Serious inquiry regarding HBS & MASS Health wrote:
David Keller wrote:MassHealth has issued a Request for Information on the Rosie D. case. It was posted on Friday afternoon, and you can get it here or by going to COM-PASS and searching all solicitation for “behavioral health”. It’s called Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative RFI and it is quite long, but I think asks some good questions. As we discussed, last month, I think that it is important for us to formulate a response that speaks for the needs of children in Worcester County. (and for that matter, the rest of Massachusetts.) Responses are due by April 1. Links available on my blog: http://olddockeller.blogspot.com/2008/03/rosie-d-and-you-masshealth-wants-your.html
I'm not sure to whom I am directing my questions to, but I would like to know if there will be a forum out here for visitors to ask questions and receive answers pertaining to their traumatic experiences relative to involuntary confinements and psychiatric abuses in the MA hospitals? I don't want to post any information that would be damaging to my complaint I've brought against a hospital in MA, however came across your website and thought I would inquire further.
I'm from the midwest, but had moved to MA a few years back and while visiting a local ER to obtain medication for PMS and blood tests for my vitals, I was confined to the hospital's acute psychiatric unit for nearly 4 days. I'm a single professional and a devout Catholic and have never in my life been deprived of my liberty or human rights until this horrific incident back in 2006. I've never taken any drugs and have never had to stay in a hospital for anything other than a minor surgery. I come from a family of medical professionals, Cardiologist, Psychologist and Microbiologist who were astonished at what happened to me. I was in TOTAL SHOCK, not only by the entire experience, but to learn what I had about this so-called health plan called "MASS-HEALTH", which many of the patients in the hospital seemed to be on. Once I was released, obviously due to the fact that 1, there was no basis to even keep me there, and 2, because as consultant and independent professional I did not have the medical insurance that would even pay for any lengthy services of which I did not ask for in the 1st place.
Something I found to be hauntingly astounding, was the behavior from the LICSW herself who had insisted, during her poor assessment/evaluation, that I provide her/hospital my method of payment for their services. When I told her I did not have medical insurance, she asked how I paid my medical bills. I told her I stayed in good health. She referred to me as being irresponsible an then asked if I had filed for "FREE-CARE" or MASS Health. I'd never heard of such programs. She became aggrevated and hostile and asked if I had any credit cards or savings. I did, but I told her no! She obviously had some kind of agenda to keep me there to incure a much larger bill than the average cost of medication or trip to ER. We argued for approx. 15 minutes during her initial evaluation. After her evaluation, she falsified her notes and exagerated my purpose for going to the hospital by stating I entered the ER saying I had some kind of (outrageous) plan to commit suicide. Most of our conversation was heard by an associate who called my cell-phone which was on auto-answer.
First, to me, this was a crime! Not a medical mishap or isolated incident, but a true and deliberate crime, not just towards me, but what I witnessed in that hosptial towards all the patients inside...and it was HORRIFIC indeed.
While being confined/imprissoned, I wrote down many of the patients names, addresses and phone numbers for future reference, as well as some of their concerns and statements. Many were allegedly "forcibly drugged" before my confinement. Each had asked if I were their new doctor. This was very sad because I knew there was something seriously wrong about all of this. They reminded me of the homeless people I'd seen on the streets in my home town/city of Chicago. Even some of the staff seemed peculiar and as though they were patients themselves. I asked the patients what type of insurance they had and each stated MASS Health. I asked "how much this MASS Health coverage paid towards their medical cost". Their answers were astonishing!
First, one patient said "well, we're covered indefinitely because we're disabled and the state will cover for the entire hospital stay". I asked "how long are you guys supposed to stay in here" Each answered "indefinite, or either until the doctor releases us; but we can only stay here on MASS HEALTH for up to 30 days; then they let us go. But, sometimes, they'll send us to Arboretum where it's cheaper and they don't care what kind of coverage we have, they'll take anyone, but its worse there because they just give you more drugs". I asked "do you guys want to stay here". Each said "no, we didn't have a choice though, they pretty much told us what our condition was and made us stay here". One patient said "I ran out of gas and the ambulence brought me in ... I put up a fight because they were trying to get me to say I was suicidal but I'm not, but they won't let me go until I fess up". I said "that's what they told me down stairs...they kept asking me about some kind of "plan". They said "well, you sure don't look like someone that belongs in here, we thought you were our nurse or doctor". I told them "if you're not suicidal or homicidal, why would they put you in here". They answered "because they can and they do, we don't have any power over them, once you're on the system MASS Health, they can pretty much do anything".
A female patient came to me in tears asking if I knew of a good attorney that could help her get out. I told her that we really needed to talk to the Hospital Advocacy Officer immediately. She said, "that won't do us any good, I've been trying to get a hold of them for 2 weeks already and you have to go through them to schedule a hearing with a local Judge, but by that time it will be too late". I asked "to late for what". She and the others answered "no Judge will ever listen to us, they always believe what the doctors tell them, plus by that time, they've already given us enough drugs and by that time we're so drugged up that they just won't even hear our side of the story let along believe us".
After my release, I called a few of the patients to see how they were doing. One gal said that she was being released because her "30-days was up" and that she had to stay in some kind of a group home. I prayed for her safety. We stayed in contact for several more weeks and she said that she tried to get off the medication but wasn't doing to well and went back to the hospital, but they refused to let her in because MASS Health only covered up to 30-days at that particular hospital, so she went to another hospital where she was able to stay for a few days.
I'm sickened by what happened, not just to myself, but to thousands in the commonwealth of Massachusetts who really have no "safe haven" to go to. And with the laws, some of these patients are being forced to take several various drugs in the group homes that they are in. So, this leaves me with the question, if Home Based Services will be provided, what rights will HBS patients have in their own homes if they refuse to receive treatment? Will they be deprived of their right to not be labeled with some kind of behavioral disorder, let alone drugs that they do not wish to receive? This is an incredible and shocking dilemna and I can only imagine the billions of dollars that the commonwealth of MA is pooring into such programs as MASS Health.
I would appreciate your feedback or response, by clicking on any of the email links at my site. Thank you for allowing me to share. Again, I apologize if I've posted this in the wrong section of the site and perfectly understand if you have to remove this posting. Thank you again!
NOTE: Just a quick note, this particular Hospital's Advocacy Officer, was in fact, the LICSW who assessed me and later falsified her notes
