When a 61-year-old Premera member made the decision to move back to Washington, she didn’t expect to do it in the middle of a hurricane.
Living in South Carolina, she was already managing multiple complex health conditions, including fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic migraines. She had been scheduled for spine surgery, but the procedure was canceled because of a widespread power outage caused by the hurricane. Rather than wait, she packed up and made the cross-country move back to Washington that same week.
At the same time, she was also paying out of pocket for essential pain medication. Her pain specialist in South Carolina had not submitted the paperwork required for coverage, and her care was suddenly in transition.
That is when Premera stepped in.
A case manager connected with her before the storm and quickly onboarded her to the Wellframe app. Through this app, members can message with Premera personal health support clinicians (PHSC) about health questions, navigating the healthcare system, staying on track with medications, and more. This gave her a direct line of support during the chaos of the hurricane and throughout her move. While the member packed and planned from across the country, her PHSC worked behind the scenes, making calls, tracking down records, and helping ensure her care did not stop just because life had gotten complicated.
The pain provider never called back. Once she arrived in Washington, though, her PHSC helped her get established with a new primary care provider (PCP), as well as specialists in pain management, gastroenterology, pulmonology, and cardiology. Each provider was chosen with her specific health needs in mind.
The PHSC also coached her on tips to better navigate the healthcare system, such as using urgent care versus the emergency department, seeking behavioral health support through virtual care, and getting a second opinion through telehealth apps.
Today, the member is feeling more hopeful. She recently started working with a new pain specialist she truly likes and is seeing improvements in her pain levels.
In a follow up conversation with her PHSC, she said: “I really don’t know what I would have done without your help. Thank you for sticking with me and helping me find the care I needed.”
Her story is a reminder that Premera provides more than care coordination. The organization offers connection, empathy, and follow-through, supporting members with what they need, when they need it.
When life gets overwhelming, Premera works to ensure members are not alone and have someone in their corner.
