A New Orleans hospital acted in stark contrast to other medical centers nationwide by sending infected coronavirus patients to die at home, and be cared for by untrained family members without the proper protective equipment, according to a ProPublica investigation reported on Wednesday.
This was often done after the hospital, Ochsner Health, pressured the families of patients to accept hospice care, according to the probe.
ProPublica started the investigation after it discovered that 17% of New Orleans coronavirus patients aged 85 and older died at home, more than four times higher than the 4% average nationwide.
Reporters then tried to speak with the families of everyone who died at home in the city, and the conversations with them revealed a striking pattern: Before they died, about two dozen patients, all black, first sought care at a hospital, which then discharged them, in many cases sending them home to die with hospice care, with the vast majority coming from Ochsner Health.
The families of eight of these patients said the Ochsner staff pressured them into accepting hospice care for their loved ones even as some pushed back against the idea.
Hospice workers usually make frequent visits, especially in a patient’s final days, but during the worst of the pandemic, hospice companies were limiting such in-person visits.
An Ochsner spokesperson told ProPublica that, per national standards, "hospice was determined and recommended by the care team if the patient had a life-limiting illness in which death is anticipated in the next six months," adding that “We do not and did not cut corners on our patient’s care at any time during or after COVID-19.”
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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