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  • When a patient is not a patient..

    I originally had this story on the thread I started yesterday, but I wanted to move it here.

    3 days ago


    Woman signs in to be seen. Gets to the back and is being assessed by the nurse. Woman tells the nurse she has a history of a certain issue related to her upcoming period and is seen by a specialist for this. She is due for her menstral cycle in 1 week and has had the issue for the past 3 days now. In fact, she was seen in the ER just 3 days ago, given a prescription for a narcotic and had a CT scan that was normal.

    Nurse finished up. Goes out to chart and looks up her last visit 3 days ago. She sees that an hour after she left the ER for her last visit, she had an appointment with her OB doctor....for a prenatal visit..

    So, if youre keeping tabs here....Shes saying shes due for her period but shes also pregnant. (Pregnant women dont generally have a regular menstral cycle for those interested)

    Nurse is aghast. This lady just had a CT scan which equals radiation to the baby as well. As well as taking medications that havnt been proven safe to take while pregnant. She also tells me the woman is wearing a large sweatshirt and really doesn't look pregnant.

    She goes back to talk to the woman and asks if shes pregnant, just in case it was a mistake in the chart. She said the woman sat there and had her eyes get real wide. She started to stammer that yes she was pregnant but she was only a few weeks pregnant and they were thinking about abortion. Ok, thats fine. Nurse asks is she is actually getting her period and she starts stuttering something about spots and etc. Nurse exits again, informs the MD and he asks how far along she is.

    Nurse goes back into the chart and checks the notes. Shes 36 weeks along...as in she just entered her 9th month of pregnancy and is just about ready to pop.

    The nurse reports this to the MD and he gets pissed. I mean, hes been taking her at her word and treating her with things that can definitely harm the baby. He asks the nurse to get a doppler and check the babys heart rate. Nurse grabs the machine and rounds the corner only to spot the woman sprinting down the hallway and into the waiting room and then outside.

    Last night:

    Woman signs into be seen, says her name is Kelly Jones. She gets sent to the back to be seen by the MD. As soon as she leaves the triage desk area, the registration clerk says "Thats not Kelly Jones, her name is Nancy Smith. She was here the other day." Clerk goes into the chart of Kelly Jones and pulls up the ID on file for her. She was right. Its NOT Kelly jones as we're looking at Kelly Jones' ID and that is not the same person.

    I call the charge nurse and explain whats happening. Doctor who signed up for her is also made aware.

    MD goes in and asks if she is who she says she is. She says she is, but forgot her ID at home. Conveniently, also cant remember her social security number or insurance info. MD tries to be straight with her....he tells he he wants to treat her, but he wants to know that he's in the right chart, charting on the right person and treating her according to her own medical history. The woman still insists shes Kelly Jones.

    So MD opens the chart back up, looks at the medical history attached and asked to see the scar that would result in a surgery that Kelly Jones had listed there.

    She starts to stammer and reveals the area where the scar should be, but theres no scar. MD asks her again if shes Kelly Jones. She says she is, the chart must be incorrect.

    About 20 minutes later, I had gone back into the back for something else and find "Kelly Jones" starting to wander down the hallway. The nurse assigned to her sees her and is following her trying to talk to her.

    She keeps going, eventually making it out to the waiting room. Nurse gives her an ultimatum "Either come back right now, or youre leaving AMA (against medical advice).

    Woman starts saying something about her boyfriend being in the bathroom, he had just called her. And she heads into the waiting room bathroom. K gets up and follows her into the bathroom. Woman just stands there. Then she leaves the bathroom, says her son was in an accident right outside the ER and bolts.

    5 days ago.

    Woman signs in for a visit. The first visit mentioned in the first section of this post. Shes treated, has a CT scan. During her discharge, as shes signing the paper to leave, the nurse noticed she put a different first name and asked her about it. She said "Oh, I get confused sometime, scribbled out the name she wrote and signed the name she came in under.

    She comes back later that same night, maybe about 13 hours later. Signs in under a different name. I guess she didnt bank on the nurse who treated her before coming in to start a shift @ 0300. Patient is walked back to her room to see the MD when nurse rounds the corner and says "Hey Samantha!". Every one stops and looks at her, one says "But her name is not Samantha". "Samantha" panics, says, "Oh, I dont need to be seen anymore. Im fine" and scurries outside.




    I honestly dont know whats going to happen. Supposedly, the hospital is aware of this patient but earlier decided not to pursue things. Im thinking with the increase in her visits, something might be happening. We know what her real name is, b/c she does sometimes use it. She generally creates new patient accounts with her kids social security numbers, but the last 2 times she used actual patient information, which lead to us believing she was 36 weeks pregnant the first time b/c the patient she signed in under is.

    This is fraud, shes stealing insurance and causing bills for other people. Im hoping the hospital puts the kibosh on this shit soon. As bizarre as I find this, It kinda pisses me off at the same time.

  • #2
    Well then, scratch everything I said earlier in the other thread.

    This IS strange.

    Did she get any good drugs or anything to indicate she might be drug seeking? Or just up to no good?

    Comment


    • #3
      Quoth Hermione View Post
      Did she get any good drugs or anything to indicate she might be drug seeking? Or just up to no good?
      Munchausen's syndrome by alias?
      I am not an a**hole. I am a hemorrhoid. I irritate a**holes!
      Procrastination: Forward planning to insure there is something to do tomorrow.
      Derails threads faster than a pocket nuke.

