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Question about a Patient Advocate
Free Reublic ^ | 1/29/2023 | BipolarBob

Posted on 01/29/2023 1:00:42 PM PST by BipolarBob

My father went into a nursing home to "rehab". He's actually in hospice stage. Medicare said they will pay for 20 days and no more. The VA (he's on full disability) want nothing to do with him because of politics. He is not very diplomatic. He was doing in home hospice through the VA but they dropped him because employees "felt threatened" because he had guns in the house. He's never threatened anybody but said he won't give up his guns. I told my mother to offer to remove them from the house but she is so distraught I don't know if she can reason with this bunch or not. He should go into VA hospice but they (supposedly) said they were done with him. We need a Patient Advocate to guide us through this quagmire. Any suggestions??


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: healthcare
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To: BipolarBob

I might add all veterans have been “Red Flagged” since September 2020 if my memory is correct. I got the long form letter about how they could now give our medical records to whomever they damn well pleased, including law enforcement. My cardio doctor from my last comment asked me some very personal questions that are none of his f’n business. #notafag you POS, should have been my response. They are trying to set you up. Every vet should understand that. Sounds like they baited your dad.


21 posted on 01/29/2023 3:20:30 PM PST by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could fight - Romeo company)
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To: Owen
And how the hell would anyone know he had guns unless he went out of his way to talk about them and scare people.

Perhaps he has a wall of rifles like on Bonanza.

I covet that wall of rifles.

22 posted on 01/29/2023 3:36:21 PM PST by SisterK (the final variant is communism)
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To: BipolarBob

My father went into a nursing home to "rehab". He's actually in hospice stage. Medicare said they will pay for 20 days and no more.

 

You're getting some things mixed up.

 

Medicare will pay for 20 days of rehab at a SNF(Skilled Nursing Facitility) commonly called a "sniff" by the medical types, basically with no problem.  If the patient is A) making progress and B) the MD supervising his case will fill out the paperwork, that can be extended, but it's difficult, and frankly, most SNF's are pretty terrible, and wihen I was dealing with this, I wanted to get my relative out of there as soon as it was possible.

But for in-home hospice, either from the VA or from Medicare, the hospice company should have a social worker assigned to your case as a part of their standard of care (medicare pays for it, so they are good about assigning someone so they can charge for it.)  THAT person can be a huge help if you get a good one.  If you don't like the first person they send, keep pushing, and escalate up the chain.  What I learned is that if there's a younger adult acting as the family advocate, the barriers fall.

Also, the patient is often not a great source of accurate information.  They tend to get things mixed up in their heads, attribute actions from the medical providers incorrectly etc.  You'll need to investigate for yourself, and act on that information.

It's a terrible thing to go through, but it's worth it, knowing that you did everything you could when your parents were no longer really able to take care of themselves.

23 posted on 01/29/2023 3:38:49 PM PST by absalom01 (You should do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, and you should never wish to do less.)
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To: absalom01

I just spent 20 days in a cardio rehab, via medicare. The facility and treatment have extended my life. I went in for having breathing problems, even while on oxygen. After a week in an ICU, I was transferred to a skilled nursing facility, where they worked me like a dog, while closely monitoring my heart and breathing, but I feel 10 years younger. So your mileage may vary.


24 posted on 01/29/2023 4:28:42 PM PST by krogers58
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To: teofila

“Hosipce RN here:to qualify for medicare hospice benefits a person needs to have a physician sign a C.T.I or certificate of terminal illness”

Yes, please get a doctor to sign the CTI form.


25 posted on 01/29/2023 4:44:52 PM PST by Falconspeed ("Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." Robert Louis Stevenson.)
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To: telescope115

I doubt if he’s going home again but it’s up to my mother.


26 posted on 01/29/2023 5:13:33 PM PST by BipolarBob (The rumor has not been confirmed until the FBI officially denies it.)
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To: teofila

I stated the 19 days because I researched it when my mom was dying. I was looking up everything those days. I know people can be on it a while.

I was guardian to two uncles who were in the same nursing home. One of them went on hospice. The other one got pissed because his brother was getting more attention. So, we ended getting him on as well. They were gone within a couple weeks of each other.


27 posted on 01/29/2023 6:16:35 PM PST by Vermont Lt
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To: BipolarBob

Good luck with the VA. 🙏


28 posted on 01/29/2023 6:30:15 PM PST by telescope115 (Proud member of the ANTIFAuci movement. )
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To: DouglasKC

Unfortunately, gun ownership has become a political issue.


