Prairie Care's Credibility Problems

We are coming up on the one year anniversary of this blog. This blog was first penned to warn parents. It was originated to stand up to the administrative staff at Prairie Care, who responded to our concerns about safety, lack of checking backpacks, and lack of information regarding potentially dangerous pill interactions. It was founded because we found their decision to include a lawyer, needlessly seek to undermine, and blame only the mother, and attempt to pressure us to hand over access to our sons medical records after we left a very odd way to handle concerns about the care of children. It was founded because they have ignored requirements to provide itemized billing after our belief they way overcharged us based on what THEY said. We started this blog because we aren't scared and hiding like they do. We aren't afraid to tell our story. And we will NOT be intimidated by them.  We do not believe only mother's should be attacked, or any parent should be attack for raising concerns. We believe that is a first year law school tactic to deflect and undermine credibility. We do not respect that tactic when children's health is at risk. And when there are two equal parents, we believe in 21st century responses, instead of blaming moms. Barefoot and in the kitchen days are over fellas.

Many of these things we feel we now understand, and the credibility issues have been coming down from one agency after another that show we were right and they have problems.
Documentation issues, stonewalling, blatant false statements contradicted by their own voices. This is their public record after we have filed complaints with the Attorney General, Minnesota Ombudsman for Mental Health, and Better Business Bureau.

These all could have been avoided if we saw any sign the people in charge cared. After a year we realized the dangers to our child were worse than we thought then. Doctors who don't find their own mistakes to be a concern-- are major concern to us.


Children's lives are on the line.

It is interesting to me that this all could have been wrapped up so easily had it not been for their bizarre response. All I had asked was they commit to review and care the concerns I laid out, and stick to their word on billing. A fairly paltry amount really. I said, if we can do this, barring anything unforeseen, I would consider us done. Barring anything unforeseen may have been problematic since we found so many unforeseen scary facts after we refused to back down to the bully. And that's just what we alone have found, with no attorney assistance. They were very naughty and we believe our child  suffered for it, and it could have been worse if we hadn't pulled him early and found new care that dramatically changed things by getting our child off the dangerous interactions PrairieCare increased, with a doctor somewhere in their system saying it could be the very problem, but somehow that got lost in the paperwork I guess. Perhaps with all the other paperwork that is missing?

The following is a copy of our year in review after dealing with Prairiecare and their free assessment, day treatment program and pulling our child early after the many red flags. It was worse than we thought.

All the agencies we filed with have records of their findings and experience with this place.

By the way, if you do a search, we are not the only parents out there with similar stories, we are just the most in depth.
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Danger to your children is something every parent grapples with in making decisions. Our opinions of care and billing, and facts found by government are just one factor to consider. The following is an addition to the original post which shows up the most in people's searches. It will give you what we learned since the beginning :
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"several documentation concerns presented themselves.  In particular, incomplete forms, conflicting information in single event charting, duplication of charting notes for different days, and documentation indicating (..redacted..) with no documentation available at all. "

Actual portion of letter sent to Prairie Care from MN Ombudsman for mental health. 

Dropped a letter grade by Better Business Bureau after ignoring them. 

-Attorney General's office has copies of their own voices which factually contradict some of their statements. 

-They tell you on their website they have an "unbiased" advocate to help you. This man works for them, writes letters on their behalf, and does their dirty work. Honesty is important. Unbiased? That means not on a side. Dictionaries are available online to their writers.

-Check interactions with drugs! We don't trust them at all there and firmly believe they could have killed our son. Children's health is a serious issue. These things I believe must be reviewed and there should be reviews done by mental health doctors with parent knowledge to help the child.

We found Prairie Care to be not informative on interactions, and as a parent, I believe they were not on top of this issue.

They INCREASED dangerous pill interactions without warning us of the potential dangers,  and they stood by it for at least one, but we didn't know about the other, on that was far worse.

We never knew until after we left about interactions and the horrible side effects. We never knew until pulling him from the program that those pills could be the problem, that the interactions had potentially dangerous effects. We didn't learn until almost a year later just how bad it was.

Are they watching the brand new doctors? They told us they were, but I don't believe them. That's my opinion, but I think I earned it.

Serotonin Syndrome has the potential to kill.  

We believe over treatment can be as harmful as over-medicating. We are not doctors, but we say this as parents. Second opinions changed our lives.

When we pulled him out early, after several issues had arisen, after we informed staff of those issues, after having strong doubts about what was happening in the day program, and after getting a bill that was significantly larger than what we were told, we believe our choice was right and have been proved right everywhere we have gone. 

