Hidden Heroes in Healthcare
The Covid-19 pandemic thrust hospital workers into the limelight as they fought on the frontlines to stop the spread of the virus. The public praised doctors and nurses for their courage and sacrifices while caring for the most vulnerable members of society, but even more healthcare heroes exist behind the scenes.
Kaitlyn Pritchard, a surgical scheduler at Orthopedic Associates of Dutchess County, starts her days early. Her work day is mostly spent behind a desk — making calls, scheduling procedures, and transferring medical files to ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals. Pritchard is essentially the middleman that connects patients to the care they need.
One of her primary tasks is communicating with patients’ insurance companies. Pritchard is responsible for ensuring that medical centers will accept a patient’s insurance, as well as confirming their procedures will be covered. This sounds fairly straightforward, but dealing with the complexities of health insurance is anything but simple.
According to a study commissioned by Bend Financial, 56% of Americans feel “completely lost when it comes to understanding health insurance.” Surgeries are stressful and exhausting procedures to undergo, and the added anxiety of navigating health insurance policies is the last thing patients need.
The work Pritchard does saves patients the headache of handling insurance and helps keep people from getting lost in the process.
“Some of my biggest challenges are probably dealing with insurance companies,” Pritchard said. She explained how the criteria required for insurance companies to cover expenses can keep some patients from receiving the money they need to cover their procedures.
“It’s hard to explain to patients although I understand they’re in so much pain that their insurance is not going to cover something because to them, it’s not significant enough,” Pritchard said. “It’s hard to give bad news.”
Despite the hard conversations she has to have, Pritchard remains dedicated to her patients. When she isn’t wrestling with insurance companies, much of her time is spent walking patients through their procedures and calming any worries that arise.
“I went into this profession because I love taking care of people and helping people,” Pritchard said. “I find a lot of gratification in the fact that I’m helping people through some of the hardest parts of their life.”
For Pritchard, there is nothing better than seeing a patient walking into the center in immense pain, and then walking out feeling like themselves again. The relationships she has developed with her patients over the years stick with her and have even led to lasting friendships.
“We have a lot of patients who would often bring us food and just call to check in on us, and it became almost like family with certain patients,” Pritchard said.
Healthcare workers like Pritchard make a difficult experience run as smoothly as possible. She understands that while patients need assistance with the technical side of things, sometimes what they need more than anything is someone supportive they can talk to. Even though Pritchard is hidden behind a mask and a desk, the impact of her work is visible in the growth and recovery of her patients.
