Rely Health deeply understands the impact that education, access and empowerment have on an individual’s healthcare journey because we’ve seen it first-hand. The massive impacts made to an individual’s life when they are provided with support and a guiding force in their healthcare is evident. Proven results can be seen with patient adherence, patient satisfaction and long term health maintenance, as well as they lead to reduced cost and downstream revenue enhancements to health systems. Our technology product supports our navigators by creating efficiency and scalability, giving every patient in need a Care Navigator. The wrap-around AI our product offers allows our navigators to streamline care for the masses, however, takes into account the individual needs of each patient we encounter. We ensure that we hire Care Navigators who are part of their communities, who have empathy and compassion for others, along with true grit and are willing to listen and solve complex socio-economic connection issues. With our state of the art technology platform and our most empathetic navigators, Rely Health’s navigation program is top-tier. By taking their roles outside the health system walls, our Care Navigators can simplify healthcare for all to build healthier communities.
“My name is Hauna Rose. My primary responsibilities as a Patient Care Navigator include assisting patients with navigating the ever-complex healthcare system, specifically after an ER visit. I advocate for the patient and their needs to ensure they receive the proper follow-up care and resources to maintain a healthy quality of life. I saw my great grandmother struggle with Alzheimer's when I was 14. It scared and fascinated me, which fueled my passion to assist the elderly and disabled adults. As I have worked in a number of different healthcare delivery systems, my passion has always been to help those in need. I received my Bachelors in Healthcare Administration in 2016 and my Masters in the same field with a focus on Gerontology in 2019. When I came upon a job opening at my local hospital for a Patient Care Navigator position, I was very excited. I've not regretted a day since!
My favorite part about working at my hospital, as well as with Rely Health, is the inclusive culture both organizations foster. The leadership teams encourage personal and professional growth through training and guidance. Having the support of a work family means so much. The most rewarding aspect of my job is seeing the stress and fear leave a person's face after I navigate them to resources, treatment, or with follow-up medical care. However, some patients require so much more assistance than just myself can offer. Building relationships with community services and external agencies has helped me with following up with a patient's progress, so I am better informed as to the patient's needs if/when they return to the medical care setting.
"My proudest professional achievement as a navigator is building a foundation of trust with patients that frequent the hospital, understanding their needs, really listening to them when others in their lives may not, and empowering them to make healthier decisions about their care. "
A particular patient, in fact, one of my first patients, I had engaged with during their recent emergency room visit after seeing their name on the hospital tracker and recognizing it. This patient had no faith in the healthcare system or in people in general, as he always felt let down by medical professionals. However, after putting in many hours of my time coordinating their care and ensuring they had the proper resources to attend their appointments and meet their social needs, I am proud to say that two years later, they are no longer a high-utilizer of the ER. I believe that because of my dedication to listening, earning their trust and navigating them to the proper care, they have become empowered in their care journey that has lead to a stronger health maintenance routine and have restored their faith in their health system. To see how far this patient has come is incredibly fulfilling and rewarding!
In understanding both the needs of my patients as well as building relationships with local social resources in my community, I have had the opportunity to partner with a tele-health addiction treatment service, Boulder Care. My contact there and I had been discussing ways to collaborate on houseless patients’ access to a phone for access to follow-up care from the ER regarding their substance use. The current process had a two week gap between a patient’s discharge from the ER to the time they received a phone. Because many of the patients I work with are unhoused, the gap in access to care was too great. In codesigning a better process for improved outcomes, we were able to work together so that I could give patients I work with without a phone a new device at the time of their visit and prior to discharge. Now, if a patient is serious about treatment for their substance use and ready to take action, they can use their new phone right here and now to scan the Boulder Care QR code and create a profile before their discharge. They are contacted within 24 hours to begin their journey to recovery with Boulder Care. This direct and immediate access to a phone for tele-health substance use treatment has increased the engagement and follow-through rate to accessing treatment, improving the success rate of recovery for many patients.
Individuals struggling with social resources, have had past situations where they lost trust of the system or lack access to health care are far less likely to adhere to care plans, leading to increased high-cost utilization and therefore increased costs and an operating loss to healthcare systems. Rely Health is extremely proud of the work our navigators do to work with members of the community to design better workflows and processes around improving access to care for individuals of low-income, high complexity of care needs, are under-insured, and underserved. We implement dedicated on-site or virtual navigation programs that support broad spectrum navigation — the full gambit of social and medical services — so that not one person walks the path of health and recovery alone. We deploy our teams out into the community to stay up-to-date on all resources available to members of the community, including navigating their health insurance benefits.
Because of our commitment to the community, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing improvement in patient lives but also in the resources available to our community members.
The [Rely Health] Patient Care Navigator program in our emergency department has significantly improved patient outcomes. They connect patients, especially those who are vulnerable or underserved, with essential resources and medical care. Our navigator, Hauna Rose, excels in her role, providing compassionate support and helping patients understand complex medical processes. The program has proven to be a valuable asset for both our community and patients, with many expressing gratitude for the assistance received.
Patient navigators are invaluable in connecting patients to essential community resources, preventing gaps in care and improving outcomes. They assist with various needs, from arranging transportation to scheduling primary care appointments. Our emergency department navigator [Hauna] excels in empowering patients with knowledge and ensuring they receive appropriate services. This role is crucial in directing patients to community-based resources, reducing unnecessary hospital visits. The positive impact on patient care and satisfaction is evident, making the navigator an essential part of our healthcare team.
The navigation program has improved our workflow and patient outcomes by helping continue caring for patients in need after emergency visits and building patient clientele for the providers at our local affiliated clinics. The navigator program is a valuable resource for our patients because several patients who truly needed primary care have neglected themselves for too long - until getting them established with the help of Patient Navigation. I highly recommend clinics, payors and organizations to utilize a patient care navigator program to enhance their patient outcomes.
Hauna has been able to reach out to patients in a different way than I am able to and let them know I am trying to help them with Oregon Health Plan. I had not been able to reach a patient to help them get OHP. Hauna had been able to get in contact with the patient from the ER and able to get the patient to me so I could get them started on a plan. The patient navigation program is such a great resource to have for the patients. I feel it helps the patient with follow-through on follow-up care. Furthermore, Hauna has such a great positive personality that I feel helps set patients at ease and make a positive impact and the patient more willing to adhere to their care plan.
Rely Health is committed to simplifying healthcare for everyone to build healthier communities. We understand that not all medical journeys happen inside the walls of a hospital or clinic. Our navigators strive to bring education, resources and guidance to community members by meeting them where they are in their journey, wherever they are. We collaborate with all social services and coordination team members throughout the healthcare system and beyond to link members to the care they need to facilitate improved health maintenance and access to care.