Get in writing exactly what they charge and for what. Our request for itemization of what they did each day to warrant the charge has not been provided. Of course, now that I know how extensive their documentation problems were, that would probably be difficult. 

We believe our child was at risk for their greed. That is our opinion. We believe it with all our heart. 

We again believe a parent should be able to address their child's care with no fear of retribution. 

Does the free assessment remind you of being sold a timeshare?  Looking back, that's how I would describe it. At the time, I thought it was about health.

We were referred there for growing concerns about a child's mental health and we thought when we were referred there, they were committed to his care.

I no longer believe that in any way, shape, or form.

I believe they are terribly frightened of a lawsuit and that's why they lawyered up immediately in responding to us about care concerns that ranged from not checking backpacks, finding a long stick pin, but not the worst which I found about about almost a year later. I think that's why they wouldn't talk to the BBB and that's why they've tossed everything they can against a wall against me to see what sticks. I didn't even know how bad it really was until almost a year later when we found some new documentation. When I saw the records, we sat our son down and told him what was in them. He wants others to know. And that's why we blog. Our opinion is we can help the next child or next set of parents.

They once said I was all about money, even though that's not even close to where it started. We paid them off immediately. We believe it was still about twice as high as it should have been and they mislead us and told them so. But we paid it. And frankly, I doubt that little tiny bit of money they felt that adament about.

 But if it was all about money--why wouldn't they have simply paid back less than a thousand dollars and avoid the endless agencies who have all bolstered us and brought out even more damning details? I ponder that business model. I always wondered why they came at us in a way I found so strangely aggressive and bizarre when we pointed out some issues. Since, we have found out it was even worse than we thought.

If it was all about money, why did they have a lawyer involved when I informed them of care issues (most of which I had informed them of while there) but was a year away yet from finding out just how bad it was. I didn't get why they had a lawyer included at the time, but I saw it as a hostile move. I didn't understand at all their odd response, a response that seemed more interested in destroying my credibility than caring for a child. I thought that was very weird at the time.

We weren't even near dealing with all the billing issues at that point. Again, they are required to produce an itemization and explanation of the charges and despite our requests have NOT.

If it's all about money, why not? Could it be all the documentation problems found? Could it be they are unable to produce it because they can't back it up? Could that be why they stonewalled the Better Business Bureau who tried to contact them several times in several ways?

If it was all about money, why were they pressing for my son's medical recordsafter he left? Why? I have not found any official or doctor who can explain to me why they would press so hard for his records of care AFTER we left with a new doctor.

If it was all about money, why would they let themselves be damaged by the BBB, by letting information go public when mom refused to meet with them and their lawyer and cooperate with getting records they had no medical interest in?

If it was all about money, why would they, as a for profit business, think such a paltry amount of money was more important than the public finding out? That's strange business. Why would a for profit business let so much bad press get out to the public over chump change. Why would this website exist if it was all about money?

Why?

My opinion is they are scared to death that we will sue over how they cared for our child, win, and it will cost them so much more. Just an opinion. My other guess is they have really incompetent people working for them on the administrative side. I don't know what else to think..

My opinion is it is about money--but not ours, it's about theirs.

The Ombudsman called them out on some major documentation problems. We have proof of interaction issues from their own records. We have their own voices left on our voicemail contradicting them.

So if you are a quality place, committed to patients, children and families, why would you act so strangely and stonewall?

We believe all the facts about his care are on our side — and even though it took us almost a year before we learned it was worse than we thought..we know now. But we still haven't retained an attorney. We have just filed and done very well with public complaints to various agencies. We've put a lot of time into informing the public. More than a few dollars can cover. It's never been about the money for us. It's been about honesty and safety. It's been about refusing to be bullied down. It's been about not letting another family experience what we did.

We are pleased to have kept voice mails which were able to refute baseless accusations now on record with the AG. I kept every single voice mail. Apparently they were not aware of that when they sent a letter to the AG. That sucks for them. Health care, mental health care for children is a very serious issue. And so is integrity. I need to trust a doctor, especially when my child is on the line. I believe they are so untrustworthy the public should know.

(btw, I spent over a decade as a reporter..not sure if they knew that since I got the feeling they thought I was just a dumb mommy who would be scared of their bluster and go along with them without question, just an opinion....because of my background, I have a thing with "right to know," and am certainly not clueless on working with agencies, research, information laws, and dealing with slimeballs who hide under rocks.)

