An advocate for her patients
Laura Beck demonstrates respect every day in her role as Ambulatory Care Manager. We have a patient who has been receiving Laura’s consistent high-quality care since 2019. Treatment for his chronic illness led to him to no longer being able to absorb nutrients as before. He suddenly found himself in the emergency department every week needing electrolytes. He was an active older gentleman, working a few days a week and traveling with his wife. An inpatient case manager suggested that he get a Bronson family provider and care manager.
He met Dr. Eric Houchin and Laura a few days later. He needed to get set up with regular electrolyte infusions, lab tests, and referrals to specialists. And on top of this, he was going to Florida in a week and needed to arrange for infusions there. Laura made numerous calls to infusion centers in Florida and set up the services he needed. And so began a very special nurse/patient relationship.
Over the next few years, the two would navigate referrals to gastroenterologists, nephrologists, and urologists at Bronson, Spectrum, U of M and Cleveland Clinic. His infusion frequency eventually needed to increase, and he dreaded the thought of spending another day at the infusion center. Laura convinced him to try it for a few weeks. This added more complexity to planning his trips down south. Orders were faxed, insurance case managers were consulted, and infusions were scheduled. Together, they planned trips and infusions. When the infusion frequency needed to increase again, he called Laura for advice. After some research, they set up a plan to have a port placed and start infusions at home. An infusion company would deliver his bags and a home care nurse would change his dressing and teach him how to infuse the fluids. This gave him more flexibility when he travelled.
One day he called with a new problem. His infusion company was not going to make his infusions anymore. His life depended on these infusions. He had called several infusion companies, and no one wanted to provide what he needed. Laura helped call the other companies on the list and no one was willing. Laura called Jim Curtis, a pharmacist at Bronson, who set up a plan for the hospital to provide his infusions. Once again, this prevented the patients' need for hospital admission. He was even able to keep his same home care nurse.
Over the years Laura helped him over multiple hurdles: insurance coverage for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Cleveland Clinic nutritionist’ adjusting his electrolyte requirements, a case of COVID, his calcium level dropping after a new medication, a port infection, and his kidney function waxing and waning. He knows Laura is just a phone call away. He says, “My health is pretty bad, but I don’t like to dwell on it, there are too many other things to do.” He enjoys spending time with his many grandchildren. He says, “I don’t think I’d be here without Laura. She is a great nurse!”
