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I posted a few days ago about my dad being discharged this Thursday from hospice. He has been using a hospital bed thru hospice. I thought he would be able to keep it and we will have to pay a rental fee. I've been told otherwise today by his hospice nurse. I think the issue is we have a mobile physician service in addition to hospice and the mobile physician are considered his primary doctors. They have only seen him a few times over the last year. They determined that he doesn't meet the Medicare. requirements for a hospital bed. He has CHF and nightime urine incontinence.

Any thoughts or experience with a situation like this?

I'm hoping they allow us to keep the bed until we buy a new hospital bed at the least.

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i think medicare will pay the rental for one if your doc prescribes it.
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Without a doctor's order, you are left with either buying the bed from the rental company or borrowing one from someone. Often you will see ads in the paper or online. We found a new bed for $800 online, which is cheaper than renting if you have it for more than a couple of months. Contact the company that rented the bed, not the nurse.
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A hospice nurse last Friday told me after being told the primary doctor would not ok it that the hospice doctor could do that. Now I'm being told by my father's hospice nurse that that is not possible. I don't know what to think.
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sandy again CALL THE BED RENTAL COMPANY and ask THEM.
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hospice are idiots. i obtained a hospital bed for my aunt once by dealing directly with medicare. course i was sick on hepc chemo and hypervigilent. i think they gave her the bed to shut me up. works for me. well not in two states but im good at bluffing in the other 48..
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I would think CHF with need to elevate head and feet would meet criteria for hospital bed. Why are they being so cheap about it? Maybe it comes out of the Hospice's bundled payment. If you need it to help him be more comfortable and easily cared for I'd insist.
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It looks like the mobile physician will now write the order for the bed. What a lot of craziness.

What did you mean by Hospice's bundled payment?
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Hospice may get just a certain amount of money to cover all care needs.
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But tomorrow will be his last day on hospice. So hospice and the money they got from medicare shouldn't factor into the decision, right? He is coming off hospice and their equipment, bed included, will be removed. So we needed his regular doctor to write an order for a new hospital bed to be brought in. After alot of hoopla that finally happened.
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Oops. sorry I misunderstood - I thought he was coming home FROM an inpatient hospice to home hospice. Yeah, you're right. And maybe thats even worse, they didn't want bothereed with paperwork (?) - but glad you got what you need.
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Sandy, I know what you mean about the hoopla. Many a caregiver has declared that jumping through administrative hoops is the hardest part of giving care. I am so glad this finally had a good outcome for you.
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