Chronic patients get look at future of health care
Chronically ill and underinsured, Marshall Kettelhut of Austin was like a time bomb. At any time, he might end up in the emergency room or a hospital bed, overwhelmed by his ailments and relying on his taxpayer-funded health plan to cover the bill.
But in the past year, Kettelhut has cut back sharply on his ER visits and has had fewer hospitalizations — thanks, he says, to the doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, case manager and social worker who keep regular tabs on him. They help him manage a daunting array of medical conditions: diabetes, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and irregular heartbeat — as well as bouts of anxiety and depression.
“If it wasn’t for these people, I don’t know if I’d be here,” said Kettelhut, who is 51 and covered by the Medical Access Program through Travis County’s Central Health hospital district.
A new world of health care is unfolding for some chronically ill Austin-area residents like Kettelhut, who was a cook at Long John Silver’s before he became too sick to work in 2010.
More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/chronic-patients-get-first-glimpse-at-future-of-he/nWtRs/ .
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