Benedictine Health Center of Minneapolis

gajohn

Benedictine Innsbruck repeatedly demanded payment for my mother's room fee while not assisting in billing her insurance company. And their recommendation for my mom's discharge date seems to have been influenced by their self-interest. My mother incurred a $665 private room fee ($35 per day) for her 19-day stay in transitional care late last year, which Medicare doesn't cover. On discharge day, I informed the nursing home's business office manager of United Healthcare's intention to cover the entire cost, and asked her to bill them. -She resisted my request repeatedly, insisting incorrectly that no insurer would pay the charge. As a result of her inaction, I was left to spend 13 cumulative hours working with United to process the claim, effectively doing Benedictine's work. -While refusing to cooperate, Benedictine demanded on eight separate occasions, spanning less than two months, that my mother pay the $665 fee. -I escalated this matter three times, first to the nursing home's administrator, then to the organization's vp of operations and finally to its new president, the highest-ranking member of the organization. In almost a dozen combined e-mail responses (which I have kept to validate my claim), no one ever apologized for their employees' actions, or EVEN addressed the substance of my concerns. -Instead, the new president actually blamed me, claiming absurdly that I tried to "bully" him to "cave in to my pronouncements." -The new president claimed that he considered the matter to be resolved, while stating in the same e-mail that he would review the matter. In the two months since, I have received no further communication from Benedictine about their "review." In unrelated matter, when my mother and family met with clinic staff in weekly conference, they told her us she was doing well and could go home - exactly eight days later. They added that even if she improved significantly in the interim, they still advised the long-range discharge date. The target date happened to be on a Friday when the clinic is fully staffed and on my mother's nineteenth day at facility. Notably, Medicare covers 100% of costs (excluding room fees) for first twenty days. Given that information, it seems reasonable to conclude that Benedictine's self-interest influenced its recommendation.