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My mother was sent to an emergency room over 25 miles from her long-term care facility. I as her POA protested and asked she be sent to a closer hospital emergency room. I was ignored and am wondering if there is a way I can transfer her to a different hospital? I am worried about her care at the hospital she was sent to. What can I do legally?

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This is a tough one - I have tried in vain myself on more than one occasion to have my mom transferred from local hospitals to one in a nearby city where her doctor is on staff
Whether or not it is true I don't know but was told Medicare makes transfers difficult
At one point I was so frustrated I was thinking of trying to take her out and try to transport her myself but it would have been impossible for me to move her with her broken shoulder and back - as it was they did not start an IV and put her into renal failure from dehydration

Depending on why your mom was taken to the ER - do you expect her to be admitted and then discharged after 3 days?
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I listen to fire/emergency calls on a scanner, and anytime there is a need for an ambulance, the dispatcher will say if hospital A is opened or to direct to hospital B. What has happened is that the ER in hospital A is filled, thus a patient will need to go to hospital B, or C. If all ER's are opened, the EMT will ask the patient which hospital would they like, if the patient is able to answer.

Please note that Medicare will pay for ambulance going to the first hospital, but will not pay to remove from first hospital to go to a second hospital... unless the second hospital has a special medical unit that isn't available in the first hospital. Usually a "transport" ambulance would be called instead of 911 ambulance.
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fregflyer

Medicare will pay, but not all of what many ambulance services charge. Many, will then bill, the patient for the rest.
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reginam

Was your mom referred or did you make the choice to have her sent to this Long term care facility? Many NH and ALs, work only with the referring hospital, since the NH AL. has paid a referral fee to the hospital for sending them a new patient.

Legally, you need access, if you don't have it already, to any signed agreement/contract between you and/or your mom and the facility. It should spell out what happens in case of an emergency. Be forewarned, if a private ambulance drove her to this place 25 miles away,they will bill Medicare, not only for transport, but mileage as well. Don't be surprised, to receive a bill from the service after they submit their bill to Medicare, since it is highly unlikely Medicare will pay the whole bill.
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At both of the AL's that my cousin resided, there is a part of the contract that says which hospital she will be taken to by ambulance in case of emergency. In both cases, it was the closest one to them. I'd check the paperwork you signed when she checked in to see what it says about it.

Once she's admitted to the hospital, I don't see why you can't have her transferred to a different hospital, as long as the insurance is worked out and ALSO her doctor orders it. Which hospital does her doctor have privileges? I'd check on that. And of course, additional ambulance fees may apply.
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reginam, get involved with her care right where she is. If the family is involved, the patient gets better care, no matter which hospital. My MIL always wanted to go to the ER at her little hometown hospital. Most of the time they ended up transferring her to a big city stroke center, because that was what she needed.
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Sunnygirl

They try to minimize transfer, because it can be hard on the patient. The patient has to be moved from the bed and hospital room to a stretcher, then loaded into an ambulance with the reverse happening at the next hospital. Anxiety, agitation, and nerves could arise from all the patient is going through with the move.
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