Care Management - Doing whatever it takes!

Leslie Mason, Seabury Care Manager

Ralph (pseudonym) an independent retirement community resident, is a Seabury Care Management client for over nineteen months. He struggles with health issues that require a monthly medication injection to help manage his symptoms. Ralph was due for his routine injection when his regular primary care provider decided to self-quarantine. No one was available to deliver the injection. Further complicating matters, the timing of his injection is critical to managing Ralph’s symptoms. There is a 24-48-hour treatment window that must be met. This created a real dilemma, which his Care Manager, Leslie Mason, knew had to be quickly resolved. Leslie immediately began pursuing other options for Ralph, but each new phone call resulted in another dead end. Ralph does not qualify for a skilled home care agency visit under insurance, nor would any of the outpatient clinics, home health care agencies, or new primary care providers accept him given the COVID-19 outbreak. Finally, Leslie identified a nurse who would visit Ralph and deliver the injection. Next, Leslie had to obtain Ralph’s prescription medication and transfer the materials to the nurse. Leslie executed a careful plan to move the prescription from a specialty pharmacy to a local pharmacy and transfer the product with little contact to the nurse. The final hurdle was convincing Ralph that he should accept the injection from a total stranger. An aspect of Ralph’s challenges is his suspicion of others. Leslie skillfully was able to talk Ralph through the process and help him accept the injection.

With ingenuity, patience and great compassion, Leslie was successful in engineering the process and Ralph received his critical injection on time. Given all we know today, the challenge to obtain and deliver Ralph’s essential medication injection on time every month will be even more difficult. Leslie and her colleagues on the Seabury Care Management team are working tirelessly to support older adults and their family members through these highly complex times.

For more information: cminfo@seaburyresources.org Call: 202-364-0020 www.seaburyresources.org/caremanagement