Most of us are horrified by the thought of elder abuse. But as the Baby Boomer generation grows older and more and more of them enter nursing home and in-home care, instances of elder abuse are on the rise. Many family members are on the alert for any sign of physical assault, financial abuse, or neglect. One type of abuse that is less understood is “boomerang hospitalization,” the frequent admittance, rapid discharge, and frequent re-admittance of nursing home residents into hospitals. There are several effects of boomerang hospitalization that I will discuss further below, but the overall effect may be your loved one’s dwindling health and needless exposure to infection and sickness.
If you fear that an elderly loved one is being abused or taken advantage of, you must contact an attorney experienced in representing families in elder abuse situations immediately. Your loved one’s health and well-being are at stake. Barrett Law has the experience to help you during this difficult time. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.
What Is a Boomerang Hospitalization?
Given the age of most nursing home residents, it is not surprising that they often require acute medical care that only a hospital can provide. That is not a problem. However, studies have shown that one in five Medicare patients who are discharged from a hospital to a nursing home are readmitted to the hospital within the month. This “boomerang” return to the hospital occurs at a 27 percent higher rate than for non-nursing home residents. The question is why nursing home residents return to hospitalization at such a higher frequency.
There are several troubling takeaways from the boomerang hospitalization phenomenon. First, it suggests that nursing home residents may be released too soon from the hospital, perhaps because they are being released into a quasi-medical setting. Keep in mind that that the 27 percent boomerang rate is across nursing home Medicare patients and non-nursing home Medicare patients, so the comparison is of similarly aged people. If nursing home patients are released sooner, the notion that a nursing home is “safer” may be problematic. Nursing home residents are released back into a community of similarly-aged residents who may, as a whole, have a compromised ability to fight infection, illness, and other conditions common to hospitals. Accordingly, the real effect of boomerang hospitalization may be that the nursing home patient is released too soon, which both diminishes his or her ability to recover and may result in other residents’ health being compromised.
Over the past five years, Medicare has been scrutinizing hospitals with readmission rates that are unacceptably high. Congress is now going to take on the nursing home side of the equation by working on legislation what would levy fines and grant bonuses for nursing homes depending on their rates of hospital readmission. These efforts’ goal is to keep patients in the hospital if they are sick and to lower readmission rates. I watch for boomerang hospitalization when looking at wrongful death, abuse, and fraud cases, as it can be symptomatic of other problems.
What Should You Do If You Believe Your Loved One is Being Abused?
If you have a loved one in a nursing home who is being sent to the hospital more often than necessary, contact experienced personal injury counsel immediately. Your elderly relative may be being released too soon from the hospital, endangering his or her health, or may be subjected to some form of financial abuse. Either way, my experience taking on elder abuse and neglect will serve you well as you try to provide excellent care for your loved one.
Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if your loved one has experienced elder abuse. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.
