Some patients who have had plastic surgery are sent to recovery centers for special attention.
However, we’ve discovered that certain recovery centers are actually operating out of hotels. 7’s reporter, Heather Walker, decided to look into this situation.
On a bright July afternoon, regular travelers were checking into a Miami hotel. But interestingly, patients were also checking in.
Labresha Green, a recovery patient, said, “In the hotel, there are many girls in different rooms on various floors.”
This woman, who talked to 7 Investigates, was once one of those patients. We set up a camera to see what was really going on. For two months, 7 Investigates kept an eye on the hotel. Our camera caught scenes of patients being dropped off and picked up. Many of them were still wearing surgical gowns and bathrobes. Others had lots of bandages on their bodies. Some even had medical drainage bags filled with fluid.
Labresha Green said, “The hotel is fully booked with a lot of activity. There’s probably no space left because most of the people staying there are girls who came for plastic surgery.”
Labresha Green came to Miami last summer for a Brazilian butt lift and tummy tuck. The surgical coordinator at her doctor’s office told her that she had to book her post-surgery care with a specific company at a local hotel. And it wasn’t cheap at all.
Labresha Green said, “It costs $200 per day. They insisted that I go to that hotel. So, it was a lot of money to spend.”
Labresha knew she had to pay because she wouldn’t be able to take care of herself for several days.
Labresha Green said, “I could only lie on my stomach. I was completely helpless. I couldn’t even pull up my pants or wash my body.”
Labresha said that even though she was promised 24-hour care, it was really hard to get help from her caretakers.
Labresha Green said, “I asked if she could take my blood pressure or if she had a thermometer. But they always said ‘No.’ Every time I asked for something, it was the same answer: ‘No, we don’t have it.'”
We also found that hotels in Broward County were being used as recovery centers.
A woman from New Jersey sued her plastic surgeon after being diagnosed with life-threatening sepsis and on the verge of multisystem collapse.
The lawsuit claims that the doctor failed to notice a serious infection developing inside her body, even though she had paid the doctor for an “upcharge premium package” at a Fort Lauderdale hotel.
Chris Russomanno, the attorney, said, “She thought she was getting the best possible care. She was supposed to have a 24/7 registered nurse who would sleep in the room with her, take her vital signs, and report them to the doctor.”
The woman’s attorney, Chris Russomanno, said that she settled her case. But he’s worried that most patients don’t realize the risks of staying in a hotel for post-operative care.
Chris Russomanno said, “There are constantly different women coming in with open wounds and JP drains. In my opinion, it’s a very dangerous situation.”
It’s completely legal for a hotel to rent rooms to people recovering from plastic surgery. But a company like the one Labresha was told to hire, which has multiple patients in the same hotel, could be a problem.
Chris Nuland, a lawyer and lobbyist for the Florida Association of Plastic Surgeons, said, “They are right on the edge of the law and might even be breaking it. Home health agencies are meant to take care of you in your own home.”
The lawyer for the Florida Association of Plastic Surgeons says that facilities that take care of multiple patients should be licensed and inspected.
Chris Nuland said, “These patients aren’t fully healed. They have drains and are at risk of getting infected. A hotel isn’t a suitable place for patients who can’t take care of themselves and have medical needs.”
Labresha said that after she questioned her care and was kicked out of the hotel, she needed to be hospitalized because of blood loss.
Labresha Green said, “They basically left me naked in the bathroom.”
She said that she should have checked the qualifications of her caregivers before she checked into the hotel.
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