Eastern Plumas Health Care has expanded its list of October low cost cash pay specials this year. Because of public interest in the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) test, it has been added to the line up of screenings for $125, with no doctors visit required. Other screenings include digital mammography and dexa scan (bone density screening). The Complete Blood Panel includes CMP, CBC, cholesterol, and thyroid, for $40, and diabetic patients can add the important A1c for only $25, while men can add the PSA (prostate) test for only $10.
These tests and screenings are available throughout the month of October and are part of EPHC’s drive to get essential preventive tests to those patients who, typically, might not be proactive about their health care. With more people being insured through the Affordable Care Act, and with its commitment to preventive care, fewer patients should slip through the cracks. Still, according to EPHC’s Public Relations Coordinator, Linda Satchwell, many people aren’t aware that this care exists and that it’s available at no cost to patients with most insurance coverage from Medi-Cal and Medicare to private insurers.
Health care providers don’t often go out of their way to get creative with offers in order to reach the patients who may be less engaged with their own health care, said Satchwell. EPHC, however, has made a strong commitment to serve those for whom preventive care might seem like a luxury they can’t afford. The patients who have participated in the Saturday Preventive Health Clinics have been overwhelmingly appreciative of these free services, she said.
But, there are still many patients who don’t have insurance, or who fall outside the list of “risk factors” a patient must have to get screenings paid for by insurance. That, said Satchwell, is where the October cash pay specials come in. Patients don’t need a doctor’s order, and they don’t have to pay for a doctor’s visit. They can simply call the Radiology Dept. at 832-6516 to schedule their screening appointment for any time during the month of October. Patients don’t need an appointment for lab work, but patients may want to call 832.6513 or their local EPHC clinic to make sure they know when the lab is open. All lab tests require a twelve hour fasting period, though it’s okay to drink water.
In related news, local hospitals, including EPHC and Plumas District Hospital, were featured in a recent San Francisco Chronicle article that outlines the problems getting access to care for patients who have the new Managed Medi-Cal plans. The Chronicle sent Pulitzer and National Award winning Chronicle photographer Scott Strazzante to Plumas County to take photographs for the story. He focused primarily on several of EPHC’s patients, in order to put a human face on the problem. Patient Jimmy Encinas had to go to Reno as an emergency case to get the surgery he needed. And, Camille Williams, whose then 12 month old son Noah Cumbra has a brain disorder called Chiari malformation, causing his skull to be too small for his cerebellum, fought for months to get the promised travel reimbursement for trips to UC San Francisco.
Access issues with the new managed plans include patients facing denials on medications that they’ve been taking for years, according to Liza Thantranon of Legal Services of Northern California, Health. In addition, she said, finding specialists that will take these plans has become increasingly difficult. The new insurance plans are paying such a low rate, that many specialists are refusing to take new patients, which severely impacts patients in rural, isolated counties like Plumas.
One EPHC patient who needed back surgery was told by his Managed Medi-Cal carrier that they had found a provider for him. He was scheduled for back surgery at USC Medical Center nine hours from Portola.
The access issues outlined in the Chronicle story continue to plague Managed Medi-Cal patients, said Thantranon. In Plumas County, there are two plans to choose from: California Health and Wellness, and Blue Cross. Patients report problems with both plans. Thantranon met with patients earlier this year to offer free legal advice and to help patients file complaints with their insurance providers when they had problems getting the medications or the specialty care they needed. She said that in her experience, CA Health and Wellness was quicker to respond to claims and to fix problems than was Blue Cross. She encourages patients to try to work with their insurance provider—and to come to her for help if they’d like—before simply changing to the other provider where they’re likely to encounter similar problems. Thantranon has offered to come back up to Eastern Plumas Health Care on Wed. Oct. 29 to help patients who are experiencing these and other access issues. Patients who are interested in meeting with her to resolve issues with their insurance providers should call EPHC at 832.6597 to schedule their appointment