Need to find some medical help for a friend...

[ramonesfreak]

does he carry workers' compensation coverage for himself? if yes, he needs to explore whether or not this condition is an occupational disease....there will be medical benefits if he has a case.

he should also file SSD in anticipation of becoming unable to work in the near future...he will receive medicare if he is successful.

a consultation with an attorney for either of the above will be free of charge

[Drdogface]

I have already hooked him up with my Soc Sec atty and he has an appt this coming week. I doubt he has work comp on himself, but I'll surely ask.

Thanks for your input.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by srandallf

does he carry workers' compensation coverage for himself? if yes, he needs to explore whether or not this condition is an occupational disease....there will be medical benefits if he has a case.

he should also file SSD in anticipation of becoming unable to work in the near future...he will receive medicare if he is successful.

a consultation with an attorney for either of the above will be free of charge

There is no worker comp available in CA for self employed. You can buy disability insurance and health insurance, but you must be incorporated and work for your own corporation to be eligible under CA worker's comp system.

When I had one employee, the WC ins was as expensive as my own health ins. But, there were no deductibles.

[Noah930]

Another thought about going the university route: check to see if there's a resident or fellow clinic. (A fellow is someone who's graduated from residency and is doing specialized training for a year or two before going out on their own in that specialty.) That's where the free care patients frequently get shuttled (if your friend can't get into the attending's own clinic). I know the fellow has his/her own clinic at Stanford, and I'm sure there must be an equivalent at the other places. Yes, you'll initially be seen by the residents and fellows, but there's a faculty member physically present at the clinic also. Everything gets presented to the faculty member. And if the case is interesting/confusing enough, the faculty member can step in and see the patient, too. For a potentially complex case like the one you describe with your friend, the case may likely get presented in front of larger department conferences for discussion amongst faculty and teaching points for the residents.

[Drdogface]

Thanks again, Noah. You've been a great help. I have a call in to him now so hope he calls me back tonight. I'll have his son (visiting) call in just to get some basic residency info/requirements first.

[artplumber]

Originally Posted by Drdogface

Art,
I think that if he did that, they would ask for an address and check it. The hotel would say he checked in yesterday. If they didn't check addresses they'd be treating the whole West Coast. Mebbe they are.

Believe me, I know the urgency here !

Mark,
They don't have time to check on when you checked into the hotel, and even if they did, there is no requirement to live there 90days before you're a county resident. If you say that is your permanent address, that's what they have to go by. I discharged plenty of folks to the street. UCSF does treat the entire Bay area because as a county hospital they are the medical center of last resort. Since you can't be turned away once you enter an ER, the trick is to get to the ER with a complaint that cannot be ignored. If he has atrophy/loss of sensation, that cannot be ignored - however if everything is lost before he gets to be seen, then the proverbial cow has already left the barn and nothing can be done - he gets sent home.

All major training hospitals have subspecialty all comer/MediCal clinics. It will be a lot easier to get into a county facility than a private one (like Stanford). If he wanted in to Stanford, he probably would have to get there through Santa Clara Valley Med Ctr, in San Jose, which is the local county hospital. SCVMC did have an excellent Phys Med & Rehab program when I knew about that stuff, but I don't know how good it is now. PM & R might be useful to help recover some of the function.

[Drdogface]

Thanks Art...you obviously know the system. Great info !! I'll direct him to UCSF and go from there. If he will check into a resident hotel, so much the better. Guess you're right..no time to check that stuff. Could always say he's moved around a lot, etc. Hopefully will talk to him tomorrow AM.

[Drdogface]

Art,
I have not been able to contact him since you posted your last but I'll try again this AM. He has no computer so it's all by phone. Anyway, I did find some reasonable residence hotels in SF thru Google and picked about five that seem clean but affordable. Now, should he bring what records and films he has?...if so will he need to explain how he got them from the Placer Co. area... Yes, he paid all the cash he had,is the truth. I guess he can just say he moved to SF to try to find some work and maybe care, since he's been turned away up here...blah, blah...which is the truth. Seems reasonable..?

Hope you understand, but I just don't want him to say/divulge too much and blow it, but also don't like the idea of assisting in a fraud. I assume he will not be hospitalized right away? I'll tell him to rent by the week. We should be able to help him do that...about $300/wk.

