Webinars
The Gero-Ed Center and the National Association of Social Workers are delighted to co-sponsor a webinar series on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and social work. Our organizations recognize the imperative to ensure that social work practitioners, faculty and students have the competencies to work effectively in the long-term services and supports environments created by the ACA. These webinars provide an overview of the ACA and address relevant initiatives for social work practice and education. You can access links to the recordings in each description below as well as copies of the presentations at the bottom of this page.
Upcoming Webinar:
Patient-Centered Medical Homes: Opportunities for Social Workers
April 28, 2015
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a promising health care delivery model designed to improve the quality of health care for patients in primary care settings through a physician-led, team-based approach. The PCMH model views the patient's social and medical needs as interrelated, so, social workers can serve as vital care team members because of their generalist behavioral health training, person-in-environment perspective, and case management experience. In this webinar, Anne Millheiser, Manager of Social Work Services at Rush University Medical Center, explores opportunities for social workers in PCMHs and discuss how educators can prepare students for these roles. Please access the webinar recording here.
How to Become a Certified Application Counselor (CAC): Opportunities for Social Workers
October 16, 2014
The Gero-Ed Center partnered with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), NASW, and the Society for Social Work in Healthcare (SSWLHC) to offer a joint webinar on the Certified Application Counselors (CAC) program. CACs are volunteers who enroll people in the Health Insurance Marketplace, and social workers with CAC training are needed to make the next ACA open enrollment period (11/15/14 to 2/15/15) a success.This webinar featured social work practitioners and educators who shared their enrollment experiences and best practices for helping people connect with health insurance coverage. Step-by-step instructions on how to become a CAC were also provided by CMS representatives. Please access the webinar recording here and click here to learn more about how you can get involved in the CAC program.
The ACA and Care Transitions: Implications for Social Work
July 16, 2014
Nearly one in five Medicare patients discharged from a hospital—approximately 2.6 million older adults—is readmitted within 30 days, at a cost of over $26 billion every year. To address this challenge, the Community-based Care Transitions Program created by the ACA tests models for improving transitions from the hospital to other settings. Several social work interventions are already showing promising results in reducing readmission rates and saving costs. Paul Gould of Binghamton University and Walter Rosenberg of Rush University Medical Center discussed these new interventions, directions for social work practice, and implications for social work education. Please access the webinar recording here.
The Affordable Care Act: Opportunities for Social Work Practice in Integrated Care Settings
April 22, 2014
The ACA is altering the delivery of behavioral health services, moving toward a model of integrated health services. Yet many social work education programs are not preparing their students with the knowledge, values, and skills needed to work effectively within settings that integrate behavioral and physical health care under the ACA. Learn about this rapidly changing practice arena from Suzanne Daub, a Senior Integrated Health Consultant who has effectively overseen the integration of behavioral health services into primary care practice. Please access the webinar recording here.
The Affordable Care Act: A New Opportunity for Social Work
December 13, 2013
The ACA is dramatically influencing the delivery of health care and long-term services and supports (LTSS) for older adults and people with disabilities. Learn from two highly regarded social work practitioners—Robyn Golden from Rush University Medical Center and Sandy Atkins from Partners in Care Foundation—about the primary provisions of the ACA that create opportunities for new social work roles related to prevention-based programs, coordinated care, and the management and delivery of LTSS. Please access the webinar recording here.