 They have  documentation (mn ombudsman) and stonewalling (BBB) issues on record. 

I believe that means Prairie Care in Edina and Maple Grove sucks and bought the domain name because it is highly recommended that any business or public official buys such names because they are likely to come up. Just do a search on obamasucks.com or bushsucks.com. You'll see how it works. PR people should know that.

Consultants, I've always thought, were a waste of money. That's free advice.

 My opinion is based on their behavior with us, and findings at the BBB, Attorney General, and Minnesota Ombudsman for Mental health, as well as documentation they wrote.

Please know, they never told me about pill interactions. In fact, they stood by not telling me. I disagree that parents don't need to know.

But at the time, I wasn't aware of just how bad the interaction dangers were. I have more now that as a parent was a blow to the gut. I believe parents have a RIGHT TO BE INFORMED.

They never told me how badly they screwed up documents. Never. I found out nearly a year later what the Ombudsman had found.

Again:

"several documentation concerns presented themselves.  In particular, incomplete forms, conflicting information in single event charting, duplication of charting notes for different days, and documentation indicating (..redacted..) with no documentation available at all. "

Actual portion of letter sent to Prairie Care from MN Ombudsman for mental health in our case. That letter, we were told by the Ombudsman has now been sent to the Attorney General to make clear what they told Prairie Care vs what Prairie Care claimed. 

By the way, it should be noted Prairie Care apologized to our child's new doctors because it took way too long to get his records. Past anything reasonable.

Why did they drag their feet so much??

Thanks to our ever increasing readers. This blog would have never been, if we hadn't felt bullied, or if we felt that Prairie Care actually did care about children.

We are passionate our child deserved better. Our child is a great kid, we firmly believe they took advantage of us, by using him, and put him in peril. That's our opinion, but we believe it 100%.

We want children to be safe. That's it.

We are not a settle out and quietly go away type, and we don't care to pad lawyer pockets. We want children to be safe. We were not left with an impression that they cared, but we do. We think screwing up charts, pill interaction increases and safety checks are VERY SERIOUS ISSUES. If Oberstarr, a DOCTOR, had shown us any sign he took those issues seriously, we wouldn't be here today. That's it. We wanted to know they understood some things were problems and committed to fix them.

One commentary came to this website about their care and claimed to be a patient and everything was roses. A quick google search on the name showed it was from a health care consultant.

We have still been waiting for her follow up since her "outing." Wow.

That's one reason why I have little regard for PR consultants. I've worked with them before. I am waiting for one that has opinions worth anything to cross my path.

 I always thought "consultant" was just a fancy way of saying..let's pay someone to agree with everything we want them to say. Opinion. Governments use them all the time. I think they are a waste of money. 

Prairie Care committed to take care of my son. And believe me when I say, when a mom finds out all I know today...thinking you're sexist is the nicest thing I have to say about Todd. His letter writer who claims to be a patient advocate, and Oberstarr rank even lower in our view  than the administrator.

Oberstarr is a Doctor. He took an oath.

He took an oath.

We do not endorse Prairie Care's mental health programs, or business in Edina and Maple Grove. 

A second opinion is, in our opinion, an eye opener. We endorse second opinions by qualified professionals unrelated to that place. That's our opinion. I wish someone would have warned us, but we were referred and thought they would help. Hindsight is 20/20. 

Happy Thanksgiving

A year ago our nightmare with Prairie Care was in the works. I am thankful we got out before it's too late, and though we will not forget the major interaction that disgusting place increased, the misleading pricing information, the pain and fear, the attacks we refuted, the obscene documentation errors even the Minnesota State Ombudsman called Prairie Care out on, and much more...we are thankful they didn't do even more harm.

We are hopeful Oberstarr, Archebold, and their shameful mouthpiece, enjoy their families  this year, but hope something will strike them as they look in their families eyes, and they will see. That for once they will see the pain they cause. The people they hurt. We pray for them.

And we pray no more families will be scared for their child,  have to give them more than twice as much as they quoted, for documentation errors galore and increasing potentially dangerous interactions.

Mental health, family pain and children are not a shell game.

It is simply a shame these creatures are growing and we hope more families will not be hurt, or even more hurt than we were.

We are thankful. We will never live with, what they have to live with.

May your children be well, and you find the very best. Just don't forget, as we learned, everything should be researched, cross checked and documented. We found too many potentially dangerous problems to fail at this again. They may have a license, but that, we have found, is not enough.

You are your child's best advocate.

Profit mongers have one mission. Be thankful you aren't them.

Just how bad was it?

We know now there was a medication interaction concern.
We know with a new doc who dropped rather than increased it our child experienced the improvement we had been hoping for...Prairie Care did not.

We knew prior from the ombudsman there were documentation concerns not directly related to his care.

Concerns is an understatement.

This is what the ombudsman sent to them:

6)

After reviewing $&&$&$ chart, "several documentation concerns presented themselves.  In particular, incomplete forms, conflicting information in single event charting, duplication of charting notes for different days, and documentation indicating the use of restraint with no documentation available at all. "

She went on to call them 

"Serious concerns" that she would be following up

With that place about. 

Why we are just finding out it was serious now, I don't know. 

Restraints? What happened to my kiddo? 

When this blog was started, I felt they were pretty bad. 

Almost a year later, they were worse than I thought. 

Living it

As we have lived it, I have nothing but regrets for following a doctor's recommendation and bringing my kiddo to Prairie Care.

My regrets have only grown the more I deal with them. Painfully so.

But hopefully others will be helped by our experience. I have the opinion of them that  money in the pocket, is a bigger concern than due diligence. Bigger than care.

It's my opinion, but it is why we have dealt with them not only on care, but billing.

When you don't take responsibility, you never learn.

Are we the first parents to believe companies put money first?

Whether it's our gas tank, or our children, I believe the greed is the driver of some of these folk's intentions.

But with our children, we can never fix those precious moments in time.

As a parent of a high functioning autistic son, who was desperate for help..I know now Prairie Care was not for him. As I have gone to agencies and dealt with the blowback, insults, and sadly learned just how bad it really was..I wish so much we could rewind time. This despite being stronger as each agency did what they could.

Instead, we move forward.

  
And maybe another kiddo will be spared our experience.

My son

He is my world. I love you kiddo - and this one's for you. You deserved better, sooner.
It is more clear than ever how lucky we were to leave that place. The one who knew I was critical of not letting us know about a moderate interaction with a different combo - but made sure to never mention in response where they oddly and immediately involved their lawyer.. They never mentioned that major interaction we were so clueless on. Until we got a copy of his tests and noticed something we were alarmed to see...
The medication interaction he was on and they increased...oh boy....

It must be good fortune when a parent complains about not being informed of a moderate drug interaction, and doesn't realize there was a major interaction that was so much worse.

Then all your discharge paperwork can focus on that, all responses can justify that...but acknowledge that "other one?" The one you increased? The one our new doctor caught day one but we came and left with your cocktail? No way. Let's attack mom's character. Let's make sure the ombudsman is compromised by spreading gossip to the AG.

We realized yesterday something new..and today we realized something absolutely devastating.

The danger was so much more .

All my advice, and I missed the worst thing of all.

His new doctor caught it right away and corrected it. We didn't know how bad it was but thank God he caught it.
To him we will always be so grateful. He not only changed everything - he may have saved my son.'a life. I am not a doctor, but I know now my kiddo was in danger.. And his worsening behavior is a known effect of this major interaction they increased. They increased! I almost vomited when the pieces fell into place.

At admission, the scary place didn't catch it... And as we waited to be admitted to the partial program they didn't catch it. Oh so simple... Send us to a pro..know your stuff. Get him off it! That was our new doctor's first thing to do. And everything got better-- but I didn't truly get the whole picture.

I am not a doctor, but now feel like I have to cross check every damn thing. Darn it.



In a note added who knows when, to a document we just got a copy of elsewhere, we found the worst story of our whole story. Almost a year later, we finally got it. and further paper trails make pretty darn clear we didn't .....but someone there did, and at some point there's a note that the mother,  (keep in mind the father was in attendance and wants to know why it's always me.. As I told him... I believe once I wrote the first complaint, I became the one to blame, smear and he became irrelevant) a note that the mother should be asked about behavior when this drug came into play. In their own discharge papers they say he was admitted for worsening behavior.

The mom that has complained to 3 agencies after the weird responses from them never brought up the most damning concern. My son had begun the journey after he had been prescribed a medication and it has a major interaction with his other med. Not the 3rd combo of moderate interaction. This is major.

We assessed and then sat and waited for their php and not a word.

Our new doctors first move was to get him off it. We left the bad place and from beginning to end he was not only on it, they increased it!

