Dear Advocate, you are enough..
Mr. Jones starts treatment Thursday and I haven’t had him sign the patient assistance applications yet. I’m going to be here late today, if I can get a hold of him.
This patient has no insurance and makes $12K a year. Why hasn’t anyone signed her up for Medicaid? There is no way the Medicaid application is going to get processed in time for her treatment.
Where is the CoPay Assistance check for Ms. Smith? She’s calling again because she got another hospital bill for $900. Let me call. Great, they lost the fax again.
There has not been any open foundations for 6 months for Chron’s disease. How am I going to get this patient’s $500 coinsurance paid for? He has the WORST Medicare Advantage plan. We need to change that.
Ms. Allen called and she received a $4000 bill for an injection administered in the infusion center. How is that possible? We checked and she met her deductible. Why don’t I have the computer access to look at her claim? Why is no one in billing responding to me?
“Am I even qualified to do this job? What do I need to do to get an additional person to help me? I’m drowning in patients!”
STOP. Take a breath. Get up and go for a 5-minute walk. Get something to eat and then sit down and read the rest of this. You can do this.
YOU ARE ENOUGH! Whether you’re classified as a Financial Navigator or Coordinator, Medication Assistance Coordinator, Biologics Coordinator, Social worker, whatever…it doesn’t matter. The reality is that there are very few people who care as much as you do in order to do this job. When you saw this job posted, your eyes lit up and you knew you wanted to make a difference in at least one person’s life. In reality, you have. You’ve made a difference in countless people’s lives. Why? Because you cared.
You cared enough to stop in and see a newly diagnosed cancer patient just to introduce yourself. You said the discussion about paying for treatment wouldn’t be happening today, but you would set up an appointment to discuss it. You just lowered that patient’s anxiety level from a 10 to a 5.
You cared enough to pick up the phone when Ms. Smith called you for the fourth time asking you if she should stop treatment because the hospital sent her another bill. You know you have to resend that fax for the copay assistance, but she’s already approved. You’ll get the check in 2 weeks and you explain that to her. You just kept Ms. Smith on treatment.
“Focus on what you are doing right”
You cared enough to call Mr. Jones and ask if he can come in this afternoon to sign the patient assistance paperwork, even if that means staying a little late tonight. You potentially just saved that patient $100K.
You cared enough to hunt down your hospital’s Medicaid vendor and coordinated an expedited Medicaid application.
You cared enough to apply for free drug for that Chron’s disease patient with a crappy Medicare plan even though they only owed $500 per treatment. You just saved that patient $500 every 6 weeks until Medicare open enrollment comes around and you can help him pick out a new plan.
I recently attended the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) Financial Advocacy Think Tank Summit. An organizational psychologist, Deat LeCour, PhD, moderated the sessions throughout the day. He said one thing that will stick with me as I move forward, “Focus on what you are doing right”.
The fact is, there are many things we’re all doing right. We know it because we get countless thank-you’s from patients. Patients are continuing their treatments because of us. We save the patients and our facilities hundreds of thousands of dollars that the patient wouldn’t be able to pay. We give the patient hope that they can receive their treatment without bankrupting their families. They can’t express enough gratitude that someone is looking out for them while they go through this horrible illness.
I know you feel like you’re drowning in patients in need. There are going to be times when things fall through the cracks. You don’t know everything and maybe you don’t have a degree. IT’S OK. You are resourceful and you’ll figure it out. That’s why you’re in this job. You always figure it out.
Celebrate those small wins every chance you can and remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH!
~Jerilyn
Jerilyn Arneson, PharmD, BCOP
Clinical Oncology Pharmacist, Financial Navigator - Chesapeake Regional Medical Center
VP, Pharmacy Operations - CommonShare Nonprofit Pharmacy
Come join us, and hear more from Jerilyn on the following topics:
Day ONE · Monday April 6, 2020
Measuring and Reporting the Financial Impact of your Program to the CFO
The Value of an FTE & Speaking the C-Suite Language to justify additional support
William Weimer,II - Former CFO Bon Secours Health System; Advocate & Board Member Commonshare Nonprofit Pharmacy
Jerilyn Arneson - Pharmacist Financial Navigator, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare & Vice President, Pharmacy Operations CommonShare Nonprofit Pharmacy
Day TWO · Tuesday April 7, 2020
Legal & Compliance for the Advocates
William Weimer,II - Former CFO Bon Secours Health System - Advocate & Board Member CommonShare Nonprofit Pharmacy
Jerilyn Arneson - Pharmacist Financial Navigator, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare - VP, Pharmacy Operations CommonShare Nonprofit Pharmacy