Beyond everything else we've experienced, we now have the insurance company refusing over $300k in claims dating back to August. There was some confusion over our insurance cards when Nathan was first admitted to UMMC, and it wasn't until October that we were informed the wrong cards had been submitted. The claims have since been batted back and forth between UMMC and MAMSI, and now both sides are refusing blame and dumping the bills on us.
MAMSI has never denied that our son was covered for these procedures. They are refusing the claims solely on the basis that the hospital hadn't submitted the claims to them in a timely manner. The hospital is claiming that we never gave them the correct insurance information (we did after we were informed they had the incorrect cards... months later). We need some professional representation, this justifiably scares the hell out of us. We could lose everything we've worked so hard for over the years. It doesn't seem fair, given everything else we've had to endure.
Can anyone recommend a lawyer specializing in this field? We are in the metro Baltimore area, although any good firms in the MD/DC/VA area would be welcome. If you have my email, please send me a private message. Otherwise, a comment below would be fine.
Thanks,
Jason
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sunday Evening, 2/17/08
The last five days have been, as a whole, very good. It's so comforting to have Nathan back home, although Christa has her hands full playing the stay-at-home nurse. We had a couple unnerving nights with more allergic reactions. The second one was enough to have the nurse practitioner decide to take him off the multivitamin IV altogether. This has been a blessing in disguise. Now we "only" have three pumps to deal with.
Nathan has responded very well to being home, better than we ever expected. He seems to simultaneously be getting over the terrible twos. Coincidentally, his third birthday was today. Although we had to bypass any cake or ice cream, we had fun blowing out a candle (on a plate) and opening his gifts. Here are some pictures from the last few days. Note the haircut, his first in six months. Hardly looks like the same boy.
Nathan has responded very well to being home, better than we ever expected. He seems to simultaneously be getting over the terrible twos. Coincidentally, his third birthday was today. Although we had to bypass any cake or ice cream, we had fun blowing out a candle (on a plate) and opening his gifts. Here are some pictures from the last few days. Note the haircut, his first in six months. Hardly looks like the same boy.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Wednesday Afternoon, 2/13/08
Elvis has left the building.
Ok, so his name is actually Nathan, and the building is a hospital in Baltimore, MD. We left UMMC around 2pm with a trail of well-wishers and smiling nurses and doctors. He was excited to ride in the car and watch all of the traffic and scenery on his way home. The first hour at home he was running all over the house, reacquainting himself with all of the gadgets and crannies, particularly the ones that 3-year olds like to mess with (and parents want them to avoid). He's finally calmed down, watching Ice Age on the plasma ("ooh, daddy... big TV!") and hanging out on the couch.
Home Sweet Home.
Ok, so his name is actually Nathan, and the building is a hospital in Baltimore, MD. We left UMMC around 2pm with a trail of well-wishers and smiling nurses and doctors. He was excited to ride in the car and watch all of the traffic and scenery on his way home. The first hour at home he was running all over the house, reacquainting himself with all of the gadgets and crannies, particularly the ones that 3-year olds like to mess with (and parents want them to avoid). He's finally calmed down, watching Ice Age on the plasma ("ooh, daddy... big TV!") and hanging out on the couch.
Home Sweet Home.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Tuesday Evening, 2/12/08
It's been two weeks since my last post. As upset as I was then, it was nothing compared to last week when he was supposed to have been released on Friday. This time there was apparently miscommunication between the hospital and the home care service. Even though they had all of his details, they didn't know or understand that the numerous IVs had to be hung separately. When they finally acknowledged this, they refused to agree to provide us with the necessary equipment. Nathan is a unique case (as if we didn't know that) and they've never supported anyone with the amount of pumps that he would require.
The hospital worked on getting the number of pumps down from five to three, but their plans changed again yesterday when they determined Nathan really needed to get a constant feed of Octreotide. Regardless, the home care service has agreed to send us four pumps. It looks like we're going home tomorrow.
Everyone at the hospital has been talking about how much they're going to miss Nathan. I'd like to think we'll come back in a year and he can eat lunch at Donna's downstairs, or pick up a doughnut at Lexington Market a couple blocks away. I'm sure we have a long road ahead of us, but we've been through so much already. It's amazing to think back on everything Nathan has experienced over the last six months. I thought it would be interesting to try and enumerate some of it.
