Case Studies  

Miles from Home

  Seventy-eight- year-old Frank and his wife Esther loved to travel, and they never let their many medical problems prevent them from living the life they loved.  During one of their many cross country trips, Esther developed a case of pneumonia.  Frank rushed his wife to the local hospital, where she was treated with a series of antibiotics.  However, while at the hospital, Esther fell and broke her hip.   When her surgery failed, Frank was beside himself.  In addition to being 3000 miles from home, Frank was also suffering from chronic fatigue and had no support system to help see him through this difficult time.  That’s when he contacted LCI, whom he and his wife had depended on for the last 10 years when they needed advocacy.

Upon learning that Frank’s goal was to return home with his wife as quickly and safely as possible so that their own doctors could examine and treat her, LCI advocated for Esther’s transfer to a rehabilitation center in the couple’s hometown.  Unfortunately, Esther’s condition made her unfit to travel.  This left Frank and LCI with only two options: a) complete her rehabilitation in the current hospital, or b) explore travel alternatives.  Frank and his wife opted for the second alternative.  To accommodate their wishes, LCI arranged for two personal injury attorneys to evaluate Esther and it was determined that Esther had not been at risk for a fall until her stay in the hospital.  Armed with this information and the facility’s desire to prevent a lawsuit, LCI was able to secure a transfer, via air ambulance, to a rehabilitation center in Frank and Esther’s hometown.  Furthermore, all expenses, totaling $30,000, were paid by the hospital.  This process took six days.  Presently, the couple is back home and Esther is doing much better.   She is scheduled to return home after six weeks of rehabilitation in a facility two miles from their house.  Her daughter, son, friends and husband are now all part of her recovery as well as her physician of 20 years. back. . .