      Comment


      • #4
        I get the feeling she wants the hospital to "accidentally cause" an abortion so she can either a) feel better about herself, rather than sucking it up and either doing it or having the baby or b) sue the heck out of the hospital if there happens to be the slightest defect with the baby.

        Is there anyway of getting her admitted under mental issues, for the sake of baby and herself? Also, calling Child Protective Services? Or some sort of social services? Maybe the cops and let them sort her out, because fraud is fraud and if she's been caught, there is no reason not to.
        If I make no sense, I apologize. I'm constantly interrupted by an actual toddler.

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth raudf View Post
          I get the feeling she wants the hospital to "accidentally cause" an abortion so she can either a) feel better about herself, rather than sucking it up and either doing it or having the baby or b) sue the heck out of the hospital if there happens to be the slightest defect with the baby.

          Is there anyway of getting her admitted under mental issues, for the sake of baby and herself? Also, calling Child Protective Services? Or some sort of social services? Maybe the cops and let them sort her out, because fraud is fraud and if she's been caught, there is no reason not to.
          Shes not actually pregnant. She just happened to use another patients info who WAS pregnant. Im sure she needs mental help, but we cant make her stay unless she gets homicidal or suicidal.

          Comment


          • #6
            Quoth raudf View Post
            I get the feeling she wants the hospital to "accidentally cause" an abortion so she can either a) feel better about herself, rather than sucking it up and either doing it or having the baby or b) sue the heck out of the hospital if there happens to be the slightest defect with the baby.
            o.
            I'm pretty sure that no hospital or clinic out there will abort a baby at 36 weeks unless there's a medical reason for it.
            The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

            Now queen of USSR-Land...

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth fireheart View Post

              I'm pretty sure that no hospital or clinic out there will abort a baby at 36 weeks unless there's a medical reason for it.
              I think the poster was going for 'accidental miscarriage' vs abortion.
              But the paint on me is beginning to dry
              And it's not what I wanted to be
              The weight on me
              Is Hanging on to a weary angel - Sister Hazel

              Comment


              • #8
                Then she should have arranged a fall down some stairs, or some abdominal impact. Not that I recommend this to anybody, miscarriages are tough on the body and can do permanent damage. I suppose she could accidentally overdose on something like pennyroyal or rue, but again herbal induced miscarriage can be tough on the body especially when done that late.
                EVE Online: 99% of the time you sit around waiting for something to happen, but that 1% of action is what hooks people like crack, you don't get interviewed by the BBC for a WoW raid.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth Ophbalance View Post
                  I think the poster was going for 'accidental miscarriage' vs abortion.
                  Yes, that is what I was going for, sorry. Fortunately, Name Changer isn't really pregnant, so that shot that point down anyways.

                  At 36 weeks, if something starts going wrong, the hospital wouldn't abort anyways. It'd either induce labor or perform an emergency c-section to save the life of both mother and child. I had an emergency c-section done at 37 weeks due to my blood pressure skyrocketing and being extremely swollen. Bubs wasn't in the lock and loaded position (took after his father for direction sense ) so the only option was a c-section. Right now, I have a healthy 1 year old sitting in my lap enjoying a granola and fruit bar, while I try typing with his "help."
                  If I make no sense, I apologize. I'm constantly interrupted by an actual toddler.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Yay for healthy 1 year olds!!!

                    They could charge her with attempted identity theft since she is using other peoples info.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth raudf View Post
                      Yes, that is what I was going for, sorry. Fortunately, Name Changer isn't really pregnant, so that shot that point down anyways.

                      At 36 weeks, if something starts going wrong, the hospital wouldn't abort anyways. It'd either induce labor or perform an emergency c-section to save the life of both mother and child. I had an emergency c-section done at 37 weeks due to my blood pressure skyrocketing and being extremely swollen. Bubs wasn't in the lock and loaded position (took after his father for direction sense ) so the only option was a c-section. Right now, I have a healthy 1 year old sitting in my lap enjoying a granola and fruit bar, while I try typing with his "help."
                      There isn't a hospital in the US that will do a late term abortion. Instead they'd do a C section if they thought the mother's life was at risk, and try to do everything to save the baby.

                      There are only a handful of clinics in the US that will do late term abortions (please no Fratching), and even then only if there is a medical reason to do so. You really can't get late term abortion on demand in the US.

                      The kind of thing I've seen in the past in regards to patient identity issues was in California. People on Medi-Cal (Medicaid) get a plastic benefit card with their name and social security number on it. There's no photo ID, or wasn't when I was there 10 years ago. I got a lot of folks, usually illegal immigrants, who'd borrow the Medical card of someone who legally had one in order to get medical services.

                      They'd sign in under their own name, and when they handed me the Medical card and I mentioned it had someone else's name on it, they'd always say, "Oh, that's my name at work."
                      They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        What ticks me off about Name-changer is that she's putting others at risk of getting the incorrect treatment when they need help. What if the person she is impersonating has an allergy to an antibiotic that they successfully gave her? Or she has a genetic or otherwise disease they don't have that could complicate their own treatment?
                        If I make no sense, I apologize. I'm constantly interrupted by an actual toddler.

                        Comment

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