What bugged me was when I had to cancel a long overdue Colonoscomy because they wouldn't let me leave afterward in a taxi... yet if I had been low income the state would have provided me with a ride.
This is a growing issue and I SEE EVERYDAY...
People are scheduled for surgery and receive the instruction packet prior where transportation is covered under conditions for admission.
Then patient arrives day of surgery or for a procedure via Uber, Lift, Taxi, Self Drive, Bus, BART and last week bicycle and on foot...
For years it was routine to provide taxi vouchers and even arrange door to door transport for patients under contract... that all went out the window a few years ago when patients reported having complications after discharge or saying they were never given discharge instructions or the opportunity to ask questions after surgery... which means they forgot due to anesthesia.
So now you must have an 18 your old friend or family member accompany you home... it can be with taxi as long as the person is with you... person is given discharge instructions and asked if they have any questions.
If you have no one there are medical transport services... they charge hundreds of dollars.
In real world I have seen people say they have made arrangements when they have not... surgery is done and no one is there to accompany them home... so they discharge themselves Against Medical Advice... you cannot be held captive.
I have seen many times people have someone pick them up, get around the corner and change places or the pick up person gets out and into another car...
In these circumstances the Hospital can say they left accompanied.
The downside is you will be denied future procedures for violating Hospital policy...
Just today a patient in a wheel chair arrived via para transit... the person was unaccompanied and the colonoscopy was denied and the patient waited 3.5 hours for para transit pickup...
Follow the money...
Another unwritten rule is visitation... often very limited in out patient settings...
Simply saying the person is your interpreter, clergy or care giver will overcome the visitation restriction...
The deciding factor on leaving alone is often one of anesthesia... given or not.
Another issue is ID does not match address... about half the patients have problems where Address does not match ID...
Now there are new required questions that must be asked of those suspected to be of Medicare age.. Basically, you must state when you retired, how long you have been retired and do you have any other insurance... the goal is ensure those with other insurance do not use Medicare as primary... just another step that must be complete.
As for transport... we have had Doctor send their own staff to the Hospital to transport patients... doesn't happen often but it does... the idea is the Doctor has now taken over this area of potential liability...
ath::cop:
