OZARK - Now everyone agrees.
Rodney Klein needs 24-hour nursing care. And he will get it.
A grievance advisory panel for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri recommended Tuesday that the 38-year-old Klein, who suffers from the terminal disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, be given 24-hour nursing care for six months. At that time, another evaluation will be conducted to determine his nursing needs. An independent team of medical experts examined Klein over the weekend and recommended that round-the-clock care be provided for the former Ozark High School girls' basketball coach.
"He was very happy," said his wife, Angie Klein, after she told her husband of the decision.
Dr. John Seidenfeld, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Blue Cross, said the evaluators made a very detailed examination of Rodney Klein and "after reviewing those findings, the panel agreed with what was appropriate."
The nursing care will begin Thursday, Angie Klein said.
The Kleins had been battling the insurance company since it informed the family in December that the nursing care for Rodney Klein, who was diagnosed with the disease in 1998, would be reduced to eight hours a day.
The company had talked about eliminating the care completely before attorneys for the Kleins won a grievance appeal last month and 12 hours of nursing care was approved.
"It was all worthwhile. I thought I was justified in getting the care for Rodney," said Angie Klein, who returned to work Monday as a kindergarten teacher at Ozark Elementary School East.
Angie Klein said once the medical evaluators arrived at the house "I knew it was a won battle."
"They came in, talked with us, examined him and looked at everything. I knew there was no question in their minds he would get the (nursing care)," she said.
The review included looking at the home situation and the mechanical requirements Rodney Klein needed.
The doctor would not comment on whether the appeal process could have been avoided if the insurance provider had agreed with local physicians and nurses who urged 24-hour care for Rodney Klein.
"It's a confirmation of our process," said Seidenfeld. "I'm glad the process was in place that brought attention to the situation."
Angie Klein said she is happy the fighting is over and more importantly, that her husband has his 24-hour care.
"It will make the whole family situation less stressful," she said. "We can get back to our family routine and make it as normal as is possible."
About ALS
*Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the New York Yankees baseball player who was one of the first prominent Americans to be diagnosed with it.
*ALS is a motor-neuron disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration eventually leads to the victim's death.
*The disease typically develops in people between 40 and 70 years old. Most live two to five years. Nearly 5,000 Americans are diagnosed with ALS each year.
*For more information, go to the ALS Association Web site at www.alsa.org.
City honors Klein
Rodney Klein, the well-known former Ozark High School coach battling Lou Gehrig's disease, has been honored by the city of Ozark.
The week has been named for Klein, a former girls basketball coach and teacher who retired in 1998 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
During Monday night's Board of Aldermen meeting, Mayor Roger Fortner issued the proclamation and gave certificates to school superintendent Leo Snelling and Klein's wife, Angie.
The proclamation asks the community to let 38-year-old Klein know what he means to Ozark.
Photo Caption:
Rodney Klein, who has ALS, shares a moment at home with his son, Logan, 5, and daughter, Avery, 9. Starting Thursday, Klein will have 24-hour nursing care, after a dispute was resolved with his insurance company. Steve J.P. Liang / News-Leader
Angie Klein uses a ventilator to clean out the lungs of her husband, Rodney Klein, as part of the care needed to meet his needs. Steve J.P. Liang / News-Leader
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