Posted on 02/17/2009 7:41:53 AM PST by TMD
Help, my dad entered a hospital in No. California (begins with a "K", rhymes with miser) in Jan with a bellyache (diverticulitis) a week and a half later he gets a "severe, concerning, troubling" fracture of T12. Though he already had some compression fractures, he was mobile prior to admission and for the first week and a half at the hospital. We believe the fracture was a traumatic one caused by "man-handling" him getting him in and out of bed. He's now totally bedridden, with a great deal of pain and we can't get any answers about prognosis or even whether the fracture is expected to heal. It's been 6 weeks since he was admitted and right now, the hospital is doing everything it can to move him to a 'skilled nursing/rehab place'. We haven't even had a spinal doc talk to us. We were told to have dad do physical therapy and in 4-6 weeks we can consult with a spinal doc.
I've filed a grievance already and I'm still trying to set up a roundtable with his docs. They are masters at deflection, ignoring us, not returning messages or simply being unavailable.
Questions - He wasn't bedridden to begin, does the hospital have any responsibility for his current condition? If he's bedridden for the rest of his life should the hospital be responsible for his care?
Lawyer. Stat.
How old is your Dad?
My son and my daughter-in-law are both RNs. They will not leave a member of their family alone in the hospital where they work. When my daughter was hospitalized, they took turns so one of them was with her 24 hours a day.
I agree, lawyer, but also find the person who handles patient relations and make a strong statement.
I’d start with an attorney; if for no other reason than to make sure he is legally covered. Be aware though, the moment you say lawyer, the Hospital will do all it can to shield themselves and to get your father OUT.
Prayers for your dad.
Unfortunately, this is what “managed care” is all about. Is there a way you can get some sort of supplemental insurance?
Get a gooe personal injury attorney. Yesterday.
Get an attorney. Sometimes just the threat of getting an attorney will do the trick. Send a letter to the hospital administrator demanding the names of all of the attendants that ‘handled’ your father and the times/days that they worked.The demand to know of any prior complaints about the staff that handled your father.
Demand all medical records and xrays. Call you insurance agency also for advise. Prayers for you and your dad.
Prayers for you dad. Yes, they are “masters of deflection.”
Sorta like politicians. My experience is that they talk over you, under you any way that will get you confused. Then they refuse to answer your calls.
Get a lawyer!
He’s 79. We have been spending as much time at the hospital as humanly possible. The bone-head errors are mind-numbing. I came in one day and he didn’t have his oxygen on. The had moved him to a chair and took his oxygen off then never put it back on when they put him back in bed until I asked the nurse about it... we have dozens and dozens of these documented.
I’m going back to patient relations today. I went Friday and they told me to set up a roundtable with the appropriate docs which I attempted to do by contacting the discharge nurse (she never got back to me.) We’ve been trying to get questions answered about his spine for weeks with no joy. At 4:55 Friday (just before the three day weekend) the hospitalist came in and said he’s not a candidate for surgery so he’ll be going to a skilled nursing facility in 1-2 days and after 4-6 weeks of therapy we can have a consult with a spine specialist.
We haven’t ruled out contacting a lawyer but how do you sort through all the ambulance-chasing, slime-balls? We’re physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted trying to help my dad. This is occuring at a brand-new hospital in the Bay area, by the way. We really expected exceptional care.
WHAAAAAAATT? 4-6 WEEKS??? What the H*!! are the spinal docs so busy with for the next 4-6 weeks that they can't stop by and examine a man who has mysteriously developed a disabling spinal problem since being admitted to the hospital?
Let me spell this out for you. They want to stall until so much time has passed that it will impossible to prove in court when or how this injury occurred. Don't let them stall for one more day. Start putting very specific demands in writing to them, via certified mail. Start with "examination by orthopedist with expertise in spinal injuries NOT AFFILIATED WITH K****** within 24 hours of receipt of this letter, and all diagnostic tests requested by that doctor within 24 hours of the request."
And hire the meanest medical malpractice lawyer you can find. I have all the sympathy in the world for busy medical professionals who make mistakes or whose patients are harmed by the mistakes of low-level staff. But when they start with cover-ups that do further harm to the patients, they deserve to get sued out of business.
Couldn't hurt to make a big picket sign with a photo of your father and brief description of what has happened to him in this hospital, and spend some time parading on the public sidewalk in front of the hospital.
Get your father out of that hospital, first and foremost. Then document your experiences and find an attorney. You don’t want to get down the road and have their attorney ask why you never transferred him if the conditions were so terrible. They can arrange an ambulance. Threaten to carry him out on your back on the 5 o’clock news if they refuse or keep stalling. Sadly, I am serious. Have the other hospital examine him for injuries and make recommendations.
My almost 88 year old Mom broke a hip and had surgery at Eisenhower Medical Center here three weeks ago, and had been in skilled nursing for the ensuing period - in a very pointed "Non Weight Bearing" status (NO standing or weight on that side).
She developed pneumonia Sunday and was re-admitted to Eisenhower via the ER....and as of yesterday, a physical therapist was about to get her up on a walker and start exercise......the "Non Weight Bearing" stuff got totally lost in the shuffle between the facilities.
Good luck - you're gonna need it. You might also check for some sort of Medicare ombudsman.
Prayers for your father. Having said that (and I mean it), I find it hard to believe that “manhandling” him is responsible for his compression fracture. Trauma can cause compression fractures to a normal spine, but we’re usually talking a fall from a height. It sounds like his spine was already very diseased. If the actions of the hospital staff actually contributed to the new fracture, then his spine was very diseased indeed. Barring actual violence/assult to your father, I would find it hard to fault the staff. Moving patients is very important to prevent pneumonia, pressure ulcers, and blood clots. I have no difficulty believing you will find a lawyer willing to file a suit. That doesn’t mean it’s right.
Probably not much of an option, given as it's a Kaiser facility...unless Medicare would pick it up.
Yep, everybody on FR hates trial lawyers until they need one.
Get photos of your dad’s body. High quality photos on FILM. (Digital is easy to manipulate, a lawyer would challenge digital pics)
Get the sharpest, hungriest, meanest, nastiest trial lawyer you can find. Look for one with Legal Nurse Consultants on staff or contract. Most hospital injuries are related to nursing issues.
Get a spinal assessment ASAP, by a board certified neurologist. Demand copies of all test results. (Your dad will have to sign a release.)
Good luck. My best wishes for your dad.
Not me.
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