4 - Surgical procedures
7 - Centimeters of small intestine removed
33 - Percent of large intestine removed
9 - Hospital rooms
900 - Movies watched
2 - DVD players broken
6 - Allergic reactions
2 - Trips to the emergency room
20 - Lbs gained in weight
2 - Inches gained in height
1 - Bald patch
2160 - Dollars spent on parking
120 - Subway sandwiches
5 - Trips to Lexington Market
Not to sound cliche, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the countless nurses, doctors, dietitians, surgeons, members of child life, and general hospital staff that have made our stay at UMMC a positive experience. Nathan's case has not been without its share of challenges. While I'm obviously looking forward to going home, I won't forget everything that everyone has done for us. They've given us a chance for a happy ending to this story.
The hospital worked on getting the number of pumps down from five to three, but their plans changed again yesterday when they determined Nathan really needed to get a constant feed of Octreotide. Regardless, the home care service has agreed to send us four pumps. It looks like we're going home tomorrow.
Everyone at the hospital has been talking about how much they're going to miss Nathan. I'd like to think we'll come back in a year and he can eat lunch at Donna's downstairs, or pick up a doughnut at Lexington Market a couple blocks away. I'm sure we have a long road ahead of us, but we've been through so much already. It's amazing to think back on everything Nathan has experienced over the last six months. I thought it would be interesting to try and enumerate some of it.
4 - Surgical procedures
7 - Centimeters of small intestine removed
33 - Percent of large intestine removed
9 - Hospital rooms
900 - Movies watched
2 - DVD players broken
6 - Allergic reactions
2 - Trips to the emergency room
20 - Lbs gained in weight
2 - Inches gained in height
1 - Bald patch
2160 - Dollars spent on parking
120 - Subway sandwiches
5 - Trips to Lexington Market
Not to sound cliche, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the countless nurses, doctors, dietitians, surgeons, members of child life, and general hospital staff that have made our stay at UMMC a positive experience. Nathan's case has not been without its share of challenges. While I'm obviously looking forward to going home, I won't forget everything that everyone has done for us. They've given us a chance for a happy ending to this story.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Tuesday Evening, 1/29/08
These little battles are really wearing on me and Christa. The infection in Nathan's central line is bound to push back his release even farther. The chance of him leaving this week are virtually nil. Because of the delays caused by the wrong formula and the line infection, his formula was just restarted today. They also decided to push back the multivitamin cycling until tomorrow, not sure why.
I want to scream and curse and break something. I want to get more sleep. I want to stop being depressed and angry and sad. I want my family whole again.
I don't need prayers or gifts or well-wishing. I just need my son home.
I want to scream and curse and break something. I want to get more sleep. I want to stop being depressed and angry and sad. I want my family whole again.
I don't need prayers or gifts or well-wishing. I just need my son home.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday Evening, 1/28/08
Things are still moving forward, but as expected, there have been a couple a minor setbacks.
Last Thursday, the overnight nurse gave Nathan the wrong formula. They normally dilute the canned formula from 30 to 20 (I forget the unit details). In this case, she gave it to him straight from the can and he threw it up later. This caused them to stop his feeds for a couple days while things settled down. To be fair, the department that delivers the formula probably screwed up his order. But I still expect the nursing staff to catch something like this before it gets to him. We've had this type of problem on a few other occasions; it usually ends up with him in the ICU. Fortunately it was nothing too serious this time.
This weekend he developed a low-grade fever. They took blood tests which came back positive for an infection. They believe it it's in his central-line. They are giving him antibiotics to treat the infection, and it shouldn't cause him to miss his planned release date for this Friday.
On a more positive note, they finally stopped his Lovenox shots for the blood clots. This means he can come home without any shots (yay!). They will also begin an attempt at cycling his multivitamin drip starting tomorrow. The plan is to cut it back to 20 hours/day, then down to 16 hours/day if successful. The plan is to try and get him some time at home when he can be free of tubes. Hopefully he'll be able to absorb the multivitamin pills soon and discontinue the multivitamin IV altogether.
Last Thursday, the overnight nurse gave Nathan the wrong formula. They normally dilute the canned formula from 30 to 20 (I forget the unit details). In this case, she gave it to him straight from the can and he threw it up later. This caused them to stop his feeds for a couple days while things settled down. To be fair, the department that delivers the formula probably screwed up his order. But I still expect the nursing staff to catch something like this before it gets to him. We've had this type of problem on a few other occasions; it usually ends up with him in the ICU. Fortunately it was nothing too serious this time.