[Noah930]

Bring the records. Bring the films. Bring the radiologists' readings of the films. All of that is medically important. Whoever sees him won't care how he paid for them or where they came from.

[artplumber]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Bring the records. Bring the films. Bring the radiologists' readings of the films. All of that is medically important. Whoever sees him won't care how he paid for them or where they came from.

This. And yes, your scenario is a good one. Down & out in Sac, looking for jobs in SF, traveling with all he has left.

[Drdogface]

Noah...and every one else:

I just got home from Reno...there all day at VA. Anyway I called my bud...Wayne (no..not OUR Wayne) and we went over the plan....same plan as I posted above and you, Noah, agreed was good. Turns out he has a friend in SF who owns a hotel... how lucky is that ! He's packin' up all the records and films and leaving for SF tomorrow or maybe Wed.

He was in tears on the phone thanking everyone of you who chimed in with thoughts and ideas for someone they will likely never meet. Yeah, me too and friends around here too. He promised to keep in touch on how it goes. He finally has hope for pain relief. I pray this will work out for him and that he can be cured, at least to a level of good quality of life. He has the honor to work again and pay off all his debts. Can't ask for more than that for a good American Citizen.

I'll post more when I hear it. Thanks again to all... The wonderfulness of Pelican is amazing.

[Noah930]

FWIW, the hand society's annual conference is in Boston the first week of October. If you're looking for them that week, most hand/upper extremity surgeons (particularly the university names I posted above) will be there and not in the Bay Area.

[Drdogface]

Thanks Noah (Peter). I don't thing hand guys will come into play, at least not right away. It's interesting to me...as a general Vet guy...that human med is soooo specialized as to have a convention of hand surgeons... Not really...I know all that but in comparison it's a stretch. We do have specialists, of course, but not for paw surgery You da' Man, bro ! Love to have a brew sometime.

[artplumber]

Hope he gets some relief. GL to him....

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by artplumber

Hope he gets some relief. GL to him....

Thanks...

Are you still on staff there ?

[artplumber]

No Mark, sorry I'm not on staff there (never been actually - didn't mean to give that impression. I've done various stints of training at various hospitals, but not UCSF). And I'm in a completely diff field of med.

EDIT: you know if it ends up that he can't get stuff taken care of there for whatever reason, PM me. Maybe we could work on something else...

[Drdogface]

Peter,

No prob....I was just connecting dots. I dunno if he's left for SF yet but will tomorrow for sure. He at least has something to look forward to....a positive step for pain relief. I, and a few other friends, were seriously concerned he might take some drastic 'negative steps' and hurt himself.

If they, at UCSF, can deny him care I'll be amazed but these days I do understand that hospitals are over burdened by the indigent and illegals as well. I'll be in touch with you (PM) and let you know the status when I know. Thanks for the continued offer. BTW, he is connected with a Soc Sec lawyer for SSDI but that takes time. At least it did with me.

Be well..

[Drdogface]

Update:

My friend called me this AM. He has not gone to SF/UCSF yet but will this week. I guess he had two appts with guys/docs at Mercy Hosp. in Sac and wanted to see that thru. They did another MRI on his neck and one on his brachial plexus (which was normal), also an elec. nerve conduction test (EMG?). One neuro guy says it's definitely his neck but another disagrees. He is scheduled for a myelogram on Wed. I guess this will show whether or not the bulging discs (4) are the problem. If the discs are impinging on the nerve roots and not the cord will this show up on the myelogram ? With all the muscle atrophy it's likely the cord itself, I guess. If that is the case, I'm a bit amazed that he has not other symptoms except his arm.

Just wondering what could/will be done to treat (surgically) these discs and how dangerous ? Lumbar spine is one thing but I suspect cervical is another different animal. Neurology is not my strong suit...

He is still paying cash but the Docs are helping him out too on the cost.

I wish that he had just foregone these tests and gone straight to SF but at least we know more now.

[lowyder993s]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

No sweat.

-Wayne

+1...Wayne, although he may not realize it, PP provides a deep resource for much more than Porsche related product. May Karma shine upon him

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by lowyder993s

+1...Wayne, although he may not realize it, PP provides a deep resource for much more than Porsche related product. May Karma shine upon him

I certainly realize it and so does my friend....I told him the entire story of the PP Forum and the owner...just so you know...