Program Description:
This recorded asynchronous distance course emphasizes the case manager's role in patient education, interdisciplinary collaboration, discharge planning, and advocacy when patients approach or exceed 90 inpatient hospital days. Through realistic patient scenarios, bedside communication scripts, team huddle discussions, case studies, and knowledge checks, learners will build confidence in explaining complex Medicare benefits, facilitating informed patient decisions, and coordinating safe, financially appropriate transitions of care. This course provides case managers with a comprehensive understanding of Medicare Part A Lifetime Reserve Days (LRDs) and their role in supporting patients experiencing prolonged inpatient hospitalizations. Participants will learn how lifetime reserve days are applied, how benefit periods affect coverage, and the financial implications associated with extended hospital stays.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 1. Define Medicare Part A Lifetime Reserve Days and explain when they apply. 2. Describe the Medicare Inpatient benefit period and how it resets hospital day coverage. 3. Identify the patient financial responsibilities for days 1–60, days 61–90, and Lifetime Reserve days. 4. Explain the Case Manager’s role in education, discharge planning, and interdisciplinary coordination for long-stay patients. 5. Discuss what happens when a patient declines Lifetime Reserve days or has limited, or no Lifetime Reserve days remaining. 6. Apply key concepts to readmissions, complex cases, and patient-centered bedside conversations.
Who Should Attend
This program is designed for hospital case managers, social workers, utilization review professionals, case management leaders, and other healthcare professionals involved in discharge planning and Medicare patient education.
Meet Your Author, Marie Stinebuck
Marie Stinebuck is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Phoenix Medical Management. With nearly 30 years of nursing experience, Marie has spent nearly 20 years specializing in case management. Her career has been primarily focused on the acute hospital setting, including the implementation of outpatient case management programs. Marie has held executive leadership roles overseeing case management, utilization review, denials prevention, clinical documentation improvement (CDI), and medical record integrity. She is also the author of numerous articles related to case management, utilization review, and denials prevention. Her true passion is education, and she has been instrumental in expanding Phoenix Medical Management’s education program. Marie has served on the Arizona Board of the American Case Management Association (ACMA) and is certified through the ACMA. She holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a focus on Nursing Leadership.
Course Agenda and Outline:
Module 1: Overview Medicare Part A Lifetime Reserve Days Overview of Medicare A coverage for patients and understanding Part A limitations to coverage related to lengthy and complex hospitalizations. This section reviews which inpatient hospital stays are covered under Medicare Part A and the financial responsibility that can exist with lifetime reserve days. Module 2: Lifetime Reserve Days Awareness Review of case management and hospital processes to track lifetime reserve days and direct patient communication for awareness of lifetime reserve day usage. Involvement of the hospital Finance team to keep the patient informed of financial responsibility. Module 3: Lifetime Reserve Days Exhausted Overview of Traditional Medicare coverage and review of situations where the lifetime reserve days have been exhausted with explanation of where financial responsibility occurs for the patient. Module 4: Co-Pay Reset Review of inpatient admissions related to the reset of the co-pay reset and when that occurs. Module 5: Readmissions Discussion of how timing matters related to a patient readmission and how that connects to the current benefit period for a Medicare beneficiary. Module 6: Medicare Advantage and Lifetime Reserve Days Overview of the differences in cost sharing for the Medicare patient with Medicare Advantage plans and the importance to verify plan-specific benefits. Module 7: Patient Friendly Script for Bedside Conversations Outlines scripting for the case manager to discuss lifetime reserve days with the patient. Module 8: Team Huddle Script: Medicare Part A Lifetime Reserve Days & Complex Cases Review of complex patients with long length of stay and consideration to use lifetime reserve days. Case managers are involved in these case to guide and support the patient and family. Module 9: Medicare Part A-Lifetime Reserve Days (LRDs) Staff Training Flowchart A visual outline of a Medicare inpatient admission who has a hospitalization that extends past 90 days and the decision by the patient to use lifetime reserve days. Case Examples 1-4: Case study examples for case managers to review patient situations where patients may require a prolonged hospitalization that requires them to consider use of their lifetime reserve days.
Course Completion Requirements:
The course is completed after viewing the modules and completing the reading. Each module includes practical tools, real-world examples, and a brief knowledge check to reinforce learning. Post-test requirements-Participants must achieve a passing score of at least 80% to receive continuing education credit. If a participant does not pass on the first attempt, they will be provided with one opportunity to retake the test after reviewing the course materials. If the second attempt is unsuccessful, the participant will be encouraged to revisit the course content and may request additional support or clarification before attempting the test again. The post-test must be completed, along with the course evaluation, before a certificate is issued. The course certificate will be delivered via email within one week of evaluation completion. Phoenix Medical Management has been approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #17829, for 1.0 Contact Hour. Phoenix Medical Management, 1902, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 11/10/25-11/10/26. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 general continuing education credit. This program has been pre-approved by The Commission to provide continuing education credit to CCM® Board-Certified Case Managers. The course is approved for 1.0 CE contact hour.
Registration and Info:
Please contact Vanessa Blutrich at [email protected] to register and if you have any questions, concerns or need special accommodations. System Requirements: Internet access and a modern web browser.
$65.00