29 posted on 01/29/2023 8:52:05 PM PST by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Militia to the border! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: All

An array of questionable comments above.

1) It’s very difficult to sue the VA. There are all sorts of obstacles to it. Therefore, nobody is doing anything to anyone’s records as part of avoiding lawsuit. They can’t be sued so there is no point.

2) Of course independent people will tell you you’re care is poor. They are selling their own service. Or more likely, someone asking such a question already had their mind made up and heard whatever they wanted to hear.

3) It’s useful to search out the medical qualifications the VA requires of docs. They are very strict. They pay local average pay level to docs. Docs, because they cannot be sued, don’t have to pay for malpractice insurance. The VA knows this and thus, can select excellent candidates.


30 posted on 01/29/2023 8:55:28 PM PST by Owen
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To: Owen; All

1) Questionable comments, lol. The real question now is who do you work for. Usually it’s one of your buddies here in these very comments who repeatedly states he has never had a bad experience with the VA. I’m sure it is nearly impossible to sue the VA. That’s the only valid comment you’ve made.

2) Another classic Alinsky tactic. You never learned very well, grasshopper. Sounds very much like you are calling this old Marine a liar, spit.

3) More classic BS, lol. Everyone here must know you’re an operative after that one.

As for the rest of you. Don’t think for a minute there aren’t some major screw-ups working for the VA and management protects them. I feel like I’m playing Russian Roulette every time I go there. The VA sends out “anonymous” rating surveys and reminds you when you didn’t mail it back. Right, lol. The newest scam is they get all the doctors and nurses to leave positive reviews and ratings on facebook to massage those ratings. The one niece commented on the VA telling her uncle he didn’t have cancer and he died shortly later. Of guess what.
Lastly, just ONE example. My penis has a section nearly 1 1/2 inches long and half the circumference turned to rock. You think I’ll be taking contrast dye again anytime soon. Semper Fi.


31 posted on 01/30/2023 11:27:05 AM PST by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could fight - Romeo company)
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To: OftheOhio

Guy, I work for no one. I am retired.

USAF officer.

If it’s impossible to sue the VA, why would the VA have its people trying to avoid lawsuits?

Let’s not flail around beyond specifically that. Just examine that one item. If they cannot be sued, why maneuver to avoid lawsuits?

The return envelope was coded, btw. That’s how they know if you returned it, while keeping the contents anonymous. Not rocket science.

There are lots of people on review sites who are unhappy with the VA. Before I enrolled with them, I checked review sites for them and other non-VA facilities. The same complaints are on those. Usually something like . . . my father went in for such and such and he was told he does not have cancer, and died two weeks later!!!

People look for things to blame when they lose their fathers. It’s normal, and you’ll see it for the VA and for non VA facilities, too. I lost a sister to breast cancer. She was in hospice. My brother visited her there and then was notified. He was convinced they overdosed her on pain meds. She only had days left regardless, and there’s no proof and it probably didn’t happen, which generally generates no proof.

9% of the adult population are veterans. There is nothing the VA can do on Facebook that will change that 9% number, which has declined steadily as WW II and Korea vets die off. The VA’s population base is 9% of the total, max, and many of them don’t use VA because they have retirement medical from their civilian jobs and the VA is 100 miles away.

Think these things through. There would be zero reason to do these Facebook things when it cannot affect the numbers.


32 posted on 01/30/2023 11:47:34 AM PST by Owen
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To: Owen

First off, you have to know I was considered a God by USAF officers, lol. I have a soft spot for a few. I was protected by some from career government bureaucrats trying to hinder military projects in which I was the lead of.

You answered your own question. No proof means no lawsuits nor repercussions for incompetent doctors for malpractice. If that means doctoring records, you betcha.
The individual surveys were coded too, not anonymous. This wasn’t done in the past, not rocket science.
To suggest that that any particular VA hospitals staff couldn’t affect the ratings fot that particular hospital is a disingenuous statement. You knew that facebook reference was on a specific hospital, right? Why the chicanery.

I suspect you’ll get your turn at the Roulette table soon enough. You can thank me later.


33 posted on 01/30/2023 1:27:11 PM PST by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could fight - Romeo company)
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