TEXAS NEURO REHAB WANTS US GONE!

Texas Neuro Rehab, the facility we’re currently at, wants us out of here. Case manager Kate Miffitt called me in Alabama during my two-weeks at home, on the 8th of October, to tell me that, “I don’t have anything to tell you other than Christopher’s in-patient benefits will run out at the end of the month (October).” I told Kate that was the first I’d heard of the benefits running out at the end of the month and she said, “no, we talked about it, remember?” And I replied, “no, we talked about the need for a discharge plan but have never discussed my son’s benefits running out at the end of the month.” She reiterated that the benefits would run out at the end of the month according to United Healthcare. The director of Texas NeuroRehab, Dr. Boysen, called me in on the 18th of October to tell me that Chris was not going to get any better and that I had to face up to realities and that Chris needed to go to a nursing home. He also pointed out that he was, effective immediately, stopping all physical and occupational therapy in favor of “restorative care,” although they would continue to charge the same daily rate. He said they were going to teach the nurses how to do restorative therapy for Chris, Chris has received none to date. Isn’t it odd how Dr. Boysen has taken Christopher’s money at the rate of $1400 bucks a day for four months of in-patient care but when the money runs out, oops, “he’s not going to get any better and you need to go!” And we trust in our doctors and so-called “medical professionals” to guide us in the direction of what they call “efficacious outcomes,” outcomes that are supposed to maximize benefit to the patient, not the corporate income statement. I was called again by the case worker, Ms. Miffitt, on the 22nd of October where she informed me that United Healthcare had “retroactively” cut off Chris’s in-patient benefit effective the 16th of October. In other words, Dr. Boysen knew when he talked with me on the 18th of October that Chris’s benefits were cut off on the 16th of October! I didn’t know, but Texas Neuro knew. We have received very little help from Texas Neuro in locating an alternate facility for Chris since we received the news of his health benefit being terminated and Dr. Boysen, accompanied by his director of psychology, Dr. Mercer, cornered me on the the 16th of November, after having placed a discharge notice on the board of the 17th of November, to tell me that they were going to extend the discharge date by a week to the 24th but that if we didn’t move out of Texas Neuro by the 24th, he was going to call Child Protective Services and have me up on charges of abandonment! Health care at its best! Of course, Chris being 28 years old may play into that somewhat in terms of child abandonment charges, but, it’s Texas Neuro’s way of threatening the patient through family members. On top of looking after someone you love, you also, by way of our healthcare system, have the for-profit elements of nastiness to contend with in terms of those medical providing professionals entrusted to give us sound advice and guidance on healthcare affecting our loved ones. We are working toward moving to San Antonio as an interim strategy while we wait on state funding for continued rehab. San Antonio also has hyperbaric treatments available and we plan to take advantage of these while we wait for the next phase.