Have a medical procedure at JCMC soon and need someone to escort me home…. How?

Submitted by LostinAndalusia111 t3_y0qjza in jerseycity

I have to get a procedure done at JCMC in a couple weeks and since it involves anesthesia I need someone in the waiting room during the procedure to escort me home for liability reasons. Doctors told me there is no way around this as this is a state mandate.

The procedure is on a weekday morning. I’m required to show up 2 hours before the procedure with a chaperone. The out patient facility requires someone present when I check in.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to go under anesthesia this year. I was fortunate to have my friends assist me previously, but all of them work full time. It’s a huge ask for them to use PTO to wait hours in a hospital lobby and escort my sedated self home….AGAIN…. and maybe again in the very near future depending on how this goes.

I feel like this must be a common enough scenario for lots of people who aren’t from this area / without nearby family.

I contacted my insurance and they do not provide this service nor know anyone who does. I was able to find “post op chaperones” options in NYC. However, everyone I called does not go out of the state of New York despite JC being across the river.

Does anyone know of a Jersey City reliable solution to this? Would very much appreciate it.

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Comments

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clenchingboar t1_irvm3ig wrote

DM me, if it’s a weekday it’s no problem since I work from home. I have a car too so can drive you. It’s just me and my gf out here in JC so I get not having anyone around to help. Maybe buy me lunch afterwards 😂

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saltypbcookie t1_irtajsb wrote

I think I've seen caregivers on care.com offering this. You'll have to pay an hourly rate, of course, but I don't see why it couldn't work to find someone willing to help there.

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Z_is_a_bella t1_irujdnt wrote

Just want to send you a virtual hug OP. It sounds stressful having to worry about this on top of taking care of your medical needs.

Hope it will all work out and you get well soon! ❤️

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itchyback2021 t1_iruc474 wrote

This happened to me last year. Huge pain in the ass. I ended up having family come from Long Island to help out (felt truly terrible asking). I found this service which was promising but she was booked up on the date I needed. https://discreetchaperone.com

I believe there’s an extra fee for coming to JC

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LostinAndalusia111 OP t1_irvv6gr wrote

>https://discreetchaperone.com

hi there, i found this service as well. She said she does not do service for jersey hospitals going to jersey residence. new york has to be part of the equation. thank you though.

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hardtalk370 t1_irutocv wrote

I had the same experience with a procedure at Langone in Manhattan.

I tried to beg an acquaintance to come with me, they refused / couldn’t do it that day. I couldn’t get the procedure until several weeks later when a friend was free to come with me.

Hope you get well soon, take care.

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possums101 t1_irt9kd9 wrote

Did you tell the hospital?

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LostinAndalusia111 OP t1_irtg6ur wrote

yes, they specifically told me they will not perform the surgery unless i have a chaperon with me upon signing in. They further explained this isnt necessarily a hospital rule, but a state mandate. They did not know of any medical chaperone services i could look into.

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Binja_and_comrades t1_irttvco wrote

That’s strange. They should be able to refer you to a service that can get you home post procedure.

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imaluckyduckie t1_irwc4w8 wrote

I'm not surprised a hospital wouldn't willingly take on the liability of referring out a service like that

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LostinAndalusia111 OP t1_iryem95 wrote

FYI to anyone who finds themselves in this predicament:

The hospital will not refer you to a 3rd party service they have zero affiliation with. That would be a major liability/ put them at risk of being sued.

I've asked my PCP, the specialist, my insurance, the hospital and the doctor performing my procedure if they could refer me to a service. They all confirmed they do not know of any such service.

They can recommend transportation, but not a chaperone who will sign your liability release forms.

Essentially, it's not their responsibility to find someone willingly legally liable for you. They just do the procedure.

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Grotter_00 t1_irtk5jq wrote

Uber Health?

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imaluckyduckie t1_irwf2fb wrote

This looks like a service medical providers can sign up for. If JCMC doesn't already use them, you probably can't just request an Uber Health ride as a patient

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DirectorBeneficial48 t1_irukbnp wrote

Depending on the date, I'll do it at a very reasonable rate. DM me if you're interested. I'll fart around in the waiting room with my laptop or whatever for a couple hrs.

