Reply To: Husband newly dx GBS but relapse at 4weeks, help or advice

Discharge policies vary. The hospital team + insurance plan + doctor usually decide on these matters. Typically, medical necessity of continued hospitalization is primarily determined by the presence of an acute health condition of sufficient severity that ongoing diagnostic or therapeutic intervention, or careful monitoring, is required.

The gray area may be in how the information is weighed and against what criteria. In order to argue for or against a discharge, you will need to know more of the facts involved. What is the guideline being used? What are the key measures of medical necessity at this time?

You may wish to paint a poor picture of the home environment he is being transferred to. That the environment isn’t conducive to his recovery or proper care and that his health could be in jeopardy by going home. But that tact could gear them up to sending him to another facility like an SNF.

Here is some information about challenging a premature or improper discharge:
http://canhr.org/factsheets/nh_fs/html/fs_challengingdischarge.htm