Kerrie Update for Oct 26, 2014

Glenn and his extended support team have been consumed over the past month fighting Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield to keep Kerrie at Kessler. Horizon issued its first coverage denial in early August and Glenn has been in constant motion exercising his appeal rights to successfully keep Kerrie at Kessler to get the care she needs and deserves. Throughout this process Kerrie has continued to make steady improvements (some small and some significant) and is able to communicate verbally at times with her family and visitors. She still has a very long road ahead of her but we are very pleased with her progress and are doing everything we can to keep her at Kessler so she can continue to benefit from their excellent care.

The last few weeks have been especially frenetic as Horizon denied multiple appeals by Kessler and Glenn and ordered Kerrie to be moved from Kessler to a sub-acute care facility as of early October. Throughout this process Glenn has tirelessly advocated for Kerrie and marshaled his support team and resources to fight Horizon with well reasoned appeals.

We are pleased to report that this past week these appeals paid off as the independent review body appointed by NJ State Disivion of Banking and Insurance overturned Horizon’s coverage denials!

In short, Glenn had argued that Kerrie’s medical condition and steady cognitive and physical improvements warranted continued acute rehabilitative care at Kessler. The independent review board agreed and overturned Horizon’s multiple coverage denials issued over recent weeks.

This means that Kerrie will stay at Kessler for the near future and will continue to receive their excellent acute care. At the moment we don’t know how long she’ll be able to stay at Kessler but we are thrilled with this recent wonderful news.

Glenn and Kerrie and their families are most grateful for the incredible support they have received throughout this appeal process and throughout this entire ordeal. Many supporters provided useful advice and counsel that proved invaluable in this effort.

We are happy to celebrate this victory but know that there will be additional fights in the future and appreciate everyone’s love and support.

Announcing StrongMom.org
We wanted to announce the launch of www.strongmom.org, a site to benefit the Prettitore Family and to raise awareness of DPD deficiency. This beautifully designed site was created by dear friends Lisa and Dave Fischetti and has made a big splash since it’s recent launch. Please visit the site to pick up gear to support our Strong Mom, Kerrie. All proceeds benefit the Prettitore Family.

Sincerely,

The Prettitore, Moore and Matteo Families