The healthcare system is extremely complex for everyone. Even those who are in the healthcare or insurance industry, like me.
Recently, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that requires a significant change to my diet and lifestyle. After feeling progressively worse for several months, losing energy by the second, and finding basic cognitive tasks increasingly difficult, I sent a request to my Health Assistant team at TouchCare to help me find solutions.
As someone who champions preventative behavior and health, I do not always practice what I preach. I, like most, find the healthcare system difficult and frustrating – which is why neglecting my own care has been extremely easy to do. Even after experiencing serious health issues, the simple thought of navigating my own care makes procrastinating simple. With TouchCare lessening the burden of the logistic healthcare nightmare, I was able to find solutions for my symptoms.
"Even after experiencing serious health issues, the simple thought of navigating my own care makes procrastinating simple. "
Our first step was finding a quality Primary Care Physician who could evaluate my overall health. My Health Assistant (Seth) and I discussed the profile of who I would feel most comfortable with, and he then researched options based upon their ratings, my gender preference, distance from my home, scheduling availability, and if the doctors were accepting new patients.
Once we determined the best option for care, Seth supplied all of my health information to my PCP and scheduled an appointment for me to visit. Following my PCP visit and a full lab panel, I was informed that I was deficient in absolutely every vitamin. My physician then recommended that I visit a specialist to drill further into the mystery.
Again, I contacted Seth for assistance. He cross referenced my insurance, detailed how much the visit would cost for both in and out-of-network providers — and began a new search for specialists within the parameters that we discussed. Perhaps even more importantly, he provided me with quality metrics to help me find the doctor I was sure was the best. He scheduled my appointment and made sure that all of my information and lab work transferred from my PCP directly to the specialist that I was seeing.
Once a diagnosis was made, Seth then reviewed and resolved each of my bills and helped point me in the appropriate direction with other specialists and providers who could help me manage my care, long-term.
Within three weeks of my initial outreach to Seth, I saw two doctors and received a sensible diagnosis that would help place me on the road to recovery. Seth is now assisting with maintenance and proactive suggestions relating to my care, helping me research dietary restrictions, other specialists who are focused only on my illness – and especially helpful with the bills that I am now receiving.
As the Vice President of Client Success at TouchCare, watching my team in action through my own experience directly proves our value and validates how we help our members every day. Like me, many avoid care due to the complexity of the system. TouchCare makes this process simple. The experience of working with a Health Assistant is incredible, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the service we provide.
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