329: When the System Sends Them Home: Kim Williams-Feth, BSW, On Why Neuro Patients Need An Advocate

What happens to your neuro patients after they leave your care, and who's in their corner when the discharge falls apart? In this episode, host Erin Gallardo, PT, DPT, NCS, sits down with Kimberlie Williams-Feth, BSW, founder of Healthcare Survival Kit and a former hospital social work discharge planner who became an independent patient advocate after living the system's failures firsthand. When her husband's routine spinal fusion led to unexpected paralysis, Kimberlie navigated unsafe discharges, a "ghost network" of providers who didn't actually offer neuro care, and the months it took to find neuro PT and OT all while working full time and holding her family together. She shares the green/yellow/red scripting framework she teaches families, why a rushed discharge can leave patients financially liable the moment they say "no," and the three deceptively simple questions every clinician should ask: what did life look like before, what can you do now, and what are your goals. For neuro PTs, OTs, assistants, and students, this is a candid look at the holes in the system clinicians can't fill alone and the advocates who exist to fill them. Find an advocate by state or diagnosis at GNAnow.org (Greater National Advocates).

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Greater National Advocates: https://gnanow.org