Need advice/ombudsman for a Medi-Cal hospital discharge situation

Post date: 2024-07-24 06:10:40

I'm trying to help a friend who lives in California, is on disability and is covered by Medi-Cal, but I don't live there or understand the intricacies of the system. She's being told she will be discharged from the hospital where she is now, but she cannot walk or do any ADLs and she doesn't have any support at home. What can she do?

Friend had a very bad motorcycle accident about six weeks ago, compound broken leg and several arm/hand injuries requiring more than one surgery. (She also has several chronic health conditions and has been on disability for decades even before the accident.)

She was moved from the original treating hospital to an acute care facility, where she has been for about 4 weeks doing PT/rehab. They told her today that they are discharging her on Friday, but she has no one else at her home to care for her, she can't walk by herself or do any ADLs alone (toilet, bathe, etc), she has had no walker/wheelchair training, and she doesn't even have a way to get home. They told her they want to set her up with In-Home Support Services, but she cannot be evaluated for that until she gets home.

They have not provided any written discharge notice or given her any concrete reason for discharge. The social workier at the acute care hospital told her to look online for resources and said she would be evaluated for IHSS once she got home. Even if someone were to drive her home and put her in her house, she would be unable to move around, feed herself, go to the bathroom, etc.

There could be more details here that I don't know about ... my friend is freaking out and might not have told me everything correctly. Still trying to get more information. But I don't see how they could discharge her to home with no care plan. Wouldn't that be patient abandonment?

Can anyone advise how this system works in California, whether there's a particular office to call for complaints, maybe an ombudsman or some organization that advocates for patients? The hospital social worker doesn't seem to be helpful.

My friend doesn't want to stay at acute care forever, but she is frightened to be sent home alone with no way to care for herself.

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