We receive many requests to provide transportation to people who are scheduled to be released from a medical rehab facility and may not be able to drive themselves, or who are scheduled for exploratory or other surgery and also cannot drive themselves home afterwards because of the anesthesia they will have.
When the person is discharged from a rehab stay, it’s usually pretty straight forward. That person may have gone into rehab for a week or more after some kind of surgery (broken leg, cancer, etc.), but has been deemed medically stable enough to go back home to live.
When the person is being discharged from day surgery, the concern can be for a reason as simple as the light anesthesia from a colonoscopy, dental or cataract surgery, although sometimes it’s that the anesthesia is rather stronger, as can be the case for day surgery such as on one’s sinuses, gall bladder, etc.
Hospitals will not release a patient to a taxi or Uber driver because of the liability in the event the person has a delayed reaction to the anesthesia, such as a fall or choking.
There are other transportation options available, although I haven’t yet investigated them to see what kind of service those options might actually offer, over and above the ride home.
Heritage Health Services does provide transportation after a rehab stay or surgeries, but there’s more to it than just a pick up and drop off (obviously, we are not a taxi service). We expect to stay with the patient for a minimum of an hour (sometimes 2-3 hours) once we arrive at the person’s home (even if we’ve picked the person up at a hospital or facility an hour or more’s drive from home) so we can do some basic monitoring of the individual’s condition in the environment we’ll be leaving the person in.
For example, we’ll engage the person in conversation to check for any slurring of words, ability to follow the discussion without undue confusion, ability to follow directions, and for being oriented to person (self), place & time. We’ll ensure the person is hydrated and can eat small amounts without choking, and isn’t overly sleepy.
We’ll monitor the person’s steadiness when walking and moving around; if appropriate, we may help the person unpack and put items away. We’ll make sure the person has the wherewithal to call for help in the event of an emergency once we leave.
While we ask the person regarding any medications that can or should be taken within the next 24 hours, it’s only as a reminder. We will not verify those meds or administer them.
The location’s safety will be minimally assessed. Are there stairs to navigate, or clutter or pets that could cause a fall? Does the person have access to easy to prepare food for the next 24 hours, without using a stove, extremely hot water or sharp knives?
Will the person have the support of anyone else, either in the home or nearby? Is anyone else living/staying in the home, or expected to visit in the next 12-24 hours? Does the person have access to a telephone, and able to call 911 if needed?
Because we’re more than a taxi cab or Uber/Lyft service, our fees may be higher somewhat higher than one would pay for a transportation company.
Hourly Rate: This begins as soon as we pick up the individual from the hospital or other facility, and will continue for at least an hour once we arrive at the person’s home or temporary stay location.
If, for example, we were to drive from Auburn to Maine Med in Portland to pick up the client and take him home to South Paris, the Hourly Rate would be as follows:
Auburn to Maine Med (no charge except for mileage; see below), Maine Med to South Paris (1 hour at $40 + mileage as outlined below), monitoring for 1 hour in the client’s home ($40), travel back to Auburn office (no charge except for mileage, per below).
Mileage: 65.5c per mile (or whatever the corresponding IRS rate is at the time of service) beginning at our office location and ending when we return to our office. The first 10 miles are at no charge. Any turnpike tolls using our EZ Pass will also be charged to the client or the client’s representative.
So, say we have to drive to Portland from Auburn to pick up the individual at Maine Med, and drive him to his apartment in South Paris. For us the mileage might be Auburn to Maine Med (41 miles), Maine Med to South Paris (47 miles), South Paris to our office (19 miles) for a total of 107 – 10 miles x .655c = $63.54. With turnpike tolls of about $4.00, that’s around $67.54.
Hazardous Driving Conditions: At the agency’s discretion we may decide the weather isn’t safe for our driver or for you. Generally we will identify such conditions well ahead of time – before you arrive for your surgery, when at all possible – and cancel prior to it being a matter of leaving you with no transportation.
If the weather is such that it could be hazardous but likely will be do-able (perhaps in the event of severe but rapidly moving thunderstorms), there may be an extra Hazard Fee of $50-$100 or so. Please take this into account if it looks like there will be sleet or freezing rain, hail or fast falling snow.
The total cost in the example above (excluding any Hazardous Driving fees) would be $80.00 for 2 hours under the Hourly Rate and $63.54 for the Mileage cost, or about $143.54.
Any of the taxi or other driver services would likely cost you at least that much (although a hospital or other facility would be unlikely to discharge you to such a transportation service), and would not include the assurance of a non-medical professional to monitor your safety and well-being once at your intended destination.
At this time, the vehicle in service is a low mileage Subaru CrossTrek. We have dogs, and they frequently are in the vehicle so if the client has allergies to dog dander, we may not be your best option.
Categories: Medical Concerns, Senior Support Services, transportation
Heritage Homecare Services 
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