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My Dad was in rehab after a knee replacement. He fell due to some bad advice given by a PT. He broke his femur and damaged the knee on the opposite leg and had to have dual surgery.

He didn't want to go back to the first center (although we all felt it would be best), and we got him in somewhere else. They are offering primitive care, and we are having to bring in tools (walker, wheelchair, etc) for him to use? Would Medicare pay/allow us to transfer him back to the first facility?

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Yes, if you get his surgeon's written opinion. I did this - there's a more detailed explanation on another post similar to yours.

The ortho surgeon wrote a letter to Medicare, I presented it to the new rehab facility, everything went well.

Just make sure you're covered by getting your father's surgeon (not any doctor at the facility he's in now) on board.
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I'd first suggest that you have a clear conversation with the PT & OT and review dads chart. If dad isn't "progressing" (& there are specific benchmarks that have to be met & these are set by Medicare), then moving him & expecting Medicare to pay rehab at the new facility won't happen.

So where is dad in his stay.... 3days? 10 days? 20 days? Medicare rehab benefit will stop after 21 days IF they are not progressing. If they are progressing it can continue up to 100 days but at a 80/20 payment. If dad has a good secondary insurance policy, they will pay the 20% but otherwise most facilities will require someone in the family to sign off to pay the 20%.

About dads later fall, could it be that dad has dementia & just could not cognitively understand what he was supposed to do or not do after his first rehab? If that could be the case, rehab isn't likely to be a benefit as they can't do what is required. My mom tore her rotor cuff, had surgery to repair and all sorts of PT and then OT afterwards and did just fine when she was late 80's . But when she fell at her NH & shattered her hip in her mid 90's, she could not do any rehab as her dementia & cognition was at the point that she could not do any follow through in PT. It can be a harsh reality for family to accept.
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