people who have Medicare: https://www.acentraqio.com/bene/helpline

SC Dept on Aging: https://aging.sc.gov/

Acentra Health Open Enrollment information: https://www.acentraqio.co,/medicareopenenrollment

SHIP Information: https://www.shiphelp.org/

Medicare information: https://www.medicare.gov

Music: Motivational Upbeat Corporate by RinkevichMusic

https://soundcloud.com/rinkevichmusic

https://protunes.net/

Video Link: https://bit.ly/3NNqGTs