My Father came to live on our property, had only been here seven months and had a stroke due to an AVM. Fast forward past hospital stay for two weeks. Now in a SNF, has been there for four months.
My problem is I do not know anything about My rights as his POA/Health surrogate. Do I have the right to see what they are charging Medicare/Medicaid and him? I signed a conclusion of a grevance I filed, made my notes on the page and asked for a copy, I was told no, I asked why she told me it was an inter office paper. Is this right ?
Facilities have a process they must follow when an adverse reaction/error/emergency (the facility must document CPR, deaths. That can be called an “Incident Report”.
This Incident Report is an internal document and is not shared outside the company as the information on those reports are often linked to the center’s quality assurance program. So no if it is one of these you won’t be routinely given a copy. Of course it can be probably obtained for a lawsuit, etc but will need to be requested by an attorney representing you to corporate attorneys for the center.
What did you sign? Usually if it’s an Incident Report, there would be no reason or need for you to sign it.
Good good luck to you. All that paperwork can certainly be confusing!
If that is so, the next question is: is your father capable of creating powers of attorney, appointing you as his surrogate, and informing his SNF and medical team that you are to be given HIPAA authorisation? I appreciate he's had a stroke, but unless that has left him *mentally* incapacitated he should still be assisted by the SNF to make any arrangements that he wishes to make.
It will help you get further with the officials, and this is important anyway, if you stop thinking about this in terms of your rights and concentrate instead on your father's rights. HE has a right to be supported and represented by someone who will enact HIS wishes and safeguard HIS welfare. When you have power of attorney, you have it FOR your father, and not "over" him or his finances or his treatment.
If your father has not given you POA or anything like it, and is not able to do that now, then somebody must be acting for him through some kind of guardianship order. I do not know this for sure, but I would be surprised if you, as your father's next of kin, are not entitled to know whether that is so and what the arrangement is.
What is your relationship with the SNF like in general? Have you been getting on with them okay apart from this lack of billing information?
This paper work was give to them when he entered the SNF.
Right now the administration people and I don't see eye to eye.
They come to me for money and to sign papers, but in some cases
wont give me a copy of what I have sign.
I filed a grievance with the Social worker about my Dad sitting in urine,
falling and his clothes missing all the time.
And I am looking out for my Dad, wish I could just bring him home.
If the POA was drawn up by an attorney, go back and have it redone. Btw, you should have been given a copy of what you signed. “Inter office” is bs.
I am joint on his checking account, they come to me to sign papers when he is done with PT , call my to pay his bills and when I requested his medical
paper work for the month of June , they went to there Attorney to make sure I was HIPPA compliant. I am just trying to look out for my Dad .
If I could take care of him myself he would be at home.