The Doctor insists that my loved one, who is not ambulatory, come into her office for the assessment. I spoke with Medicare and I was told that a Medicare approved in-home-care agency that works with doctors can do the assessment. I forwarded the information to her and she still refuses. How do I get around this? He needs an updated assessment and care plan.
Look for geriatric primary doctors. Call your own doctor for a referral. You might try nursing homes for doctor referrals or visiting physicians. Even the home health or hospice agencies might be able to tell you which doctors they have worked with that will work this way. They may not be willing to make a referral but you could ask how to go about finding the doctors that they work with. A pharmacy once gave me a lead on a weekend doctor back before urgent cares were on every corner. Let us know what works for you.
I suspect you have some planning in mind and need an assessment to plan for future care?
And to shad250, I've always had the sense that she wasn't ever interested. It was never thorough and I would get push back every time I made a suggestion or observation.
Plus, since we missed a couple of appointments she stated that her office reserves the right to drop patients. She ignored the entire non-ambulatory issue. So yesterday the VA stepped up and made him a priority. Thanks to you all for your replies
Is any of the medical team addressing the swallowing difficulty? This can get worse, and can compromise the daily pleasure of eating. Has he been diagnosed with dysphagia?
Do you have other doctors, specialty ones such as for the diabetes or dementia? These might be better choices to participate in a short and long term care plan.