What To Ask Recovery House In DR Before Booking

We can imagine you are going “nuts” looking at all those Recovery House and their social media pages, reading all those reviews trying to figure out what is real review, what is not, what is real complaint or someone just had a bad day…and it can get overwhelming.

We are always surprised when we are asked questions that are not relevant to a successful recovery, or not asked any questions at all.

When one goes to a medical facility in USA, Canada, Europe or anywhere else, we all ask many questions. So why not do the same when looking at Recovery House in Dominican Republic?

This process is not easy. You are going thorough major medical procedure and as with any other type of surgeries, there are risks involved. You need to surround your self with providers that will minimize or eliminate this risk, and you are playing major part in this process.

 

The way we see it, this is how we would divide risk factor:

• 1/3 -Medical Provider during procedure and 24 hours PostOp.
• 1/3– Recovery House and its clinical care.
• 1/3-Client/Patients when back home.

When researching PostOp Recovery House In DR:

1. Do not base your decision only on social media
2. Do not base your decision only on positive or negative reviews you see on social media
3. Do not base your decision only of your doctor recommendation (many of doctors assistants receive “finder fee” )

Here are some basic questions you should ask: 

1. is the Recovery House accredited by Dominican Department Of Health    ( only self standing buildings ( houses) can be accredited, no apartment is eligible for the accreditation and licensure. Many Recovery Houses are in the process, which makes them registered. It means that required paperwork was submitted to DOH for review. DOH will issue 1 year conditional accreditation and during that period physical inspection will be conducted, clinical staff credentials reviewed and if all well, Recovery House will receive permanent accreditation. Most of Recovery Houses in DR are in this process at this time.
2. is there a medical doctor on staff as full time employee, or do they have one on call. If on call how quick can he/she be at the RH in event of emergency
3. are nurses licensed, certified and accredited? If so were the licenses verified?
4. is clinical staff speaking English? It is unusual to have drivers, cooks and housekeepers speak English, however clinical staff should be somewhat fluent in English so they understand if there is a need for assistance
5. does recovery house have a power generator? blackouts are often and sometimes hours long in DR. Nothing unusual, thats part of the DR charm…almost all RH have inverters that powers essential and basic power needs ( TV, appliances, WiFi, fans) however it does not power A/C and heavier equioment
6. is there HBOT (Hyperbaric Chamber-Oxygen Therapy) on site
7. are there, and what are, emergency protocols
8. are there, and what are,infection prevention protocols
9. is there EpiPen (for severe allergic reaction) or site
10. is massage therapist licensed and accredited

If you do not receive straight answer to your questions, or the answer does not make sense you might want to reconsider your Recovery House choice. There are many good and respectable Recovery Houses in Dominican Republic. You just make sure you find them. If your Recovery House is hard to reach thorough email or whatsapp….that can be a red flag.

NOW HERE ARE OUR ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS ABOVE:

1. yes we are
2. yes we have full time medical doctor on staff
3. yes they are. In House nurses as well as overnight (24) nurse sin clinic are all licensed and credentials have been verified.
4. they do, all clinical staff speaks English
5. yes we do. You will not feel any blackout  or power outage
6. we have HBOT on site
7.  yes we do. We used them couple times (successfully) in last 2 months. Contact us and we will discuss them in details
8. yes we do.Contact us and we will discuss them in details
9. yes we have several EpiPen stocked all over the recovery house
10. yes she is