Trinity Health Offers New Service Called Well Care

It’s common when talking about healthcare providers to use terms like primary care and specialty care.

Roughly speaking, a primary care provider – whether a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant – is a healthcare professional who provides head-to-toe care throughout one’s lifetime. A specialist, on the other hand, is someone your primary care provider might refer you to, such as an ear, nose and throat physician or a cardiologist.

Now, a third term is gaining traction in the healthcare lexicon – well care.

What is Well Care at Trinity Health?

Well care is a form of preventive care that’s increasingly being promoted by Medicare and other health insurers to reinforce the importance of monitoring a patient’s health status. By checking in on patients, providers can make more informed decisions to help assess health risks and discuss changes or concerns that a patient might have.

Trinity Health established a preventive care program earlier this year called Trinity Health Well Care. It’s earning positive reviews as it helps patients get a jump on health problems.

“Well Care is an extension of our primary care services,” said Buffie Salo, Vice President of Provider Network Organization. “Its role is to facilitate patients who need to schedule their Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) for Medicare or who would benefit by having expedited care in various situations, such as a post-emergency room visit or for preventive monitoring such as checking blood sugar levels.”

Well Care is a pillar of primary care that focuses on screenings and the well being of patients who are eligible for Medicare annual wellness visits. — Well Care is a pillar of primary care that focuses on screenings and the wellbeing of patients who are eligible for Medicare annual wellness visits.

Amber Rice, FNP-BC, is Trinity’s Well Care provider located at Trinity Health Medical Arts. She sees her role as complementing primary care. “It’s been great to start seeing patients in Well Care,” she said. “We partner with Trinity’s primary care providers to complete Medicare Annual Wellness Visits and make sure patients are up-to-date on preventive care. In meeting with patients, I can help identify their needs and facilitate care.”

What are patients saying about Well Care?

Cindy Sorensen and her husband, Dick, have been among Amber’s patients who have used this collaborative care approach that integrates well care into a patient’s primary care experience. Although both have a primary care provider, they opted to see Amber for their Annual Wellness Visit.

“I was impressed with Amber; she was so helpful,” Cindy said. “For me it was an opportunity to focus on issues that you might not think of bringing up to your primary care provider. I mentioned to Amber that I‘d been having trouble sleeping, and she recommended a magnesium supplement that has made all the difference.”

Unlike a head-to-toe physical, an Annual Wellness Visit is more like a general health assessment and a review of one’s ability to function safely in the home and community.

AWVs also can play a role in supporting primary care providers by increasing their efficiency. For example, Cindy’s well care provider ordered a blood test prior to her visit with her primary care provider (PCP). As a result, her PCP had the test results in hand so he could review them with Cindy during her visit. “I just think (well care) is the smartest idea to come around in a long time,” Cindy added. “Whoever came up with idea deserves credit.”

Another example of how well care supports primary care: a gentleman without a PCP went in to see Amber in her Well Care clinic. He was having ongoing elevated blood pressure readings but didn’t have an official diagnosis of hypertension and wasn’t on any medications. Further examination also showed a cardiac arrythmia.

“Because we were able to see him, he could get started on proper treatment and follow-up. Our goal is to partner with the PCPs and give patients the best care possible,” Amber said.

Call Trinity Health Well Care Clinc now to schedule an appointment.

Trinity Health’s Well Care team works closely with our primary care providers to complete yearly assessments for Medicare patients that want to complete their Annual Wellness Visit. To schedule a call with our Well Care clinic, call 701-857-2252.

Patients may also call their primary care provider to complete their annual wellness visit. Click here to find a list of Trinity Health primary care locations.