What is the name of your state? California
I apologize that this is extremely long, but I want to make sure that you have all the information so that you can give me the best advice possible.
My father had a stroke on August 2, 2006. He was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance where he was seen in the ER, and then kept for 24 hours for "observation". While he was there, he had tests done-- a heart ultrasound, a CT scan of his brain, and an ultrasound of his carotid arteries, besides the usual blood work, chest xray and EKG.
When he was released, the hospital provided NO information on aftercare, and no rehab was done while he was in the hospital. Also, no rehab was scheduled for him.
When we brought him home, he was basically useless. He could not function on his own, could not void his bladder or bowels, could not dress himself, and his left side was non-functioning. My husband and I were his sole caregivers, and we were with him 24/7, with very little sleep, since dad needed to use the restroom or something else every 2 hours at maximum.
On August 7, 2006, we took dad to his primary care physician, where he was seen and the doctor requested home therapy, a wheelchair, and speech therapy. The doctor told us that the paperwork would go in, and we should have everything started by the end of the week.
On August 11, 2006, I phoned the primary care physician's office and asked what was happening on my dad's case, since we still had not heard from any therapy people, nor could dad go out anywhere due to lack of assistance equipment. They stated that the medical group had the paperwork, and suggested that I call them. I did so, and found out that according to the medical group, they had not recieved the request for therapy.
On August 14, 2006, I again phoned the medical group, where I discovered that Yes, they did have the paperwork, and dad had been approved for therapy and his wheelchair. I was told to expect a call from the therapy company sometime that week, and they would come out and provide the therapy to dad.
On August 21, 2006, still not having heard from either the medical group or the therapy offices, I phoned the medical group and requested information regarding the status of therapy. Medical group stated that they had sent in the paperwork to the therapy provider, and dad should have been called to schedule an appointment at the home. I requested the phone number of the therapy provider, and when I spoke to them, they "have no paperwork on any person" with the name my dad has, nor did they have anything scheduled for him. I got back on the phone with the medical group, where I was asked to wait on hold while they phoned the therapy provider. When medical group staffer came back on the line, she said that she would re-fax the approval paperwork to the therapy provider and make sure they got the ball rolling on this. She also stated that I should call the provider back to verify that they had recieved the paperwork and schedule the therapy myself. When I called the therapy provider back, the person in charge of that department told me that she still did not have any paperwork and there was nothing that she could do, but she asked me for my phone number and said she would call me to schedule the rehab when and if she got the approval paperwork.
It is now August 22, 2006. Dad still has had no rehab whatsoever, although due to the care my husband and I have provided for my father, he is now able to use the restroom on his own and he's able to walk with the aid of a walker I got off craigslist. He still is not able to fully use his left arm or leg, and I do believe that there is nerve damage on that side also. There is some failure to recognize objects/unable to name items, and he is having peripheral vision problems on his left side, also.
What can I do??? Do I have any recourse against the hospital that released him without any aftercare/rehab?? What about the medical group that can't seem to find it's own paperwork and then get it to the right people? I'm worried that my dad won't be able to regain function, since I don't know anything about rehab, and have read that the first three weeks after the stroke are the most important for restoring his functionability.
I apologize that this is extremely long, but I want to make sure that you have all the information so that you can give me the best advice possible.
My father had a stroke on August 2, 2006. He was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance where he was seen in the ER, and then kept for 24 hours for "observation". While he was there, he had tests done-- a heart ultrasound, a CT scan of his brain, and an ultrasound of his carotid arteries, besides the usual blood work, chest xray and EKG.
When he was released, the hospital provided NO information on aftercare, and no rehab was done while he was in the hospital. Also, no rehab was scheduled for him.
When we brought him home, he was basically useless. He could not function on his own, could not void his bladder or bowels, could not dress himself, and his left side was non-functioning. My husband and I were his sole caregivers, and we were with him 24/7, with very little sleep, since dad needed to use the restroom or something else every 2 hours at maximum.
On August 7, 2006, we took dad to his primary care physician, where he was seen and the doctor requested home therapy, a wheelchair, and speech therapy. The doctor told us that the paperwork would go in, and we should have everything started by the end of the week.
On August 11, 2006, I phoned the primary care physician's office and asked what was happening on my dad's case, since we still had not heard from any therapy people, nor could dad go out anywhere due to lack of assistance equipment. They stated that the medical group had the paperwork, and suggested that I call them. I did so, and found out that according to the medical group, they had not recieved the request for therapy.
On August 14, 2006, I again phoned the medical group, where I discovered that Yes, they did have the paperwork, and dad had been approved for therapy and his wheelchair. I was told to expect a call from the therapy company sometime that week, and they would come out and provide the therapy to dad.
On August 21, 2006, still not having heard from either the medical group or the therapy offices, I phoned the medical group and requested information regarding the status of therapy. Medical group stated that they had sent in the paperwork to the therapy provider, and dad should have been called to schedule an appointment at the home. I requested the phone number of the therapy provider, and when I spoke to them, they "have no paperwork on any person" with the name my dad has, nor did they have anything scheduled for him. I got back on the phone with the medical group, where I was asked to wait on hold while they phoned the therapy provider. When medical group staffer came back on the line, she said that she would re-fax the approval paperwork to the therapy provider and make sure they got the ball rolling on this. She also stated that I should call the provider back to verify that they had recieved the paperwork and schedule the therapy myself. When I called the therapy provider back, the person in charge of that department told me that she still did not have any paperwork and there was nothing that she could do, but she asked me for my phone number and said she would call me to schedule the rehab when and if she got the approval paperwork.
It is now August 22, 2006. Dad still has had no rehab whatsoever, although due to the care my husband and I have provided for my father, he is now able to use the restroom on his own and he's able to walk with the aid of a walker I got off craigslist. He still is not able to fully use his left arm or leg, and I do believe that there is nerve damage on that side also. There is some failure to recognize objects/unable to name items, and he is having peripheral vision problems on his left side, also.
What can I do??? Do I have any recourse against the hospital that released him without any aftercare/rehab?? What about the medical group that can't seem to find it's own paperwork and then get it to the right people? I'm worried that my dad won't be able to regain function, since I don't know anything about rehab, and have read that the first three weeks after the stroke are the most important for restoring his functionability.
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