(L-R) Health Coach Team, Lisa Skinner, CMA & Carma Dixson, CMA
Corydon, May 7, 2015: Wayne County Hospital and Clinic System is pleased to announce that Carma Dixson, CMA has joined Lisa Skinner, CMA rounding out our Health Coach Team. Focused on health management, wellness and lifestyle management, the role of the health coach is working directly with patients who have chronic conditions helping them learn self-management skills to improve their overall health.
Carma comes with excellent experience having worked in the clinic setting for eight years. “Leaving the clinic was a difficult decision, but I knew this would be an exciting opportunity to help patients who really need guidance and support. It’s about laying the groundwork for future care practice. A large part of the job is population health management and data gathering,” remarked, Carma. “I’m eager to complete the 3-day health coach training program this summer.”
“We are one of 25 facilities who received grant funding through the Mercy Health Network and are required to report our data monthly. Recently, we reported on 1,081 Medicare patients who are coming to the clinic, getting the care they need and / or getting tests done. We had the highest number of all the facilities. But we have been doing it longer than most,” commented, Lisa Skinner.
Health coaches work with chronic disease management that include diabetes, hyper tension, COPD, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, to name a few. They work closely with Case Management on the hospital side to provide insight on readmission risks, meet prior to discharge, do follow-up calls and will follow patients for 6-8 weeks after discharge to minimize setbacks and readmissions.
On the clinic side, the health coach team coordinates with providers reviewing a patient‘s lifestyle and prompting the patient to set reasonable goals. Dr. Joel Baker, of South Central Iowa Medical Clinic, has been the provider champion working closely and collaboratively with the health coach team to develop an effective program.
Meeting with patients one on one to do the motivational interview helps reveal underlying problems patients may not recognize. Cases vary and an example is of a diabetic truck driver who was taking the highest dose of Victoza (a non-insulin daily diabetic medication) but was no longer getting the results he needed and there was discussion he may have to start on insulin. This would mean he would no longer be able to drive a truck which would directly affect his livelihood. After meeting with him, and having him demonstrate exactly how he administered his medication, it was revealed that he was administering in the same location. This had formed scar tissue and the medication was no longer penetrating and being diffused into the body. The health coach was able to recommend how he could adjust his administration site and he immediately started to feel better, and the dosage was actually lowered. “It is often an easy fix. We just need the time to find what needs to be adjusted. We are paid to slow down, ask questions and provide guidance,” commented Lisa Skinner, CMA.
“Our reporting measures are set for the 18-75 year old demographic which is pretty broad. We look at all areas such as how oral health and vision care can affect your overall health. I’m finding this to be rewarding and humbling. It’s non-judgmental and all about providing support for our patients,” remarked, Carma Dixson, CMA.
Patients may also request health coach consultations through their primary care providers. For more information, please call Lisa Skinner, CMA Health Coach at 641-872-5519 or Carma Dixson, CMA, Health Coach Assistant at 641-872-5525.