HOSPITAL ER DUMPS INSURED PATIENTS

I guess by now most everyone has heard about Patient Dumping. Typically, it happens when an uninsured person shows up in the hospital with no insurance—not even Medicare or Medicaid. This person is taking up a bed that could be used by a paying customer, and therefore, the hospital wants that dead beat out. Supposedly, they have to keep these patients if they receive government funds from the Hill Burton Act. But apparently, it’s not enough. On the other hand, I am a fully insured patient, having both Medicare and Supplemental Insurance. Nevertheless, they decided I had to leave the emergency room last week even though I could hardly stand up, overcome with dizziness and nausea. So now you know. You may pay huge premiums for health insurance , but it wont do you a lot of good. Because the Hospital ER Dumps Insured Patients.

Here’s what happened. With a skyrocketing blood pressure, I was admitted to the ER for a myriad of tests, all of which cost my insurance providers plenty and made a tidy profit for the hospital. But here’s the thing: Say the hospital is going to get paid a certain amount of money for my condition, no matter how many days I stay. So, it makes sense for them to make extra money by talking me into leaving early. Which makes room for another patient who will get the same treatment as I did. Meanwhile, have you ever looked into the astronomical salaries that hospital executives are making? The more they squeeze out of the patients, the bigger the house they can buy out in the towns fanciest suburbs.

At any rate, the ER doctor came to tell me that since my tests had all come out with normal results, I would have to leave. I protested that I was even more dizzy and nauseas than ever, but by then they’d managed to get my blood pressure down, so it appeared I had no excuse to stay. The moment he walked away, the beautiful blonde nurse– who’d seemed so sweet– shape shifted into a snarly mafia bouncer. She told me I had ten minutes to find a ride home, and started putting on my socks. Before I knew it she’d found my jeans and pulled then up. Off came the hospital gown and on went my top and undershirt. A wheel chair appeared and I was instructed to hop aboard. Luckily, my stepson hadn’t left yet for vacation, so he was able to pick me up as I waited helplessly by myself in the Emergency Room until he arrived half an hour later. (I have a disabled husband)

Later , I looked at my discharge sheet and saw that he’d told me to see an ENT within two weeks. Just so happens that doctor is retiring and leaving town. After numerous doctor visits and a trip to one of Indianapolis top ENT’S , it still hasn’t been determined what’s wrong. However, , that physician said the ER should have admitted me for neurological testing. They’re now thinking I’ve had some weird reaction to cortisone shots back in June. Actually, I’m one of the lucky ones. At least they didn’t dump me on a street corner.

Hospital ER’s dump insured patients and it’s a national disgrace. Worse yet, our two local hospital are merging, which means they will have no competition and no incentive to improve the quality of patient care.

October 9, 2022October 9, 2022

DOCTORS GHOST YOU ON WEEKENDS

There’s a trend in healthcare which you may not be aware of. At least not yet. If you’re young and healthy, you won’t even know about it, until it’s too late. Let’s say you’re seeing a specialist because you’ve developed one of thousands of medical conditions that require the ongoing care of a doctor. Not just a yearly checkup, but something more serious. Supposing you have a flareup of this condition on a Friday afternoon. And so, you call the physician who’s been treating you. Not too long ago, if your doctor was not available, he had a partner who was “on call.” That doesn’t happen anymore. Now, many doctors ghost you on weekends.

In our case, my husband has frequent nosebleeds while being prescribed a well advertised, over priced blood thinner. Thanks to information gleaned from the internet, I have learned how to deal with the situation most of the time. No doctor gave me this advice. I had to find it out on my own, after one too many trips to the emergency room for a procedure I could have handled on my own, if only someone had been on call who could have told me what to do.

Doctors may ghost you on weekends. You may have to call 911. — DOCTORS MAY GHOST YOU if you call on weekends of holidays with a nosebleed.

He had seen an ENT a few days before, who insisted the problem wasn’t caused by blood thinners. The doctor said he simply needed a cauterization to stop the nosebleeds. Afterwards, she said that he should never have another one. . But, if he did, he should consider it a medical emergency and call her office immediately. She assured him that he would be given top priority to be treated right away. That sounded very comforting. We could rest assured that he was in good hands.

