The frustration of one doctor over the complex healthcare system opened a social media door for many other doctors to share that frustration. In the process of the doctor’s frustration, he revealed a common hospital practice that could cost seniors on Medicare Part B a fortune in unnecessary medical costs.

Dr. Hasan Shanawani is a respected high-ranking doctor with the Veteran’s Administration. His 83-year-old father was also a physician who was suffering from stage 4 prostate & bladder cancer. Hasan found out that his father had been hospitalized in New Jersey with a fractured spine. That was the beginning of Hasan’s frustrating journey through the healthcare system.

Instead of being admitted to the hospital, his father was placed in observational care, which is an outpatient status. He knew that this observational care status was going to cost his father both medically and financially, so he decided to call the hospital care coordinator to find out why an 83-year-old with stage 4 prostate and bladder cancer and unstable fractured spine was not admitted to the hospital. The following report recounts why he became so frustrated:

“On the phone with a hospital care coordinator, Shanawani pressed for an explanation. Why was his dad, who had metastatic stage 4 prostate cancer and an unstable spine, not considered eligible for a hospital admission? Why had an emergency room doctor told the family the night before that his father met admission criteria?”

“Sidestepping Shanawani’s questions, the care coordinator didn’t provide answers. Later, another senior nurse in the hospital unit didn’t respond when he asked her to find out what was going on.”

“Inflamed, Shawanani let loose on Twitter.”

“Within hours, Shanawani’s posts were widely shared and other people, some of them also doctors, recounted similar experiences. Within days, he had thousands of followers, up from fewer than 100 before his tirade.”…

“Shanawani’s distress revolved around three key issues, he explained in a lengthy conversation.

• Hospital staff didn’t acknowledge his family’s concerns or address them adequately: How can an old man with terminal prostate cancer and a broken back be sent home without measures to ensure his safety?
• No one seemed to care or be willing to listen: When family members asked that lower doses of painkillers be administered to Shanawani’s father, who had become delirious during previous hospitalizations, they felt nurses were disapproving and disrespectful.
• And the decision to put his father in observation care was misguided and handled curtly.”

So, why is being placed on observational care so bad, especially for seniors on Medicare Part B?

When on observational care, a patient with Medicare Part B can end up facing copayments for each test and each medical procedure. The out-of-pocket costs after Medicare pays their part can add up very fast. Additionally, if short term rehabilitation in a skilled nursing facility is required, Medicare Part B will not pay for it.

From what Shanawani found out, his frustration with the complex and uncaring healthcare system by fellow doctors is far more common than anyone realized.

So, be warned if you or your loved one ends up in the hospital and is put on observational care.