Lost hospice care because…

A South Florida man was in terrible pain and put in hospice care to live the limited remaining days of his life But then there was a matter and because of it he lost hospice care and the ability to lessen his pain That complication is why he called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser If you wake up this morning no pain things to look forward to you re lucky Bill is not Bill Platt I am in constant pain and it gets so tight at night that I literally cry My wife will tell you that I literally cry at night Bill is sick very sick Bill Platt I have an enlarged liver I have tumors in my abdomen that are deteriorating into my other organs We all will face passing away one day but Bill says it s hard to describe what it s like Bill Platt You just can t prepare for something for death you can t As his body weakened doctors determined he was eligible for hospice care while living at home Bill Platt To keep me assured it was all about pain medication And Bill was recounted he wouldn t be in hospice long Bill Platt They had communicated me if I make six months that I would be lucky But Bill says with prayers good nursing care and determination he made it to six months Bill Platt I thought I was going to die a couple times but I kept fighting it I longed to stay alive I enjoy life That surprised the doctors Then Bill got a surprise he was no longer eligible for hospice care Bill Platt Is it because I didn t die quick enough He goes Basically yes In other words you didn t die quick enough so we are not keeping you on ' Being issued seems like a accomplishment but Bill says it s not for his body Bill Platt And now it s becoming worse and worse where I am deteriorating I hate to use that word but they keep using it to me Under hospice Bill says the band was able to control his pain Without that care at home Bill knows what s coming Bill Platt I am dying but who knows when I won t be able to take the pain there ll be no way And facing that his request is simple Bill Platt I d like to see me be able to get back on hospice without any nonsense You ve heard Bill s story Howard Legally is he entitled to return to hospice care for his remaining days Howard Finkelstein In most of cases if doctors determine you are near death you can return to hospice care But unfortunately in Bill s development the cancer is so rare and the progression unknown that the physician cannot with certainty say his death is imminent Therefore under the law he does not have a right to hospice care but he does have a right to proper pain medication Making it intricate to help Bill under HIPAA laws no one can discuss his circumstance with us but Paul Ledford the president of the Florida Hospice Association was very helpful Speaking in general he wrote that to be eligible for hospice two physicians certify the individual has a life expectancy of six months or less If it s then determined the individual has improved or stabilized Medicare no longer permits hospice services and if a operation retains the case it will be considered fraud under the False Maintains Act Ledford added a recipient may be readmitted to hospice care if two physicians determine the case is in decline But Bill says no more hospice for him Bill Platt I don t think I want to go back in there I would rather pass away at home When we visited Bill again he looked a little better because he was able to get a clinician to prescribe powerful pain medication Bill says it s still not enough Bill Platt Nah I don t feel that good I don t think I have much left Bill called me to see what time he would be on TV It made him happy he laughed Little things God bless you Bill Now if you or someone you know may need hospice care there are people to talk to or a website to visit to get answers for you Not a good time for puns currently With this Help Me Howard I m Patrick Fraser News Hospice informationhttps lethospicehelp org Toll free hospice help line - - CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD Email helpmehoward wsvn comReporter Patrick Fraser at pfraser wsvn comMiami-Dade - -WSVNBroward - -WSVN