New Breed of Nurses Helping to Cope with Rising Health Care Costs

Aug. 24, 2010 - PRLog -- A new hybrid of nursing has emerged to help Americans cope with the ever increasing costs of long-term health care. A Lifetime Nurse Care Planner - Certified (LNCP-C) has insight into not only the care patients will need in the future, but also the cost involved with that care.

“A certified lifetime nurse care planner can assess your future medical needs so that your financial planner and your estate planning attorney have all the information they need to assure you have the funds to carry out your plan,” said Donna Post, founder of Mid-Valley Legal Nurse Consulting, Inc.

Not all life care planners are nurses, but nurses bring a special skill set to health care planning. Lifetime nurse care planners use their medical training as well as their knowledge of medical costs to plot out detailed plans for patient care. They assess patients needs in order to determine proper care and assist with placement as well as care planning and case management.

The numbers are daunting: Annual long-term costs in California can range from $20,000 for an adult day health care facility to $87,000 for a private room in a nursing home, according to a survey by Genworth Financial.

The documents don’t only help plot out financial needs for future treatment. Life care plans are also educational and communication tools for everyone involved in patient care. The first life care plans emerged in 1985 and have grown since then.

Post founded Mid-Valley Legal Nurse Consulting to help educate patients and individuals assisting them with their long-term care plans while working with integrity and fiscal stewardship to improve standards of medical care. Post’s team has access to a nationwide network of health care professionals, financial planners and estate planning attorneys.

“Teamwork is a critical element to providing a win-win situation for all parties involved,” she said.

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Donna Post,RN, a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant & Lifetime Nurse Care Planner Certified, founded Mid-Valley Legal Nurse Consulting, Inc., to provide consultative services to attorneys, insurance companies, health care organizations & private individuals.