Packard Health has been supporting underserved areas and populations since 1973. As a Federally Qualified Health Clinic (FQHC) and a not-for-profit organization, they serve those who don’t have the means to seek adequate health care.
It also means they have to use as much of their budget, and their providers’ time, as efficiently as possible to help their patients. When Oryanna Diem, BSN, RN, Nurse Clinical Analyst and Coronavirus Response Coordinator waited 3 hours with a previous provider to do a urine test, she couldn’t imagine they’d be efficient with Respirator Fit Testing (RFT), which Packard Health also needed. “I can’t block out a provider’s schedule for 2-3 hours in a day to go get Fit Tested,” Diem shared. They also weren’t being transparent about their pricing, as Diem explains, “I asked [the previous provider] for the price of an RFT and they told me they couldn’t tell me what the cost was until after it was done.”
Further reinforcing the point that Packard Health’s clinicians need a fast and efficient exam, she decided to go one step further and schedule the exam for herself. She wanted to see firsthand what it would be like before she sent one of her clinicians to get their fit test. “I went there as a secret shopper to time the procedure and see what it would be like. But when I got there it was just the actual fit test, not the medical evaluation. That was a separate cost. When I called to price this out, they didn’t give me the true cost of a medical evaluation + fit test.” Oryanna confirmed what she thought would be true: this just wouldn’t work. After a quick Google search of “respirator fit testing near me,” Oryanna found the answer she was looking for — a team that would come to her and fit test all of their clinicians on-site, right where they work. That answer was Mobile Health.
A Search Leads to Savings
One of the things that made Mobile Health an easy choice was that we could do Respirator Fit Testing on-site across Packard Health’s three locations for less. In her own words, “We have to be thoughtful about how we use Packard Health’s budget for patient services and assumed that an on-site RFT would be cost-prohibitive. I was very surprised that the on-site was cheaper than my old provider.”
On-site respirator fit testing also improved participation, therefore improving Packard Health’s compliance, by alleviating transportation concerns previously shared by their staff when having to do off-site occupational health services. Although that’s less of a concern with Mobile Health’s 6,500 clinics, 77% of which are within 10 miles of most Americans.
Reassurance in Record Keeping
While saving was a big factor, “What really sold us about Mobile Health was that these records are required to be saved for 30 years. We would be really challenged to do that. The portal and record keeping are hugely convenient.”
Our technology solution for respiratory protection compliance includes the requisite HIPAA- and OSHA-compliant record keeping, along with appointment scheduling and online medical evaluations — all in our respirator fit testing portal. Even more valuable to our clients like Packard Health, it integrates with any HRIS/ATS to make organization easy.
The Value of Partnership
Mobile Health’s customer-centric solutions, regulatory expertise, and efficient on-site interventions played a pivotal role in supporting Packard Health’s core mission. As Packard Health continues to thrive as an FQHC, their partnership with Mobile Health stands as a testament to the way occupational health can support the delivery of quality patient care.
