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Patient is questioning the care of the hospital and afraid to have any more tests done.

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That would be a very expensive trip by medical transport . And if the person is in ICU now , it’s likely they are not stable for a long trip like that .

How about transferring the patient to another hospital near where they are now ?

What is wrong with this person ? Are they of sound mind , capable of truly understanding what is happening ? Is there another family member / advocate there ? If so , what is their view of what is happening ? Is there a POA involved ?
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Reply to waytomisery
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NotOldYet36 Oct 4, 2024
Your response is greatly appreciated. POA can't get involved as patient is still of sound mind. Also, POA just left for Somalia as he is in the service. He couldn't stay any longer as his unit needed him (he'll be there for 6 months). There is no one for hundreds of miles to visit him. Family has been there but all have work and home obligations. He is depressed, not trusting medical team due to some errors in care. He just turned 65 and was a very active person and is now a skeleton who can't get out of bed. He had a kidney removed due to cancer. Thanks again.
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its important to note that Medicare will not pay to transport a patient across the country to be near family. It would be private pay by patient and family.
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NotOldYet36 Oct 4, 2024
Thank you for responding. I thought so but I can't find much info on this. Appreciate your input.
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If the patient is afraid, worried & depressed in one hospital - what is the likelihood they will be same in another? Especially if acutely unwell?

Sounds the a tail wagging a dog.

Can family travel TO the ICU patient instead? Work on reassurance & building trust.
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NotOldYet36 Oct 4, 2024
Thank you for answering. Family has been traveling across the country to see him but his son is in Somalia (just left as week ago for 6 months in the service). Daughter has a new baby and housing issues from Helene. He has no one to advocate in person for him. He is still of sound mind.
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If he’s ill enough to be in an icu he’s probably too sick to travel cross country for no real reason.
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NotOldYet36 Oct 4, 2024
Thank you for your response. He's giving up on life because he doesn't like or trust where he is due to many issues in care. No one is there to advocate for him.
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I agree a transfer will be a privately paid effort, and very expensive. Not to mention probably medically not advised until the person is out of ICU.
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NotOldYet36 Oct 4, 2024
Thank you for answering. I'm sure you are right....tough situation.
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It may be possible to hire a Geriatric Care Manager to help him. My friend used one in FL (she was in MN) and said it worked out great. They aren't cheap but compared to the cost of transferring the patient, it may be the best option.

If this person is elderly (past 75) then the possibility he develops a problem in the hospital (UTI, delirium) is high enough and he'll definitely need advocacy help in this situation. It's essential to have someone there with him because it seems as if no immediate family will be available to help him for a while (and then there's the Helene home displacement to deal with).

Maybe consider paying a different family member (niece, nephew, cousin, etc). to go there. Pay for their expenses and pay them a stipend to work for him there. All receipts would have to be carefully kept and itemized. This person would need to be old enough to know how to navigate working with the medical staff, Medicare, homeowners insurance companies, be tech savvy, and problem solving in general. May be less expensive and faster than finding a GCM.
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Patients cannot be transferred unless they are deemed "stable". Simply by virtue of a need for Intensive care, in general ICU patients are considered not stable enough for transport/transfer unless life threatening situation is extant and care can only be found at a distant hospital; this would likely involve airlift and specialized ICU nursing staff and is enormously expensive.

It is very normal for ICU patients to be depressed and unhappy and the fact is that they also have almost universal amnesia about their intensive care stay after they move out of ICU.

So this is a time to say "Everything is going along well. We will talk about transfer when you are more stable and can be moved; right now you are in intensive care and not considered stable for transfer".

I am so sorry the staff was negligent in telling you this simple fact.
I wish you the very best of luck and a complete recovery for your loved one.
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