Have you recently negotiated the medical care system? I’m frazzled and frustrated by the difficulty of finding good advice and good information.
Why is straightforward, practical information in the medical world so hard to come by? It seems like every part of the system has a separate role and there’s no clear guidebook to the whole enterprise. And since most of us are novices and under stress when we finally are forced to deal with the nitty gritty of the system, it’s very frustrating. Everyday situations become unpleasantly difficult to problem solve.
Here’s are a couple of real situations where you may have the answers that so far have eluded me.
First situation. Doctor orders a blood test. Patient, currently being cared for at home, will have a very difficult time going to one of the little strip mall labs to have blood drawn. So I ask where we can get a service to come in to her apartment, draw the blood, and deliver it to the lab for testing. It would make life oh so much easier all around, and it can’t be that unique a situation. Yet her medical support network seems stumped. Agency that sends nurse to check on her doesn’t know. Another home care staffing agency drew a blank but is looking for an answer. I’m not even sure what to call the service I’m looking for. Suggestions, anyone?
Second situation. Patient has been cared for at home by a friend flew over for a month to help out. Friend leaving. Now what? There must be services or consultants that specialize in knowing the available facilities in town, either in-patient or home services, their prices, reputations, etc., and can assist in determining what’s available and, if there are choices, where is the best fit. Ring a bell? Can anyone point me in the right direction for this kind advice? I hate to just be shopping through the telephone book without any additional knowledge. Again, any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Third situation, medical transportation, getting patient from home to medical appointments and back. I asked the nursing service for suggestions. They said they have a list, but would not make recommendations. I can’t believe that I’m reduced to throwing a dart at a list of companies and choosing without any information on their capabilities, staffing, geographical locations, relative pricing, etc.
And so it goes on this somewhat cloudy and blustery morning.
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Ohe Services can supply transportation: 228-5443. WilsonCare offers in-home services,in varying degrees. 518-3123
DLS Labs provides home blood collection (for a fee, of course). I remember seeing something on their site before but I just looked and couldn’t find it. Maybe a call is in order.
Also insurance companies do it for new policy holders. I’m not sure who they contract with.
Sorry, no help on #2.
Good luck.
Please check your e-mail. I just sent you a very comprehensive list including pricing and service specs that I compiled a year ago for a friend in hospice. It should provide most of the information an services you inquired about.
Wilson home care is good. I wish I had more suggestions.
Perhaps the service that you need is support with what they call case management.
On your Facebook page, someone recommended checking out Care Resource Hawaii, a joint project of Kuakini and The Queens’ Health Systems. Their website states that they are “happy to collect your samples from your home and deliver them to the lab for you!” I am not sure, however, that that service includes the drawing odf blood samples.
http://www.careresourcehawaii.org/services.
Another potentially good resource recommended on your Facebook page is the County’s Aging and Disability Resource center.
https://www.elderlyaffairs.com/
And then there is the State’s Aging and Disability Resource center.
http://www.hawaiiadrc.org/
Finally, there is the State Executive Office on Aging.
http://health.hawaii.gov/eoa/
I am sorry that I cannot offer specific recommendations.
I don’t know the answers, but here are some more folks to ask. Medical social workers in medical social services departments of hospitals or larger clinics may know useful resources. It’s kind of their job. Also, if the patients involved are on Medicare or Medicaid, the insurance carriers may have people who do care coordination.
You might also try the 211 service.
Aloha Ian,
Yes finding medical info that you need can be more work than it really needs to be. I had a RN just come to my house the other week to do some blood work because I just signed up for an insurance policy. If you are really interested I don’t mind trying to find out who she is and I’ll forward the information to you. To answer your second question there are various home health companies that offer in home services. The question is what level of care services does the individual need, and how much is your budget for such services. Some services providers you can check out is Care Resource, Bayada Home Health, All Island Home Care, Safe Harbor Home Care, and Home Instead Senior Care. All of these companies offer in Home services and they range any where between $20-$40 per hour usually with a 2-3 hour minimum for services in the home. Last there are several transportation companies to choose from the 2 that I have spoken to before is Transporter 3, LLC and ABC Transport. If you need more suggestions just let me know.
You might try a patient advocate service like this excellent group: CrownCareLLc.com
We are Crown Care and provide the services you are looking for
Please see our website http://www.crownhi.com