This is one of my all time favorites — the “Hospital to Rehab” scam. Here’s how it works:
A Medicare assisted living center client needs to go to the hospital…usually dehydration, a urinary tract infection or some “non-life-treatening” reason. The person is transported to a hospital ER and the battery of tests begins. (For purposes of this hypothetical, it’s the second time the patient has come to the ER because to get paid the hospital must admit them.)
The elderly patient becomes totally disoriented (happens 90 percent of the time in the over-80 crowd). Think about it, strangers come in at all hours of the day and night, sticking needles in your arm, taking blood pressure and sleep is constantly interrupted.
Time is indistinguishable. Once again, the elderly have no control and in many cases become combative because they don’t want to be there and no one explains what is going on. Medication is given to calm them down — the heavy sedative. Usually security is in the room to assist. Imagine how it must feel to be held down and given a shot. It gets better — the patient becomes woozier — powerful sedatives plus loss of control…
Next step, an alarm is added in case you get out of bed (like to go to the bathroom) so this very loud noise adds to the alarm and loss of control. Bottom line, you end up laying in bed, woozy, scared and not understanding who you are or where you are. Then — boom — the diagnosis, a UTI! Okay, one day of treatment (antibiotics) and you can go home! Not so fast! You are weak, you need physical therapy, the drugs are not through your body — a myraid excuses as to why you must go to rehab.
(An aside here: Once the insurance company approves physical therapy they will pay for a plethora of sessions. Rehab centers love physical therapy patients — the gift that keeps on giving.)
In some cases, if the discharge is on a Friday or Saturday, the rehab “bed” isn’t available until Monday because many rehabs don’t have “check-in” staff on weekends. That means two or three more days in the hospital. Most rehabs have minimum stays — in this instance five days, so a UTI is a 13-day incarceration. Who wouldn’t be stark raving mad?
Frances Reaves, Esq., a graduate of the University of Miami Law School, spent 10 years as a litigator/lobbyist. Today, she Is an accomplished business woman who, when her parents could no longer take care of themselves, learned the ins and outs of senior care (or the lack thereof). She founded Parent Your Parents to assist seniors and their children through the myriad pitfalls and options of “senior care” in the 21st Century. If you have any questions or comments contact Frances at hfrancesr@parentyourparents.com.
