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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Medicaid Snafu Strands Herb, Yvonne

I'm way behind the curve re: Herb Huseland's vigil with Bayview hammer-attack victim Yvonne Wallis at Harborview Hospital in Seattle. Herb has been reporting in his Bay Views blog that a bureaucratic snafu involving Medicaid reimbursement has prevented Yvonne's release after surgery to fix metal plate inserted in her skull after the Dec. 19, 2010, attack. In an email to Huckleberries, he reports: "The procedure is finished, she has recovered and is ready to go home. I am still here to take her back, after 9 long days. Unfortunately, a regime of antibiotics have been prescribed that amount to $150 per day, which the state will not pay for unless she is in a nursing home or hospital. So here we sit, the hospital room costing Idaho over $400 per day because they can't get off their collective asses to authorize a nursing facility for when she returns. Catch 22 is alive and well. Why they couldn't anticipate the antibiotics prior to this whole situation is beyond me. Meanwhile, I'm running out of money and patience."

Background:

Question: Can anyone make heads or tails of the bureaucrats' concerns?



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.