November 19th, 2021
By Dr. Scot Goldberg, MD
Hello everyone! This is part 5 of a series around how we work towards improving the patient experience! Part 4 was on assessing physical activity and the risk of falling, and today we will discuss assessing if Medicare Advantage patients have urinary incontinence or urine leakage and review options for treatment!
Assessing Urinary Incontinence
Urinary evacuation is very important in the elderly and actually any kind of bodily evacuation can be difficult to discuss, but doctors routinely bring it up at every visit with the appropriate patients. Today we’re specifically going to discuss urinary incontinence.
A very common problem in both males and females, in males it can be a problem due to prostate enlargements or bladder dysfunction among other reasons. Doctors will ask about the quality and frequency of urinary flow and whether you need to get up at night to urinate. Incontinence is a particularly important issue, especially for quality of life, and we have medications and other non-medical remedies available. The newest treatment for incontinence involves medications that can help the bladder regulate the frequency of urination.
In females it’s usually due to a decrease in the muscle tone of the pelvic floor. This can be a result of childbirth. In females we also use vaginal creams that can soften the mucosa (dry mucosa can be responsible for painful recurring urinary tract infections). In females we can also recommend kegel exercises which will help strengthen the pelvic floor and hopefully prevent urinary incontinence. There are also medications we can use that would strengthen the bladder.
The bottom line is that we can help our patients who struggle with urinary issues. Patients should not feel embarrassed to discuss it with their physician – it is a common issue that we deal with routinely so do not feel like there is “something wrong with you” if you are having trouble with this. Let’s discuss it and treat it! Let’s return you to a better quality of life.
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Improving The Patient Experience
A little background on this initiative and some highlights as outlined by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan:
Medicare Star Ratings is a rating system developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help consumers find the best Medicare Advantage plan for them. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has two MA plans – Medicare Plus Blue℠ for its PPO members and BCN Advantage℠ for its HMO members.
CMS assesses a member’s health plan experience through the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, or CAHPS, member survey. The survey asks patients to report on their experiences with a wide range of health care services. A large portion of the CAHPS survey is driven by the member’s experience with his or her physician’s team, including such things as follow-up on labs and imaging, and getting timely doctor appointments.
And, most importantly for patients, a positive patient experience results in better adherence to protocol, better relationships with health care providers and a feeling of mutual respect between them and their medical team.
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South Macomb Internal Medicine
28401 Hoover Rd. Warren, Michigan 48093
Phone: (586) 276-7530
South Macomb Internal Medicine has been designated a Patient Centered Medical Home by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
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