New program to help uninsured

You have unexpected medical expenses and you have no insurance. What do you do?

Bigfork Valley is concerned that everyone who needs health care has access to its facilities. Although many do have medical insurance plans which help with expenses, some families are unable to afford any insurance.

Last month, Bigfork Valley began a new program to help those without any medical insurance, the Uninsured Discount Program, which reduces the billed cost of care. The discount does not apply to underinsured patients, or to copay or deductible amounts.

How do you qualify? Surprisingly, there may be other medical payment sources that you may qualify for first. For instance, the federal Medical Assistance program may cover a patient for a month when unexpected catastrophic events happen, although the patient may not be eligible for it otherwise.

To find the best solution, patients are asked to work with a Bigfork Valley financial advisor. Sharing personal financial records is necessary, but information is kept confidential. Prospective patients should contact the billing office as soon as possible because in some cases assistance can be applied for before a medical procedure.

There is also a Benevolent Fund/Charity Care program at the hospital for patients who qualify based on their income and/or financial resources.

For those who self pay, a reasonable payment plan can be worked out. Call Cindy at (218) 743-4259 for more information. Once on a payment plan the most important thing is to keep in contact with the business office, explained manager Dawn Kern, particularly if circumstances change.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to care,” explained Kern, “Bigfork Valley works hard to help our patients address any financial responsibilities they may have for medical treatment.”

Television for health...

It looks like a normal television with a black box on the top of it. But it’s not for entertainment.

This television, which is located in its own room at Bigfork Valley Hospital, is on a secure interactive telemedicine network. And it allows a patient to consult a skin specialist from Minneapolis right in Bigfork.

When a patient has a skin condition - like severe acne, psoriasis, rash or mole - his primary doctor might refer him to a dermatologist. But that specialist might be located far away, and the wait time for an appointment might run into weeks.

Telemedicine offers an alternative. In a monthly clinic up to 8 patients can have individual appointments over the network with the specialist.

When the referral is made, nurses at the hospital take a digital picture of the skin, a history of the patient, and information on the current problem. The picture is emailed to the doctor on a secure network and the written material is faxed. When the specialist “sees” the patient on the interactive network, the doctor already has the information.

During the consultation, the nurse, patient and doctor can see and talk with each other thanks to the camera on top of the unit.

The dermatologist may make a diagnosis and formulate a plan of treatment during the appointment. If a prescription is necessary, the nurse will send it to the primary doctor for approval and will relay the followup instructions.

Bigfork Valley is part of the Fairview University of Minnesota Telemedicine Network and partners with dermatologist Dr. Katz.

BIGFORK VALLEY DAY CARE

Bigfork Valley Day Care has moved into its new building across from the Bigfork Valley Villa. It is a light, airy, bright building with kitchen facilities, a sleeping room, an enclosed outdoor play area and lots of colorful toys.

Larraine Arcand is the director of the day care. Originally started for the children of Bigfork Valley employees, the day care accepts children from the community on a space available basis. There are currently spots open for preschool ages.

The day care operates five days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

For more information, call Larraine at 218-743-6021.

...and for families

Bigfork Valley is partnering with Freedom Calls Foundation and the Fairview-University of Minnesota Telemedicine Network to bring together families and their loved ones serving overseas in the military.

Although any similar unit can communicate with the telemedicine network no matter where it is located in the world, presently only three camps in Iraq are equipped to do this: Camp Taji (formerly Camp Cooke), Camp Fallujah and Al Asad. Before summer, Freedom Calls Foundation anticipates that LSA Anaconda, FOB Endurance in Mosul and additional marine locations will be added. Next summer, it hopes to add sites in Afghanistan as well.

Any family who would like to set up an interactive television visit with their loved one in the military who is located at one of these camps is invited to call Lorna or Julie at the hospital nurses’ station at (218) 743-4491 between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to start the scheduling process. Because the signal travels over several secure networks, calls are scheduled in advance.

“From everything we have heard and seen,” explained Dr. Stuart Speedie, the telemedicine project director for the Fairview-U of M network, “these videoconference visits are very important to the families and provide the means to see and talk with loved ones that would simply not be available otherwise. ”

If you have family in these locations or know of others who do, please contact us.