Getting Things Done at Sulzbacher Beaches Clinic

I currently serve as a National Health Corps Florida AmeriCorps member with a dual position at Sulzbacher Beaches Clinic and Sulzbacher Village. At the Village I spearhead their medical legal partnership, screening patients for civil legal needs and connecting them with legal assistance. At the Beach I manage the Prescription Assistance Program (PAP) process, which I will describe below through my typical day.

8:00 am: I arrive to my host site and push aside the 10 packages on my desk - these can wait until later. I log into the electronic medical records (EMR) and check to see if I have any flags - none. I log into the PAP website, my PAP tracking spreadsheet, my personal email, my host site email, and my timesheet.

8:15 am: I start opening packages and documenting that they’re received. During this process, I have one patient come in to pick up meds, another to bring my income documentation, and I’m flagged to order Ventolin (an inhaler) for a patient. I call this patient before they leave and explain PAP before obtaining their signature.

9:00 am: Now that the pharmaceutical company I need to call is open for business, I call them to avoid an hour-long hold. An application I sent over a month ago still hasn’t been processed and it turns out the medication was accidentally sent to the patient’s home. I make a note to call the patient later and ensure they received it.

9:30 am: I go back to opening and documenting the received medications. When I’m done, I start calling the patients to pick up their meds.

12:00 pm: It’s lunch time and I am starving! I go to Publix and use my food stamps to treat myself to sushi since I forgot to pack a lunch. I work on my timesheet as I eat.

1:00 pm: Back to calling patients to pick up medications. By the time I have gotten through my list, two coolers of Lantus (insulin) have arrived, so I document and store them and add the clients to my call list. I then get a flag to order Invega for a patient. I notice the patient’s income documentation is out of date so I explain this to the patient, explain PAP, and also obtain their signature. I verify the diagnosis with the psychiatrist since this company is a tricky one.

3:00 pm: I have finally finished calling patients for today. I collect the applications I have given the providers to sign and I verify all of the information. Now time for the fax machine. There are only five new applications today and I am whiz at the fax machine by now.

4:00 pm: I procrastinate looking at the faxes on my desk by working on my blog and looking for opportunities for Group Service Projects as part of my committee requirements.

4:45 pm: I go through my faxes, start documenting and updating applications and working on my to-do list for the next day. I already have a list of patients to call to sign paperwork or bring in income documentation. The list of refills I need to order has been put off for another day, but I make sure it is ready to go and I have all the information I need.

5:15 pm: It’s been a long day and I am ready to go home! Today I have saved the clinic hundreds of dollars and helped dozens of clients receive medications that they otherwise would not have been able to afford. It was a good day.

This blog post was written by NHC FL AmeriCorps Member, Haley. 

Haley serves at I.M Sulzbacher Center as a Care Coordinator.