title: The physician's role in directing long-term care. Understanding the rules is important for protecting your patients and your practice.
abstract: Meeting the healthcare needs of patients who require long-term care presents many challenges, not the least of which are local and federal regulations, a formidable bureaucracy, and confusing paperwork. Despite these obstacles, long-term care patients often are among those with the greatest need for well-trained physicians and high-quality medical services. This article reviews elements of long-term care, with an emphasis on how primary care physicians should order and provide services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, USA. dswagert@kumc.edu
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Swagerty
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rigler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010819:Physician's Role; D014481:United States