The Parkview Access Center is a one-stop solution for addressing appointment needs, medication and medical questions, prescription refills and those clinical concerns that surface outside of typical business hours. There’s a broad scope of scenarios in which patients might need assistance, which means that the team members taking the calls must have a passion for familiarizing themselves with the breadth of resources and processes Parkview has to offer. The reward, for them, comes when they make the appropriate connections and get affirmation that they’ve made a difference for the person on the other end of the line. We invited members of our Access Center team to share some of the positive exchanges that have deepened their regard for their role.

Erica (Nikki) Roy
Parkview Behavioral Health Institute intake navigator
Parkview Behavioral Health Institute Intake

“I recently had a gratifying experience here at the Access Center, in which a patient missed her psychiatric evaluation appointment and needed to reschedule. She stated that she'd had several deaths in her family and really needed to be seen. I advised that I could see if anything was available, as our providers are scheduling out a few months for new clients. Thankfully, as we were speaking, I came across a psychiatric evaluation via MyChart for the next day.

“The client didn't have MyChart activated, so I walked her through the steps of activating her MyChart account over the phone. I was able to get her scheduled and she felt so happy and relieved. She thanked me and told me to continue doing what I do, because what I do truly does make a difference for others. I was pleasantly shocked at how well this situation turned out for the patient! It was gratifying for me to see that she was going to receive the help she needed much sooner than later.”

Melissa Neff
PPG Call Center RN
Access Center Nurse Triage

“A patient called because she was having a rapid heart rate while at the gym and when she got home her smartwatch showed she was in atrial fibrillation. This had just been diagnosed the day before at the Cardiology office following a 14-day cardiac event monitor. While talking to the patient, I found that she was symptomatic, and I triaged her. The care advice was for her to go to the Emergency Department.  I knew that it was very likely atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate (AFIB RVR) and she very well may need some medication to get her rhythm stabilized. I had to do some talking to get her to the ED. I also talked to the rounding Cardiology provider who agreed with the care advice.

“I later found out while cleaning up my open encounters that the patient was in AFIB RVR and received medication to get her back to sinus rhythm. I felt very proud of myself for knowing this was a possibility and getting her in for treatment. Of course, it’s not good for someone’s heart rate to be in the 150s for any length of time, so managing and adjusting her heart rate with medication was crucial.”  

Erica Shafer
Parkview Health procedure scheduler
Parkview Health Scheduling

“I just had a patient who needed to schedule a carotid ultrasound and SmartLung CT scan. The patient had his heart set on having these procedures done at our north campus in Fort Wayne and of course he wanted them scheduled together. I did my search and found that these together would put his appointments out several weeks. He asked where else I could get these scheduled. I let him know the options closest to Fort Wayne – Parkview DeKalb, Parkview Whitley or Parkview Huntington – and, with these locations added, I was able to get the imaging scheduled much sooner. The patient was super happy!”

Katie Allen
Parkview Behavioral Health Institute crisis call services specialist
Parkview Behavioral Health Institute Intake

“I received a call from a patient who was having an anxiety attack. I was able to engage them in a distress tolerance skill that reduced their anxiety enough that we were able to discuss and identify the cause of the anxiety attack. I was then able to educate them on other coping skills to utilize in the future should the need ever arise again. By doing this, the patient was able to safely de-escalate and did not need emergency intervention or admission to an inpatient facility.” 

Sheryl Cox
PPG Surgery procedure scheduler
PPG Cardiology Scheduling

“I have worked in the PPG Cardiology Scheduling Department for many years, but recently I had a call that touched me deeply. 

“A patient and his wife called to arrange their routine annual checks and had some specific needs. They each have a separate cardiologist in our group and wanted appointments on the same day and arranged so they could sit in on each other’s visit. This can be a very challenging request because of physicians’ hospital duties, clinic assignments and general office hours. I eventually found a solution, to the delight of each of them, and what happened next was amazing!

“They asked if I had a specific need and asked if they could pray for me. I explained I was worried about some close friends that were in a serious car accident and needed several reconstructive surgeries to recover. Then we prayed. They thanked the Lord for having us meet, thanked Him for my ‘servant’s heart and willingness to listen to their needs,’ and prayed for healing for my friends. We ended our call and I just felt blessed to be at work. It was the best call I’ve received in a very long time.”