This weekend he developed a low-grade fever. They took blood tests which came back positive for an infection. They believe it it's in his central-line. They are giving him antibiotics to treat the infection, and it shouldn't cause him to miss his planned release date for this Friday.
On a more positive note, they finally stopped his Lovenox shots for the blood clots. This means he can come home without any shots (yay!). They will also begin an attempt at cycling his multivitamin drip starting tomorrow. The plan is to cut it back to 20 hours/day, then down to 16 hours/day if successful. The plan is to try and get him some time at home when he can be free of tubes. Hopefully he'll be able to absorb the multivitamin pills soon and discontinue the multivitamin IV altogether.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Wednesday Evening, 1/23/08
As is typical of late, I'm slow to post updates if things are on a smooth ebb. The staff has slowly increased Nathan's formula intake from the original 1mL/hour to the current rate of 8mL/hour. He has been receiving Octreotide to slow the digestive tract to ease the effects of diarrhea. Regardless, he has had to ordeal plenty of diaper rash. It's not dissimilar to the problems he had with the ostomy leaks, although it's certainly more manageable.
Anyways, on to the good news. It appears that he is absorbing the formula very well and they will be accelerating his rate of feeding. He has been incredibly active, making it difficult for me and Christa to keep up with him at times. At first it was just a matter of keeping up with his running pace. Now he's learned how to pedal his tricycle! He's been having a blast riding around the hospital wings on his Christmas gift. I guess it's a good problem to have, even though it freaks us out having to make sure his tubes don't get tangled up in the wheels.
And just when you thought it couldn't get better...
Nathan ate a potato chip and two cheetos today! I guess this means he'll be ready for Super Bowl festivities with his old man. Seriously, they let him eat a few items to see how he would handle the solid foods. They also gave him some ADEK vitamins (A, D, E and K) that previously passed through his system very quickly. The most recent news is that he seems to be absorbing it, which is really good to hear. There's also rumors going around that they might discontinue the multivitamin drip before he comes home (which should be very soon).
So, that's all I have for tonight. Hopefully I'll have more good news for tomorrow. Is that light I see at the end of the tunnel?
Anyways, on to the good news. It appears that he is absorbing the formula very well and they will be accelerating his rate of feeding. He has been incredibly active, making it difficult for me and Christa to keep up with him at times. At first it was just a matter of keeping up with his running pace. Now he's learned how to pedal his tricycle! He's been having a blast riding around the hospital wings on his Christmas gift. I guess it's a good problem to have, even though it freaks us out having to make sure his tubes don't get tangled up in the wheels.
And just when you thought it couldn't get better...
Nathan ate a potato chip and two cheetos today! I guess this means he'll be ready for Super Bowl festivities with his old man. Seriously, they let him eat a few items to see how he would handle the solid foods. They also gave him some ADEK vitamins (A, D, E and K) that previously passed through his system very quickly. The most recent news is that he seems to be absorbing it, which is really good to hear. There's also rumors going around that they might discontinue the multivitamin drip before he comes home (which should be very soon).
So, that's all I have for tonight. Hopefully I'll have more good news for tomorrow. Is that light I see at the end of the tunnel?
Friday, January 11, 2008
Friday, 1/11/2008
By popular demand, I'm taking time out of my busy schedule (yeah, right) to update the blog this morning. As in the past, I have little to mention when things are slowly improving. There have been no setbacks. They've given him some drugs to slow his system so as to allow time for the intestines to start absorbing. He is getting formula via the G-tube at a current rate of 4ml/hour. They have increased it 1ml/hour every 3 days, but I think that's about to change. The surgeon said last week that he would probably be going home in 2 weeks, but it seems they use a sliding window since the story hadn't changed yesterday.
Anyways, he's doing well. His spirits are fine and Christa is keeping him very active during the days. He enjoys going over to the play room and spending hours on the computer (like father, like son). Don't worry though, he's getting plenty of exercise walking the halls. They even went outside earlier this week and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. All in all, things are moving int he right direction.
Anyways, he's doing well. His spirits are fine and Christa is keeping him very active during the days. He enjoys going over to the play room and spending hours on the computer (like father, like son). Don't worry though, he's getting plenty of exercise walking the halls. They even went outside earlier this week and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. All in all, things are moving int he right direction.
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