when should you call kepro?

• If you are not ready to be discharged from the hospital.
• If your Medicare skilled services are ending too soon. Examples of skilled services include things like physical therapy and nursing services.
• If you have a concern about the quality of care you received.
• If you have a concern about your medical care that needs to be taken care of right away.

Click on the link below for the phone number for your state. These services are free for people who have Medicare. 

Kepro Telephone Numbers

october is health literacy month

MyHealthfinder gives you trusted information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help your family stay healthy.

Explore information for health topics, prevention, and healthy living:
www.health.gov/myhealthfinder

share information about free kepro services

Under a contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Kepro is a Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization for 29 states.

Please print out this flyer and share with your friends and family who have Medicare. It includes important phone numbers that may be helpful in the future. This will be useful for those who don't have a computer.

Flyer: How Kepro helps people who have Medicare (PDF)

in this issue:

medicare open enrollment

When is the Medicare open enrollment period?

Every year, Medicare’s open enrollment period is October 15 - December 7.

What is the Medicare open enrollment period?

Medicare health and drug plans can make changes each year—things like cost, coverage, and what providers and pharmacies are in their networks. October 15 to December 7 is when all people with Medicare can change their Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage for the following year to better meet their needs.

How do people know if they need to change plans?

You should always review the materials your plans send you. If your plan is changing, you should make sure it will still meet your needs for the following year. If you are satisfied that your current plan will meet your needs for next year and it’s still being offered, you don’t need to do anything.

Information from Medicare

• YouTube Video
  Medicare & You: Medicare Open Enrollment is a video that gives you important information about the Medicare Open Enrollment period.
• Website
  Visit www.Medicare.gov/plan-compare to learn about and compare coverage options and shop for health and drug plans.
• Telephone
  Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

Podcast (from Kepro BFCC-QIO)

This episode features a guest from a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) organization to talk about Medicare open enrollment and how SHIPs can help you during this process. 

Visit www.shiphelp.org to get information about the SHIP in your state.

immediate advocacy services for people who have medicare

If you have Medicare and have a concern about the health care (or related medical services) you had, you can do something about it. You can call Kepro and ask about Immediate Advocacy services. This process can be used to resolve an issue quickly.

immediate advocacy can help during a crisis

During the situation with COVID-19, people who are on Medicare and their families have been calling Kepro with various issues such as prescription refill concerns, discharge questions, and concerns about communication with health care providers (e.g., hospitals, skilled nursing facilities).

A Medicare patient’s husband called Kepro with concerns about his wife who was in the hospital. Since he spoke Spanish, an interpreter was involved. He told Kepro that before his wife was in the hospital, they had a friend over who tested positive for COVID-19. His wife then became sick. She had a fever, diarrhea, and didn’t feel like eating. She was taken to the emergency room where she was tested, intubated, and admitted to the intensive care unit.

The patient’s husband was very upset over what was happening to his wife. He was having a hard time getting information from the hospital staff about his wife. He called Kepro to ask for help to get updates on her condition.

Read the rest of the story: How Immediate Advocacy can help in a crisis.

If you are on Medicare and are not happy with the care you received or if you need help working through an issue that needs to be taken care of right away, please call Kepro and ask about Immediate Advocacy services.

• Read about the Immediate Advocacy process: www.keproqio.com/ia
• Visit www.cdc.gov to get information about COVID-19.

Publication No. R146810-260-10/2022. This material was prepared by Kepro, a Medicare Quality Improvement Organization under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.