Nevada Medicaid Information

Renown Health Home Care Authorization policy

The goal of this web site is to bring accountability, educate and encourage Reno area health-care leaders toward policies that will better serve all Nevada. Progressive changes to our health care system challenge the failures of the status quo. Those who are responsible sometimes become defensive rather than proactive. Indeed, rocking the boat is typically met with every conceivable rationale to defeat moving forward.

The development of in-home care for Nevada’s elderly and disability community will genuinely make a difference. The development or neglect of home care resources, will either mean an independent quality life or, confinement in institutions for many people. Renown Health is Northern Nevada’s largest health-care conglomerate. 

What steps will they take to establish self-directed home care services in Nevada? Rick Cline wrote the following in his attempt to secure home care authorizations from Renown Medical Home Care Nursing Services...

Re: Renown Health Home Care Policy, Self-Directed Homecare
Monday, May 21, 2007
To: Mr. Jim Miller, CEO Renown Health

Dear Mr. Miller,

Thank you for your recent letter. You reiterated your pledge of improving health services for our community that will genuinely make a difference. But, in the instance of Renown's recent decision to refuse to sign authorizations, (that would have granted self-directed homecare for elderly and disabled people)... did you condone a less valiant position?

The basic-values questions concerning the provision of this service were never addressed by Renown staff.  By their neglect of focus on those obviously appropriate concerns, and then by not confronting your staff's indifference to the resultant harm of their decision... have you endorsed a decision where human dignity and community were not put first? 

Halfway dealing with the issue, someone eventually arranged for another health care agency to accept responsibility for the service denied by Renown staff. This only alleviated the immediate unnecessary hospitalization fiasco that had resulted in my case. Since then, that homecare agency has intermittently been available to provide the service for me alone.  I'm hoping to communicate with Renown staff Kelly Pingel and Dr. Jackson to establish a better solution that will open the door for others in the community. 

Developing resources of home caregivers is a vital element in reversing the unnecessary institutionalization that is ongoing in the state of Nevada. Your participation, and the services that you can help create to encourage this development, are a key part of overcoming the dismal element of segregation and denial of independence that the old system is plagued with.

Your encouragement to do what will best serve our community is all that I'm asking for. Your nod-of-approval for Dr. Jackson to grant this simple authorization service may prevent another unnecessary hospitalization for myself and more importantly, will make it easier for other disabled people to live in our community with greater independence and dignity. 

Sincerely,

Rick Cline