Fast forward to less than 10 days later, on a Friday afternoon at 1:30. Major nosebleed. Called the doctor’s office and got no answer at all. Called the hospital where she’s on staff, and was informed that the office closed early for the weekend. Frantically tried to find a way to contact her. Finally got an answering service from her old office which she had left three years ago. Said they couldn’t help.

Now, of course, we knew what we were supposed to do, based on previous experiences with other physicians. If you have a problem on weekends, you’re basically up shit creek. You’re supposed to call 911, get taken to the hospital emergency room, wait hours until SOMEONE shows up to decide what to do. If they admit you to the hospital, you will not see your original doctor. You will be treated by “hospitalists” who have been assigned to treat you over weekends and holidays. These strange doctors are starting from scratch. They have access to your medical records, but other than that, they know nothing about you as a living, breathing, human being. .

Not all physicians operate this way. But many of them do. They’re covered, legally, by the old refrain on their answering machine: (if they have one). “If this is an emergency, call 911.” (Average cost of ER visit is $1,610 in most states)) Beware: your doctor may ghost you on weekends.

Follow up: I did finally stop the nosebleed by placing a frozen bag of peaches on the back of his neck. I doubt if I would have received this piece of advice if I had actually received a call back. It was something learned while in girl scouts, back in elementary school.

May 12, 2022May 12, 2022

WARNING! YOUR DOCTOR MAY GHOST YOU

Unless you are a teenager, you may remember the days when your doctor came to see you in the hospital. It was called “making rounds.” And this was how it worked: The doctor decided that your condition (pneumonia, sepsis, etc.) warranted admission to the hospital where he had privileges. That night, and every day thereafter, he, she, or their associate, would stop by in the evening to see how you were doing. That was very comforting, especially if you had been that doctor’s patient for many years. But that’s not how it works anymore. Warning! Your doctor may ghost you.

Here’s what likely to happen now: You call the doctor’s office during a medical emergency, and they recommend that you go to the Emergency Room immediately. You call 911, and the EMT’s ask which hospital you would like to go to. Naturally, you pick the one where your doctor has privileges. Otherwise, you would be under the care of a stranger who knew nothing about you.

You spend some time in the Emergency Room undergoing a series of tests, based on your condition or reason for being there. Eventually—maybe a day later—they find you a room and you are formally admitted to the hospital. After all the worry and excitement begins to settle down, you relax. No doubt, you will see your doctor when he makes rounds this evening. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen.

A stranger enters your room and announces himself as the hospital doctor. He will be managing your care from now on. Over the course of your stay, you will meet several specialists who have been called in to find out what’s wrong with you. You may be visited by a cardiologist, nephrologist, urologist or any other type of physician. Some technicians may come to your room to perform tests at any hour of the day or night.

On the other hand, you may be wheeled down the hall to have a cat scan or chest x-ray. All of it comes as a surprise. You keep wondering when your primary care physician is going to show up and explain what’s happening. What you don’t know, and will soon learn, is that you’re not going to see him at all. Warning! Your doctor may ghost you.

In the last decade or so, busy primary care physicians have turned the care of their hospitalized patients over to HOSPITALISTS. The American Board of Physician Specialists defines hospitalists as “…physicians who have dedicated their careers to hospitalized patients.” Simply put, hospitalists are medical specialists who most often earn a residency in internal medicine and are certified in hospital medicine. While hospitalists confine their practice within a hospital setting, they often specialize in non-medical issues that are relevant to their field of study. That said, if you have been seen by a doctor in a hospital, safe to assume he might have been a hospitalist.”

Now, then. What if the hospital physical therapists decide you should go to a rehab facility before going home? Once again, all ties with the hospitalists who have been treating you will be severed.

In the rehab facility, you will once again be under the care of that facilities’ Hospital Doctor. You may or may not ever see him or her, but they will plan your treatment and care. At that point, things may fall through the cracks. As an example, they may be short staffed, and not answer your call button promptly when you have an emergency. Meanwhile, your trusted primary care physician has no idea what is going on. Warning! Your doctor may ghost you..