In healthcare, we have something known as continuum of care. Continuum of care is both an idea and a way of looking at delivering healthcare services. It is talked about extensively within the complete care environment. It is even applicable to the Medical Card concept now in play in the Beehive State.
Here at KindlyMD, assisting patients with their Med Cards is a high priority. But we offer additional services aimed at providing complete care. To look out for our patient's best interests, we need to do right by them through the continuum of care.
Are you confused yet? No worries. Allow us to explain how continuum of care applies to the Med Card concept.
As you know, the Utah Med Card gives patients access to certain plant-based medicines that cannot be obtained in any other way. Med Cards are made available to patients diagnosed with certain qualifying conditions under the recommendation of a medical provider.
We provide the services Med Card patients need to both get and renew their cards. We also advise on the use of plant-based medicines along with offering therapy, medication management, and other services. Still, the Med Card program is our main focus.
As for continuum of care, it is often described as a 'spectrum' or 'collection' of healthcare services that are coordinated and delivered in such a way as to ensure that patients receive appropriate care at any moment in time. The word 'continuum' implies that the process is ongoing for as long as the patient requires care.
In a primary care setting, the continuum of care would include everything from annual physicals to vaccinations to preventative services and provider advice. Throughout the patient's entire experience with primary care, the main goal is to ensure that their basic healthcare needs are met in a way that promotes good health.
We can take the same principles of continuum of care and apply them to the Med Card concept. Let us do so with the example of a patient who comes to one of our clinics looking for assistance in obtaining a Utah Medical Card. This is a chronic pain patient who has unsuccessfully tried all the traditional treatment approaches recommended by his GP.
The continuum of care philosophy demands that we do more than just make a Medical Card recommendation and send him out the door. Because we believe in complete care, we wouldn't do that anyway. But a proper continuum of care would dictate that we try to help the patient in other ways as well.
In addition to the Med Card, we might recommend working with one of our therapists. We would offer the patient assistance with medication management so as to guarantee that he's getting the most from all his medications. And in terms of addressing pain, we might recommend additional things like lifestyle changes and physical therapy.
Perhaps a good way to understand the continuum of care in the Medical Card environment is to note that the patient is more than just his pain. He comes to KindlyMD because he is hurting. But he has a whole life separate from the pain experience.
The goal with continuum of care is to provide whatever resources and therapies can help the patient return to that life rather than remaining confined by his pain. We continually strive to help him reach that place for as long as he looks to us for care.
