Cohen & Kuvin Defends Patients Rights On Pro Bono Basis

The wife and children of Karim Kahn have been given an ultimatum. They can either send their ailing father to a nursing facility in New York that will isolate him from his family completely OR take him home where he will not have long term care. His Medicare has run out, and Select Specialty Hospital in Palm Beach County has filed a lawsuit to have him removed from their facility.
Spencer T. Kuvin is representing Mr. Karim Kahn on a pro bono basis because of the firms' vast exposure to the blatant denial of care that has been unleashed on consumers. Spencer Kuvin, a partner at Cohen & Kuvin, LLC has filed a motion to dismiss on behalf of Mr. Kahn and his family in response to the complaint filed by Select Specialty Hospital. He said, "Our client has fallen between the cracks of a broken system, where his care is not profitable to Select Specialty or the local nursing homes. We now live in a world where the needs of a patient are measured by profits rather than the requirements for care, and unfortunately, Mr. Khan has basically been deemed unsuitable for this corporation's bottom line."
In early 2010, Karim Kahn was at an appointment with his podiatrist when his blood pressure crashed and he was rushed to Palms West Hospital. Once at the hospital, he was stabilized, but he had to be placed on a ventilator and has remained in a vegetative state. On April 14, 2010 he was moved to Select Specialty Hospital, a facility designed to meet the needs of patients who no longer require ICU, but whose medical conditions are too complex for transfer to a skilled nursing facility. Mr. Kahn's condition requires a feeding tube, a vent and dialysis. Select Specialty was receiving payment for Mr. Kahn through Medicare for the first 150 days of his admission. However, after that period expired, his Medicare coverage lapsed and Medicaid kicked in which does not provide reimbursements for facilities such as Select. Medicaid does provide some reimbursements for nursing home facilities; however, Select claimed that the only facility willing to accept Mr. Khan was in New York.
Spencer Kuvin stated, "On a state and national basis, we are seeing a disgraceful pattern of denying care and displacing the needs of the weak and vulnerable by putting profits over patients. The Florida Legislature just passed legislation to specifically achieve that goal and Congress is considering more of the same. Mr. Kahn is a prime example of a hard working taxpayer, whose dire need for care is being caught in the cross-fires of bureaucracy and profitability. We intend to fight this injustice and ensure Mr. Kahn get the care he deserves."


- Spencer Kuvin
Cohen & Kuvin, LLC
http://www.cohenkuvin.com/