Ronald McDonald House

[pigget74]

Just curious--we are being referred to an out of state dr. for consultation and possible testing. Can anyone seeing a peds. dr. stay at these or is it just for in hospital? How does this work? We will be driving 13 hours or flying--have not decided. DId not know how this works.

Thanks

 

[kayrosek]

Just curious--we are being referred to an out of state dr. for consultation and possible testing. Can anyone seeing a peds. dr. stay at these or is it just for in hospital? How does this work? We will be driving 13 hours or flying--have not decided. DId not know how this works.

Thanks

I've never stayed at one but out of curiosity I did a little research. On the site it says that family's of children recieving medical care are eligible so it may not be only inpatient care. It appears that some things depend upon the local chapter. Also I found something on the FAQ's at the RMH site that said to contact the hospital's social worker and they would arrange your stay. Is the specialist affiliated with a hospital? If so that hospitals social worker may be able to arrange something for you. I would call the doctors office and aske if they have ever had a patient staying at RMH or if they know who could help you with this. Also I would suggest going to the RMH site looking up the local chapter for the area where you will be traveling and calling them directly. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Mskanga]

To my knowledge they only accept people in active treatment , when my daughter was diagnosed with bone cancer we had to stay in a hotel and when she had surgery to remove the tumor ( she was already in active chemo treatment ) we were placed on a waiting list without the guarantee to have a room. Lucky us the hospital set us up in a private room and I had a bed for myself during every stay with a full bathroom in the room.

 

[honugirl]

I would not rely on the Ronald McDonald house unless you have some time to plan because in my experience they get filled up pretty fast. I would definitely have a back up plan for where to stay. If you get in great, if not, well, you've still got somewhere to stay. Check with the hospital the physician is affiliated with, they generally have a list of hotels in the area that offer "medical rates" which are much more reasonable than their rack rates (can you tell I have to fly all over the country to deal with my disease? I'm somewhat of a pro at finding this stuff out...)

 

[pigget74]

I have never heard of medical rates. Not sure when we will be going since we were just referred this past week. Should get a phone call this week to make appointment which I am sure will not be until late April/early May at the earliest.

Thanks again.

 

[honugirl]

I have never heard of medical rates. Not sure when we will be going since we were just referred this past week. Should get a phone call this week to make appointment which I am sure will not be until late April/early May at the earliest.

Thanks again.

You're welcome. Check with the hospital, most have agreements with the local hotels in the area. Just last week in Salt Lake City I was able to stay at the Radisson for $79 (king sleep number bed) a night because I'm a patient at UUMC/Huntsman. In Boston, the Marriott has medical rates at most of their locations. UCSF has some for boutique hotels in the area, but none of the major chains. If the hospital is affiliated with a major university (i.e. UCSF) then check with them, they may know of a university rate for the hotels that you can use. MD Anderson has an actual travel desk you can call that will help you set up stuff. Good luck! Hope everything works out for you.

 

[Floridian1989]

Depending on where you are going for test, hotels may have medical rates. I know for sure that many hotels in the Boston area have medical rates. A hospital social worker may be able to provide advice on what types of accommodations may be available. As for RMDH, to stay at our local house you need a referral from a social worker at the hospital. Good luck!

 

[christymarie]

My son was in a M-F outpatient day program at Children's Hospital in Chicago and we stayed at the RMH near it. We had to check out on Friday and try to check back in on Sunday night since he wasn't in treatment over the weekend.