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Vertigo963 t1_irus63x wrote

Does anyone know whether this is really a legal requirement? Sounds like something that low-level employees say to you to justify arbitrary red tape.

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imaluckyduckie t1_irwe4zk wrote

It's very real:

New Jersey Administrative Code Title 13 - LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Chapter 35 - BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS

Subchapter 4A - SURGERY, SPECIAL PROCEDURES AND ANESTHESIA SERVICES PERFORMED IN AN OFFICE SETTING

>Section 13:35-4A.7 - Standards for administering or supervising the administration of anesthesia services in an office; pre-anesthesia counseling; patient monitoring; recovery; patient record; discharge of patient
>
>(g) A practitioner who administers or supervises the administration and monitoring of anesthesia services in an office shall ensure the following prior to discharge:
>
>1. That at least one practitioner shall remain on the premises until the patient is discharged to home or transferred to the special overnight stay area;
>
>2. That the patient shall be given written and verbal instructions for follow-up care and advice concerning complications;
>
>3. That before the patient leaves the office or is transferred to the overnight stay area, the physician shall evaluate the patient and shall review and sign the post-anesthesia record; and
>
>4. That the patient shall be discharged only into the company of a responsible individual.

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Vertigo963 t1_irwnzmx wrote

Thanks! Seems like unnecessary interference in peoples' private lives to me, but who am I to disagree with 21 unelected political appointees?

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imaluckyduckie t1_irwvcyw wrote

Have you ever had general anesthesia? You can wake up pretty out of it and many people are definitely in no condition to be driving/navigating themselves home. I escorted a friend once in Hoboken and I couldn't even get her to walk down the street after her procedure. She kept stopping to chat up every passing person on the sidewalk. Definitely would not have wanted to see her try to make it home by herself.

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Vertigo963 t1_irwxg5c wrote

The symptoms of general anesthesia fade pretty quickly, and I still don't see a good reason to legally bar people from getting a cab.

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imaluckyduckie t1_irzhthq wrote

Side effects last up to 24hrs

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Vertigo963 t1_is0uvay wrote

In my experience, someone coming out from under general anesthesia for an outpatient procedure is perfectly capable of using a cab within about an hour. Keep in mind, 95% of the time we're going to be talking about someone having extremely brief outpatient surgery. Which is why it's stupid to have a restrictive single rule for every case.

1

kimchikick t1_iruw11b wrote

That sucks OP. If the other options from this thread fall through I can volunteer to help depending on the date

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fraggle-rocket t1_irwi8qr wrote

Im not sure what insurance you have anything but here are a few resources for medical transport. The first two are for Medicare/Medicaid.

ModivCare (if you have Medicaid or Medicare) its free to arrange transport there and back. Mymodivcare.com.

Logisticare is also available for ppl w/ medicaid 1-866-527-9933.

JCMC also has non-emergency transport Hudcen you can see if they can help 201-324-5022. BUT def check with your insurance, some plans offer coverage for medical transport some dont.

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LostinAndalusia111 OP t1_is516br wrote

Thank you for this thoughtful reply. I definitely think this is helpful information, however as i previously stated in my OP and replies,

"I've asked my PCP, the specialist, my insurance, the hospital and the doctor performing my procedure if they could refer me to a (chaperone) service. They all confirmed they do not know of any such service...They can recommend transportation, but not a chaperone who will sign your liability release forms."

Medical chaperone is a completely separate complication than transportation. It is required by law when going under anesthesia. I have gone through this twice this year. I was not permitted to check in, much less have the procedure, until my chaperone showed up.

Thank you for taking the time to respond and listing these resources though!

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road2health t1_irvnc8d wrote

And it absolutely has to be at JCMC? I ask because Hudson Regional provides complimentary transport to and from the hospital for all patients. If this will be a regular thing for you, might be worth looking into.

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PowerfulCobbler t1_irvu458 wrote

I’d post on Taskrabbit asking for someone to do it. I’m sure someone would be happy to help for some cash, and many of those people have positive reviews from doing other tasks so you can find someone reliable

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