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NEDA TOOLKIT for Parents Questions to Ask When Seeking a Treatment Center • Does the center accept the patient’s insurance? If so, how much will it cover? • Does the center offer help in obtaining reimbursement from the insurer? • Does the center offer financial assistance? • How long has the center been in business? • What is its treatment philosophy? • Does the center have any religious affiliations and what role do they play in treatment philosophy? • Does the center provide multidisciplinary care? • Who will be coordinating my loved one’s treatment? • Is the location convenient for the patient and his/ her support people who will be involved through recovery? • If family cannot participate in treatment in-person, what alternatives are there? • What security does the facility have in place to protect my loved one? • How quickly will you complete a full assessment of my child? • Prior to traveling to the treatment center: what are your specific medical criteria for admission and will you talk with my insurance company before we arrive to determine eligibility for benefits? • What is expected of the family during the person’s stay? • Anorexic-specific: Please describe your strategy for accomplishing refeeding and weight gain, and please include anticipated time frame. • How are target weights determined? • How do you handle food refusal? • What steps do you take to prevent purging? Compulsive exercise? • What happens if my child needs a higher level of care? How do you make that decision? • If my child does not start to make progress, what will happen? • Who is the best person to whom I should fax my loved one’s treatment history and medical records? • What are the visiting guidelines for family or friends? • What levels of care does the center provide? Please define criteria for each level mentioned. • What types of professionals participate on the care team and what is each person’s role? • What are the credentials and experience of the staff? • How many hours of treatment are provided to a patient each day and week? • Which professional serves as team leader? • What types of therapy does the center consider essential? Optional? • What is the patient-staff ratio? • What is the rate of turnover (staff resigning) for clinical staff? • How is that handled with patients? • Who will the patient have the most contact with on a daily basis? • What is the mealtime support philosophy? • Who will update key family or friends? How often? • How is care coordinated for the patient inside the center and outside if needed? • How does the center communicate with the patient’s family doctors and other doctors who may routinely provide care? • What are your criteria for determining whether a patient needs to be partially or fully hospitalized? • What happens in counseling sessions? Will there be individual and group sessions? • Will there be family sessions? • How will family be prepared for the patient’s discharge? • How does the care team measure success for the patient? • How do you decide when a patient is ready to leave? • How is that transition managed with the patient and family? • What after-care plans do you have in place and at what point do you begin planning for discharge? • What follow-up care after discharge is needed and who should deliver it? • Does the patient have a follow-up appointment in hand before being discharged? Is the follow-up appointment within 7 days of the discharge date? • When is payment due? Page  | 39