Understanding Medicaid and thinking about cancer prevention
Spring has sprung and everything is greening up, and I personally feel better with more hours of sunshine and fewer indoor hours. If you are one of those people whose mental health suffers when the seasons change, please communicate with your provider. Doing this will allow them to be able to help you cope with how this shift negatively impacts you.
Since April is Medicaid Awareness month, I wanted to take a few minutes to share some updates with you about changes you’ll notice when you come to Angel Medical Center (AMC) or one of our clinics for treatment. The Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP) is a program that helps offset some of the cost of care for people who have government payers, specifically Medicaid. This is what was needed to help bring Medicaid expansion to North Carolina, and it is a federally funded benefit to help improve care in our community.
In order to participate in this program, we are required to follow some rules associated with it. There are four questions that our registration team should ask when you arrive for care. I outline the questions below, but as you read through them, understand that this is a good thing for healthcare and people needing services.
- Are you unhoused?
- Is the patient mentally incapacitated, with no one to act on their behalf?
- Is the patient or a child in their household enrolled in Medicaid?
- Is the patient enrolled in another public assistance program (examples: WIC, SNAP)?
Along with getting the answers to these questions, we must see if the patient would qualify for financial assistance based upon household income. Your information is not seen locally as we are required to use a third-party vendor to complete this portion of the process. Your information is kept confidential and safe.
If you meet North Carolina’s criteria for financial assistance, you will not be asked for upfront payment for services. Once your information has been processed you will receive a letter stating whether you meet the criteria for receiving financial assistance. If you do, next steps are explained. If not, you will receive your bill as you normally would. If you have questions about one of our bills, please contact us for clarification. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we all navigate this new process.
April is also the month of cancer prevention and early detection awareness. I say it far too often in this column, but it happens much too frequently that someone comes into the Emergency Department or a provider office to learn they have a devastating diagnosis that could have been prevented. The organizations that publish preventative screening recommendations do so after much research has been performed and evidence analyzed. Getting these screenings in a timely manner leads to early detection and therefore increases survival and reduces the overall impact from cancer. If even one person changes their mind and decides to seek early detection screenings as a cancer prevention strategy, it’s more than worth it — since a diagnosis that’s made as early as possible changes a person’s quality and quantity of life.
The first weeks of May will occur before I get my next article out, but I wanted to let everyone know that during this period, we recognize many of the frontline workers who help keep us safe, educated, and healthy. Take a moment to thank a healthcare worker, first responder, or educator for all they do to make Franklin a great place to live, work, and visit.
Thank you to our school teachers/support staff, EMS, Fire/Rescue, Law Enforcement, hospital care providers, and nurses for all each of you do independently and as teams for our community.
Clint Kendall, FACHE, MBA, MSN, BSN, RN, is Chief Executive Officer/Chief Nursing Officer of Angel Medical Center. He started his career as a nurse, and that perspective still informs his work and passion for the patient experience. Clint holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Nursing, and Health Care Management from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Carolina University. Clint has also earned the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) certification, and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), and the American Nurses Association (ANA).