Near the end of our file it says we finally discussed a taper (but ignores putting in how damn threatening it was) and by the way, layman that I am.. That drug doesn't even need a taper because of a significant half life. And when it has a major interaction that could have hurt or killed him .. Let's just sit around and see how it goes... Wow. I am not a doctor so I can't pass medical judgment, but I am a parent and we  personally judge them as crappy care run by callous and horrible people. And I
Our opinion.
The trust they blew, makes me question it all.

The scariest most threatening drug interaction of all.. The one that was known to worsen behavior, potentially cause serotonin syndrome (a potentially fatal problem) we came and left with.

We waited for space to open while on it getting no other treatment than waiting...and they had the nerve to critique me for not increasing that interaction immediately when told because I knew it was based on false info. But I did not know my baby was in danger from his meds.

Admin... You live with this? No wonder..

Even from this blog, I have been babbling about over medicating, over treatment - but I never caught on to the most threatening issue of all. I was incredibly close... Uncomfortably close ?

But  mom finally got it. And my husband and I are devastated. Today, I was in sheer panic and have contacted agencies to start the process all over again. My file on this is unreal. And apparently never ends.

But this time we did something different and told our son.

We told him that there is a very real possibility all the hard times that led us to that nightmare before the new doctor saved him may not have been in his control to stop.

The autistic boy who was focused on a balloon and fixing the cable heard us.
And through the balloon bouncing we laid out a series of options, the challenges and more..
And we told him that we believe now it was all wrong. The unfocused boy with different ways  is kit a bad kiddo, and his immediate improvement reinforced that.

We wanted to take some of the pain he may  away...

So we asked him what he wanted to do. I do not think we are capable of putting them out of business as he suggested. But he did say "there is no amount of money that can make it right."

True enough kiddo. It's why we have taken a route to inform rather than litigate in the first place.

We are going forward with appropriate complaints, but still haven't retained an attorney.

No amount can fix what happened. And we can't make a chip in them anyway. They haven't shown an ounce of anything that shows they care to us.

But they knew. At what point I do not know. But through all the stonewalling and character attacks, they knew I was missing something much worse.

Kudos I guess. It took me a while. But I got it.

My son doesn't care about money, and as I talked to my husband today... We dreaded more of taking in Goliath. But this blog, our opinion and our story can do what our goal has always been- try to get the word out, so no family would live our experiences.

We didn't realize when we started the blog it was worse than we thought - but now we do.

And now you do as well.

On hold

This has been removed from our title and replaced with we do not endorse them. 

we believe all parents are entitled to their own opinion and research and expect that some may find them a good fit. One size does not fit all.

Today, I have learned things about our case that have made me sad, scared and want to hold my son.

This blog is on hold as we deal with them.

We hope you take great diligence and your child is well. 

Good grief

Got some info, related  to care (we have had two separate but intertwined issues, billing and care) that was a real forehead slapper.

Sometimes, they make it too easy for me. Previously, you may recall I mentioned prairie care claimed things to the AG that their own voices directly refuted. It was my pleasure to send the AG a copy of their voicemails.

I am almost sure there's some mental health rationale when folks do things so blatant, it's almost like they are trying to get caught.

Although, I believe I do now understand the number one reason they apparently fear me so much.

From my first bringing their attention to a few issues, they immediately had their lawyer involved (as I could see when the attorney was included in a response to me.)

I always wondered why, what specific nerve did I hit ? I raised a few issues  from our painful stay.
Why were they so worried?? I have yet to retain an attorney.. Why so scared of a parent raising issues  for their attention that it became so escalated and they got so... Well, weird..

I think I now know..

I'll update the blog, but first, for the future families... I am going through proper channels. It's a thing I have....I can't turn my back if I feel others would suffer by my stepping back. I have always felt society's worst offenders are the ones who sit silently by - I am not the silent type.
Maybe it's an OCD ?  Although , I suspect I get a different nickname in a certain office.

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On the  overcharge...

We feel we have proved our case to the public,  and gave them several opportunities to not behave like childish brats.

If they need such pittance so badly to make themselves feel better, so be it. That's a whole other mental health problem that prairie care should look at themselves  in the mirror before treating others. Petty hoarding.  We won that battle, even if they kept the money.  Our goal was to make sure parents would not face what we did - and we have won on the billing issue by showing their antics to the public.



They can act like children - my fear is the way they treat them .


I challenge them to donate the disputed, and I feel clearly shown to be overcharged funds, to a

non-profit supporting Autism that is  unrelated , and not working with their organization.

In other words, it should go to a group that helps children.