Mom was sent to the nursing home from the hospital for physical therapy. Her left leg doesn't like to cooperate with her right leg. She was told she'd be released Tuesday, tomorrow, at 10:00 am. All insurance paperwork has been signed . Today, Monday, they told us that a Dr. has to see her first and she'd have to wait until 2:00 pm. It sounds a little suspicious to me but, I'll wait until 2:00 to see what's going on. Do I have the right to take her home, ( yes, she is of sound mind and the hospital never gave a cause as to why her left leg suddenly turned traitor on her) if the Dr. decides she needs to stay longer. Dad has excellent health insurance if that matters.
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It wasn't an issue for us, she stayed the appropriate amount of time; and if, for some reason, she HAD decided to leave AMA, there are enough other facilities around us that it wouldn't have been an issue. But depending on where you live, if there are limited facilities, you might want to check on their policy on future admissions should you take mom home AMA.
Good luck.
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Did she get released on time?
Many nursing homes don't let residents use their own primary doctor anymore. They insist that the residents be seen by theirs, which normally only comes around a couple times a month to sign off on paperwork.
They're likely trying to have your mom stay for as long as they can collect from Medicare and her secondary insurance. Once Medicare stops paying they'll be pushing her out the door.
Take your mom out and have her see her own doctor who might be able to recommend a specialist for her legs.