Q&A: Accessing care during COVID-19 pandemic

Q: How can case managers help patients, especially those dealing with chronic diseases such as diabetes, access care during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?

A: To ensure that patients can receive high-quality healthcare, case managers should assess insurance status, says Diane Iverson, RN, BSN, BS, ACM, CCM, a Baltimore-area case manager. “There was an initial halt to patients seeking care in hospitals and primary care offices,” she says. “As avenues to access healthcare began to open up again, the initial thought was that people were staying away for fear of contracting COVID-19 in the healthcare office.”

But later experts began to believe that more factors were likely at play, specifically a loss of health insurance due to job layoffs. “Case managers can help connect patients with access to insurance or charity programs that fill in the gap,” says Iverson.

Case managers can also help ensure healthcare access for their patients by encouraging the use of telemedicine. They may need to use strategies to support patients who aren’t familiar with technology (see related story in Case Management Monthly). They should also anticipate and help solve potential challenges related to in-person visits when those are needed. When helping to schedule in-person visits, case managers should determine whether patients have access to public transportation. If not, they should help find an alternative solution.

Editor's note: This topic was originally addressed in the August issue of Case Management Monthly.