Baymule’s Journal

[Baymule]

Supplement won’t cover what Medicare doesn’t cover.

Talked to surgeon’s nurse, because I am so healthy, I get no extra help. I’m not in renal failure or heart failure, I’m not an at risk patient. She suggested postponing it and I refused. Got a call into the patient advocate at hospital, left message.

 

[farmerjan]

I was not considered a risk of any kind either... But it is against all the policies here for someone to go home with NO ONE ELSE there at the house; as a 24 hour live in for a minimum of 48 hours for monitoring the "patient" after anesthesia........ it seems that your dr's office knew all this ahead of time... isn't this the same dr that did BJ's work that you really liked???? They should have been a little more up on the situation....
The patient advocate/nurse in my dr's office had to scramble to find me the rehab nursing home since I did not meet the qualifications to go to the originally planned intensive rehab system.... and of course it turns out the nursing facility was horrible... but that is not totally their fault....
The only other thing I can suggest is to put if off and have it done on a Friday Afternoon... so they HAVE to keep you overnight because of being able to monitor your condition after the operation and the anesthesia.... and then they will have to keep you over the weekend because 99% of the nursing/rehab facilities do not take in patients over the weekend...
OR, YOU can come out of the anesthesia totally confused, and not "with it" and they will HAVE to keep you to make sure that you are mentally functioning.... one way to do that is to be mildly dehydrated and low sodium in your system. My PT's mom was supposed to go to a rehab and she was not capable of even going there after her knee replacements because she did not come out of the anesthesia well... they thought she had a stroke and it turns out her blood work showed extremely low blood sodium and mild dehydration... in 24 hours she was markedly better when they treated it....
I don't have any other suggestions.... maybe the hospital patient advocate can do something.... they are RESPONSIBLE for their patients leaving the hospital....

 

[Margali]

@Baymule Your surgery has been preapproved / preauthorized with insurance correct? You should be able to contact insurance using that preauth # to find out what ancillary services are covered. Just to make sure hospital isn't feeding you line of BS. You can also tell insurance about the home alone, extremely rural,etc and ask for a case manager from insurance side to help with the rehab/ monitoring. *HUG* Dealing with medical insurance is the WORST!!

 

[Baymule]

Talked to patient advocate today. That’s not her area, but she made a note and said she would personally check on me after surgery. It is up to a social worker. I may get home health care for first few days, maybe a week.

In other news, it sure feels good to get a shower at home and not have to drive to sons house.

Thought the dishwasher wouldn’t work. Peggy saw me outside and rolled up on her 4 wheeler. There is a switch above the sink, that as far as I knew, went to nothing. Well for some screwy reason it goes to the dishwasher. Go figure.

 

[Margali]

Thought the dishwasher wouldn’t work. Peggy saw me outside and rolled up on her 4 wheeler. There is a switch above the sink, that as far as I knew, went to nothing. Well for some screwy reason it goes to the dishwasher. Go figure.

That's weird. I'm used to the switch controlling an in-sink disposal.

 

[Baymule]

@Baymule Just to make sure hospital isn't feeding you line of BS.

It’s not the hospital, it’s Medicare. @Ridgetop was going home same day of surgery but was nauseated so they kept her overnight.

Gheeze! Covid didn’t kill enough of us old folks off, so cut our hospital benefits, boot us out and send us home. Only the strong survive.

 

[Baymule]

That's weird. I'm used to the switch controlling an in-sink disposal.

There’s no disposal, had no idea what it went to. I know now, got clean dishes!

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm thinking -- do you have orig medicare or an advantage plan? My advantage plan gives me at home help for so many hrs, for something like 5 days after a surgery like yours...meals, too. Call insurance!!!

 

[Baymule]

Original Medicare. I’ll call them.

 

[murphysranch]

I signed up for an advantage plan when I went on Medicare. It was only $20 a month and now its free, for some reason. I don't have any use for it right now, but they do have wellness things they do for their members. I have a free video wellness assessment in a couple of weeks. Its Health Net.