my delivery hospital is full

[MelessaG]

I have no advice about the hospital, but I do have Federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield. It is our fourth insurance company and we are very happy with them after having had to deal with some idiots in the past. I hope for your sake, that it never becomes an issue, but if it does-I have found this insurance co. to be the most pleasant and cooperative to deal with-and boy do I have experience dealing with the unpleasant ones.

 

[kilee]

As someone who does medical billing and deals w/ insurance companies all day here's my advice. Go to the hospital your insurance covers. If they transfer you, there will be a paperwork trail. It will be beyond your control and should be covered 100%.

Howeverl, if you call tomorrow for piece of mind and get "Jane". She tells you to just go to the other hospital they'll cover due to the situation. I can almost promise you that your conversation w/ "Jane" won't hold any water when it comes to appealing for payment from Blue Cross.

 

[HollyJoy]

I've never heard of such a thing... a hospital being full!? How do they know there won't be an opening tomorrow? I wouldn't really worry about it too much. What are they going to do, send you away if you show up in labor?

 

[RNMOM]

I agree with kilee. Your insurance is obligated to provide service. It is not your fault if the hospital they cover is not able to provide that service. Do as she said. Go to that hospital and then it will be up to the hospital and your doctor to determine what is best and safest for you and the baby.

If you have difficulties, there is an insurance board in your state that determines some guidelines....contact them if you have trouble with the insurance company after a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Divamomto3]

Originally posted by HollyJoy
I've never heard of such a thing... a hospital being full!? How do they know there won't be an opening tomorrow? I wouldn't really worry about it too much. What are they going to do, send you away if you show up in labor?

Hospitals are full all the time and either divert ambulances is to other hospitals or the patients that got there themselves wait a long, long, long time. In our hospital, the L&D and post partum area probably accomodates 12 or 13, but if there's more, they end up on the OB GYN surgical floor.

I'd go to the hospital that's covered and let them transfer you, then it'll be their fault. Also, if you hadn't had the doctor's appt. yesterday, how would you have known they were full? Go where you're scheduled to go and never mind the doctor...believe me, he's not running the hospital anyway!!

 

[isyne4u]

Originally posted by Blondie


Over the 4th of July weekend, we were so full that we had 10 delivered patients on pediatrics because we ran out of beds. We are seeing an unusually high rate of deliveries for this time of year, and it seems to be this way in many areas!

Blondie...in the Hampton Roads Area our hospitals are full of "Isabel" babies...are you some place where Isabel struck too?

My hospital was full when I was put in for observation so they sent me to another one where my dr. worked so I didn't have any trouble. But this hospital had 36 mother / baby rooms and after I checked out but was still in the Level II nursery with my son they filled every room and were sending patients to other floors. Apparently this is the season for babies!
tara

 

[Serena]

Ez, don't worry about it at all. Your doctor wasn't very nice to make you worry about such a thing.

Like others have said, when you go into labor, just go to the hospital. Let the hospital worry then about how many people they have.
If they need to transfer you, then fine. Otherwise don't worry.

 

[Galahad]

They won't likely turn you away if you show up in labor. You may not get the kind of accommodations you'd like (like a birthing center room, etc) but most hospitals try very hard to make it work. Two potential problems would be:

Not enough nurses (OB nurses in this case), etc on site. A hospital may not want to risk a bad outcome and the lawsuit that goes with it if they admitted a patient without having the staff to cover it.

Also, if there is a potential for the baby to have any special needs right after birth the hospital needs to have enough NICU beds and staff available. That's one they couldn't fudge on at all. You might be able to deliver the baby in most any hospital room if need be, but a NICU needs very specific things and people.