Patients overstaying their welcome in hospitals

[fallinnstyle]

I just watched Rock Center with Brian Williams tonight on NBC and he had a story about patients in hospitals that are no longer receiving acute care, but stay for years because they do not have anywhere else to go and can not be kicked out. I have heard of a few months stay,,,but 2 years? That's a long time.

Have any of you actually known patients that were 'stuck' in the hospital with no where to be discharged to?

[On_the_on, BSN]

I have seen one stay for exactly a year, before she died and heard of one that stayed for 15 years, until she died. Both stayed as a result of a hospital caused issue....in the eyes of the family for one.

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

Yes a few pts. all about a year or a little more. and it is TERRIBLE almost everytime.there are reasons every place refuses them.

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

These stories are so sad and in a little under 2 years I have seen enough of my own. Really makes me think about quality of life vs. quantity and how little the general public seems to want to hear about either or knows about it. We have all seen 100 year olds stroke and the family demand pegs, tubes, trachs, dialysis etc-.

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

Had a similar situation in a local well-know peds hospital. Child was admitted for what they thought was abuse--turned out it was a genetic defect. He was 3 months old on admit. Because he needed round the clock care, no facility would take him. Last I saw him, he was being raised by the staff. I ofen saw him in a little wagon at the reception/nurses desk or the assigned nurse would take him around with her. However, much of the time, he would play in his crib, while still being monitored. Sad.

In my peds/nicu rotations I saw many kids like this. Some had been living at the hospital for 2 years and had never had any family / parent visit EVER. so there only interaction was with the over worked staff.

[Patti_RN]

I lived in Europe for quite a few years and saw the same thing in England, France, Germany, Spain and a few other countries where there was nationalized health care. Patients would come whose prescription benefits didn't cover the cost of their meds... People whose health insurance didn't pay the entire surgical bill at home would fly in and get cardiac or GI surgery... Even foreign patients who wanted cosmetic surgery could get it at a reduced rate because the governments paid for the hospital, anesthesia, and other related costs (though the patient did have to pay the surgeon's fee). It was an abuse of the system and a drain on the taxpayers of these countries. Typically, the patients bought travel insurance to cover any additional costs that may not be covered by the governments. The taxpayers subsidized these foreigners who abused their medical systems and vacationed in luxury while recuperating. The locals were outraged. Who were the culprits? (Drum roll, please!!!).... Americans!!!Yes, this abuse of health care happens both inside and outside our borders. And, outside our borders, Americans are often the abusers. It goes both ways.

[himilayaneyes]

Reply to lindarn.

I once asked why they didn't just fly him back to his home country. I was told that his country (Kosovo I think) didn't have the necessary medical equipment to care for him. His wife works at the hospital as a pca. It's a sad situation.

[Fiona59]

@lindarn

we've had nurse posters on this forum post asking which hospitals were good ones to deliver in up here in Canada because they didn't have insurance and didn't want a bill for the delivery.

Last summer we had three Americans show up with complaints that could have easily been looked after at home. They didn't have health insurance but could afford a trip to the Rockies. One spectacular example complained about waiting 24 hours for a surgery that was non-life threatening and should have been done at home. The surgery didn't even involve an overnight stay.

\

Guess who paid for your fellow Americans surgery? Yup, the CANADIAN taxpayer and our universal healthecare system.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

@lindarn

Guess who paid for your fellow Americans surgery? Yup, the CANADIAN taxpayer and our universal healthecare system.

I thought you have to prove that you were Canadian to use the Canadian healthcare system? Of course my only source of reference is a scene in Sicko so feel free to set me straight or bend me a little more.

[Jenni811, RN]

Its been a hot topic at our hospital because we've had several situations like this. Longest i've seen a patient is we had one on our unit for about a year. Had to deal with state funding and finding someone that would take him due to his behavior issues.

It was a nightmare.

There has to be a better solution!

[Fiona59]

Nope. We treat everyone. There is a big debate right now on how much healthcare refugees should be entitled to. Often they get priority treatment.

It's understood that police officers, the military and people injured at work get priority for surgeries that are waitlisted in order to rehab them and get them back to work. Nobody has issues with that.

We had huge issues back in the '80s and '90s with people from Hong Kong arriving just in time to accidentally deliver their babies (who immediately became Canadian Citizens) then leave without the bill being paid. Now those "accidental Canadians" can return to their place of birth and sponsor their family. It was in preparation for the return of Hong Kong to China and just in case the new regime wasn't that friendly.

You basically present at Emergency in need of care and it's provided. Appendix, Delivery or Detached Retina. It will be taken care of.

Yet when our government sends people to the US for treatment (ie babies to NICUs because our are full) at no cost to the family, all we hear from the American media is our hospitals can't provide care to their citizens and how superior the US system is. How often do you hear of the US government providing that level of care to their citizens.