Davita and Dialysis Chairs

[kyshiag]

I was told today by a Davita employee that, in the 8 years since they started with Davita, Davita had never got a chair for a home dialysis patient.  Now, while I find this hard to believe, it took me months to get a chair from them and I don't want another patient to go to though this.  How do we go about making sure that other patients know that they can get a chair?

[tito]

A chair? When I was doing in-center overnight hemo last summer (I'm on PD normally) to cure a case of calciphylaxsis, they wouldn't give me a %$#@% pillow! Said they didn't have enough and the long-term patients got them!

This is DCI, a small dialysis company that runs the show at my local hospital (a branch of the "famous" Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston- which paralyzed my leg in a routine hip replacement - beware this hospital!!!!).

[boswife]

AWwwwwwwwwwwww, this has been and off and on going battle with us!!  I was going to fight to the end but have found other things exhausting me in between battles so have put it to the back burner once again..  We are with fresiness (sorry for spelling) at this time, and thought it may be easier than RAI but so far not so.  They said that when we gave up strait medical, we have to go by our kiaser rules, but!!!!!!!! two years ago when we started, kiaser even had written that a chair was in order, and STILL we got no chair.  Now, we finally went and got him a lazyboy chair, and he has gotton so used to his reclining couch, that he wont use the chair we purchased so i dont know if the battle should still be fought....... (except to pass on to others in same situation)  Soooooooooooooo, what was your 'route' to success?? 

[kyshiag]

I just kept saying that I knew I was supposed to get a chair and refusing to let my husband go home without one.  I also applied for a transfer to Frenius and the call for transfer paperwork came in right in one of our argument with the social worker and nursing staff.  Frenius says they get a chair for every one of their home patients.

The chair is not a cosmetic thing.  You need to be able to recline into the trendelenburg position if your pressure goes low.  A regular recliner, while more comfortable, will not do this.

Stupid thing is, I have BCBS who would pay for the chair.  Davita staff just would not order it.

[boswife]

awwwww very interesting... I think i may just contact fresinus directly and see what they have to say... Thank you very much

[Rerun]

The chair I have incenter is dangerous.  If you recline you cannot get back up by yourself.  So, if you are choking and no one was around you could die.  You can have that one!  LOL