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?
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