Medicare’s 20 days of rehab is up. Wondering if MIL will be tested for COVID-19 before they release her to my BIL?

What do MIL and BIL stand for?

First after day 21 to 100 medicare pays 80% of bill at rehab. You pay copay or your medigap plan does. If you're mother is in Medicare and Medicaid I believe Medicaid pays for co pay for days 21 to 100. If no medigap or no Medicaid she'd only be responsible for 20 %. I'm concerned that she's not used full benefit of her benefits. Only criteria is she has to keep improving. If she is Medicare Advantage plan there are limits to what they pay.

I am currently recovering from Parkinson disease illness in SNF . It's a safe place but scary in a time I coronavirus.
The virus can spread like gangbusters.
We've had no visitors even before recommended.
From virus point of view she's probably safer in a family home with no visitors and contacts limited to those she lives with. Social isolation is important. For everyone but especially seniors. And lots of hand washing.

Your MIL will only be tested for COVID-19 if she has signs of disease: fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. There is no need to test otherwise. However, it would be prudent for her to self-isolate in your BIL's home for 14 days to make sure she if free of the virus. If she becomes symptomatic at anytime during her isolation, your BIL should have her tested.

Have you considered respite care? After my mother was released from rehab Last time she couldn’t return To her home so she went into an ALF as a temporary resident, received OT, PT etc . Month by month. Your state probably determines the amount of lockdown in those facilities but at my mother’s current facility she can go back to her ALF (was in hospital for dehydration now rehab) but in quarantine 14 days with Multiple temps taken daily , basically how she was before she left with the addition of the temps.

Your MIL should qualify for home care services since she just completed a rehab stay. My concern is that you mention your MIL was going downhill prior to her rehab stay. Is she safe to return to her previous environment? I would ask the social worker to not only order home care but see if they can help with the resumption of the Medicaid aides. In terms of he pandemic, I would ask the facility if she has been tested and request a test prior to discharge. The difficulty is that even if she's testing, she may need to be discharged prior to receiving the test results. Good hand washing and disinfecting surfaces should be the order of the day. Any other precautions you wish to take such as masks and gloves while giving her care wouldn't hurt either.

I'm sure Pegshere's mother in law has been released but just an update..on the east coast they are starting to test residents in nursing homes. Rhode Island and Massachusetts are testing all residents whether they are symptomatic or not. They are also testing health care workers whether they have symptoms or not.

Alarmingly, they are finding many asymptomatic residents testing positive. Hopefully, they will stay asymptomatic. They are being isolated. But testing is getting more widespread, which should really help us all.

Yes. My husband. I had his stay extended twice by appealing his release and winning the appeal. He just wasn’t ready (ability wise) for release and the arbitration committee agreed with me. I probably could have appealed a third time and won, but I wanted him home so I could take care of him and believed the Rehab facility that he was better, since I could not visit him due to the lockdown.

To my shock it took three rehab workers to get him in the car and his release papers said he was an “easy assist”. I called friends to help me so when I arrived home he would not have to sit in the car.

Its been a week and his hospital bed and Hoyer lift were just delivered on Friday. Minimal instruction on bed operation and NONE on the lift. The deliveryman said he wasn’t allowed to show how to use it. This would have been nice to know PRIOR to his departure. Late Friday afternoon is not a good time to find someone within the healthcare system to train you on something like this.

Sorry to have gone sideways on answering your questions. If you can afford it it may be better to leave her there until after all this lockdown business is over.

I realize your loved one is in better condition than my husband and doesn’t require as much help.

I can’t begin to explain here what a miserable week we’ve had. While it is wonderful seeing his smiling face, it has been very difficult taking care of him as he is completely dependent on someone to move him from bed to wheelchair to recliner and then back to bed. He is 200 lbs and completely incontenent. He can’t even help me roll him from side to side to facilitate changing him.

So what do you do? Beg friends for help, pay someone to help and hope they show up (which they did not do)? Paid help.

I was offered a return to the lying rehab facility providing my insurance approved. I did not pursue that as it would have been no better than before. I was afraid too much moving back and forth would expose him to the virus. Plus the facility was 25 miles away and is still on lockdown.

No there was no testing for the virus before release. We do have home health and they have been helpful.

Social worker came on Friday and is helping me find a more permanent solution for someone to help me take care of him.

Whatever you decide to do just know it won't be easy.

Wow .No answer here, but I'm so sorry you're in this position! Best of luck, I hope everything works out for your MIL...

No. She will not. Tests are in short supply. One must have symptoms and exposure to get tested. The entire family will be at some risk with personnel going in and out of the house. I think for everyone's safety it would be better that Mom were place in care, but that is up to BIL. I would just stay out of it and let them make their own decisions.

I am not currently working in the NH environment during the pandemic but I would say that Alicew234's supposition is correct. It would be a great idea to test resident prior to leaving the NH but with the scarcity of test equipment (as well as other protective supplies) unless she has had known exposure or is showing symptoms, it very well may not happen. If she is in NH for rehab perhaps it might be extended for a little bit of time if it is thought she might continue to improve but this will only slightly lessen the after 20 day charge and of course, it will not last as long as the lock down.

I was hoping someone with experience would answer. I'm answering so your question gets refreshed.

I only have an opinion and that is that unless your MIL has symptoms or known contact with someone with coronavirus she will not be tested before she is discharged. The testing is getting better, but people with symptoms and health care workers are the first in line for testing.