Concierge helps reunite young girl with pediatrician
Caregiver helps to clear barriers so local clinic could continue providing care for a mother’s young daughter
Sometimes troubles can pile up, then even bigger challenges can result. That’s what happened for one mother when she had been unable to take her daughter to her scheduled pediatric appointments a number of times. After several of these missed visits, the care provider felt they could no longer continue providing care unless there was a way to ensure future appointments could be kept. And this would require a letter of appeal.
Her little girl needed care and when her mother learned of their pediatric clinic’s requirement for a letter, she didn’t know what to do. She called another provider in town, PeaceHealth in Longview, Washington.
Sherri Meece, a PeaceHealth clinic supervisor, heard the mother’s story, and then asked Patient Concierge Shawnee Aune to reach out and see what might be done to help.
After speaking with the mother, Shawnee learned it was challenging for the mom to write the appeal letter, due to some disabilities. Shawnee worked with her to write the letter and then reached out to the local clinic where the daughter usually received care.
When Shawnee discovered that it might take up to 30 days to reinstate the patient’s care, she faxed a copy of the letter to the daughter’s clinic and emailed it to the mother. This seemed to be just what the doctor ordered, and Shawnee was able to get the child the appointment needed for their current medical issue in a timely manner.
While the family had no direct previous ties with PeaceHealth, the team there was able to extend the PeaceHealth Mission and do what they could to make sure a vulnerable family continued to receive the care they needed.
