CCM Nurse Turns Confusion Into Clarity and Helps a Patient Get Her Mammogram

In healthcare, some of the most special moments occur outside of the appointment rooms. They are the moments when a patient has a brief conversation where they feel encouraged, understood, and can walk through something challenging and beyond their ability to complete alone.

One such moment occurred this month, and it was thanks to our CCM Team!

CMN Laura was performing a routine follow-up when she noticed that her client was frustrated. Laura's patient had been trying to schedule a yearly mammogram for a while, but she was struggling with it and was receiving no feedback.

Rather than encouraging her to attempt to elaborate yet again, Laura leaned in.

She listened to the patient's description and the order issues very carefully, and knew what many patients struggle with.

Nurse Laura thought she would take this particular concern to the imaging center to see if she could offer any assistance with the delays on their end, which suggested quite accurately that the referral was not an order for a diagnostic mammogram, but rather just a plex order, which could explain weeks of delays.

Laura immediately acted on this information within minutes.

She called the provider’s office, described to them the order of which she was in receipt and what was required to free up the KO, and immediately after, sent a fax to the office of the provider and the hospital the patient was at, and advised the patient and the provider to contact her office to acquire the order to not cause any delays.

A few minutes of work on her part made a profound impact.

When Nurse Laura saw the patient again after a month, her voice sounded a lot more cheerful, and she had great news to share with them that she had had her mammogram done the week before.

The confusion came to an end, the stress was virtually eliminated, and what was left was just relief and gratitude.

This is an example of good Campbell management in chronic care.

An outreach call once a month. It's support. It's clear. It's being available to intervene when the healthcare system is overwhelming.

A phone call from a CCM Nurse once again turned a stressful situation into a success.