Hello! I’ve been working on a few different things recently, including finishing up poster designs and dropping them off at the OB-GYN & Midwifery Associates of Ithaca office with Grace, troubleshooting ways to increase referrals, and working on my own research regarding the health policy report.
Visiting OB-GYN & Midwifery Associates of Ithaca
This was my first time going to the office in-person, and it was nice getting a better feel for the type of healthcare space they offer. Me and Grace drove over to the office to drop off the program posters and quarter cards and met the front-desk workers. We’re hoping that these materials help increase the visibility and presence of the program, increasing referrals and boost the permanence of the program within the office.
Our first referral!
We had our first referral come in last week. It was an interesting learning experience, as it was our first time working through the PtRefs system outside of practice. I had to quickly communicate with one of the student navigators to address some platform questions, including when to move the patient into the “Scheduling” category and MAHA administrative issues.
On the contents of the call itself–we were put into a situation where follow-up calls and texts may actually be more important than the initial one, as the patient was already in the process of applying to programs and waiting to hear back. This was definitely a learning experience, and I’m sure one of many as we hear from different patients on their paths to receiving resources they need.
We also ran into a scanning issue initially with the form only coming up in black and white–which blocked out valuable contact information and times to call–but eventually got this fixed with the office so that the form comes in through color.
My Own Research: Narrowing Scope
Something that I always find to be true about research is that it feels endless. I often find myself clicking on one article, and then looking at the citations, which again pulls me in various directions of interest. This is especially true, as I have a lot of flexibility with what I want to research for this project.
I’m working on narrowing down my research interests in accordance to this project. I’m interested especially in the cost sides of preventative health and have been looking into return-on-investment models, as applied to community health programming. I’m planning to deepen and specify these interests in the coming weeks, potentially producing some graphics to accompany what I find.
Troubleshooting Methods to Increase Referrals
Something new I learned is that the Cortland office has recently closed, leaving the Ithaca one as the truly standalone office in Upstate New York. This creates major issues for the office’s policies around no-shows (which previously was 2 no-shows = patient no longer allowed to return).
Understanding that patients don’t show up to appointments for various different reasons, many outside of their control, Me, Grace, Jen, and Isabel have discussed pivoting our program to help address this no-show issue by sending check-in texts early to gain a better grasp on a patient’s situation: for example, if a patient struggles with transportation or taking care of a child (which is especially applicable to OB-GYN patients), we can help them address this need early on so they are more likely to make it to their appointment. Additionally, if we have the patient’s contact information, we can talk to them afterwards to gain a better understanding for their situation and any help they may need.
It’s definitely been a learning experience over the past month, and I’ve gotten a much better understanding of how much troubleshooting goes into public health program implementation, health policy, and health communication. I’ve been able to get a deeper understanding for the many different layers that come together to implement a program, including an understanding of patient psychology, actual administrative/capacity barriers with local health leaders, and integrating what we want out of the program itself. I’m excited to move forward with this potential pivot and see where the rest of the pilot goes this summer.