Paulette uses a clinic network associated with a hospital for primary care, specialist referrals, and psychiatric treatment, and had high praise for her providers: “The care there [is] perfect for me… I mean that when you have trust in your doctor, when they know who you are, they know you by name—most people find that in a private doctor circumstance. I’m finding it in a clinic circumstance—having been with these doctors for years, not having the weight of the finances.” Most of Paulette’s providers are easily reached by bus, or a reasonable cab fare when she is very ill, so she doesn’t have much interest in telehealth. But in the height of the pandemic, she switched to speaking to her psychiatrist over the phone: “I like not having to go to that clinic, because it is [very] out of the way for me to go that far… You can be in this really tiny elevator [with] people that are angry or seeing things... it [made] me really anxious and depressed to know, ‘Gee, I got to go down there.’” While Medicare and supplemental health insurance cover the majority of her care, Paulette pays $350 several times per year to see a private pulmonologist for her COPD. She is happy to make this sacrifice on her tight budget because it’s the “best care I’ve ever experienced…Because I can afford that, because I do work a little bit, I have the blessing of being able to pay.” When it comes to making appointments, “There can be situations where you have to wait longer to get an appointment. It could take more than a month, certainly, unless it’s an emergency.” When Paulette couldn’t get an appoint- ment with her pulmonologist during a recent emergency, she went to the emergency room, where she received suboptimal care: “I was trying very hard to advocate for myself [but] the doctors weren’t listening to me… I think it’s partly because the doctors are somewhat paranoid, especially in hospitals, about ruling everything out, doing a thorough job. I think it was partly— especially with one doctor—ego… It was his way or the highway.” Even with improved care and practiced self-advocacy, it can be hard to manage complex health care needs alone, which is why Paulette appreciates the help of the clinic’s patient care navigator: “She calls me once a month. She can make appointments for me. Especially if you’re not feeling well. She does all of the navigation. She gets me in for follow-ups… I can’t praise that system enough. Because I know—especially when you’re not feeling well—there’s nothing more disappointing or frustrating than getting stuck on hold, or going back and forth, waiting for information. It just makes it like a freeway in- stead of a crowded street.”
PLACES OF HEALTHCARE RECEIPT AMONG NEW YORKERS WITH HIGH HEALTHCARE NEED 15
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online