Jim's Home

Yesterday, Shipley told us they were releasing Jim AMA--Against Medical Advice. They told us Medicare would not pay for any of his stay there if he left AMA. Also, the DR refused to write any scrips for meds, labs, or a home health care evaluation.

V called Medicare, and was told that Medicare would pay even with an AMA discharge. V called Jim's GP and asked him to write the scrips. Apparently, DR GP got on the phone with the facility DR and all of a sudden Jim is not being released AMA; a clean release and scrips written. V had to sign a statment that the facility's staff and DR had recommended against Jim's discharge. She did.

What a mess when V went to get Jim this morning. Apparently no services the day of discharge. They has given him breastfast and meds, but no clean up and no PT. I had told Jim he had to do both PT sessions before he came home, so he was really thrown a curve when they refused his PT.

Jim was terribly confused. His room nurse, who had never treated him in the 2 weeks at Shipley, had no way to measure Jim's confusion. He gave him an Ativan for anxiety.

Jim's home now. Had a nice lunch and a 2-hour nap with Max and Ennis and V, and seems a little stronger. He even tried to start an argument with V about how he did need his walker.


Freaked V out when her neighbor nurse Mary yesterday said that Jim may never be able to go to his own home and would have to live with V. That wasn't the marriage we signed up for.