Patient Experience

Working Together to Provide the Best Patient Care

John J. Passias II, DO, is an OhioHealth Physician Group Primary Care physician whose practice is located in the medical offices at the OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital. He works closely with other OhioHealth Physician Group doctors at the hospital, and that collaboration helps him deliver the best possible healthcare, benefiting his patients in many ways. 

Several months ago, an OhioHealth cardiologist contacted Dr. Passias about one of his patients. He said the man wasn't doing very well, and he was concerned. Dr. Passias saw the patient the very next morning and immediately set up diagnostic testing, including a CT scan. Together with a team of an OhioHealth radiologist, a scheduler and an insurance pre-certification specialist, Dr. Passias was able to get the CT scan that day and the patient’s cancer diagnosis a few hours later. “We were able to give my patient his diagnosis before he left the building, so he didn’t have to go home wondering what was going on,” Dr. Passias said.

An appointment was made the following Tuesday for the patient to see an OhioHealth Physician Group medical oncologist. So not only did the patient get his diagnosis quickly, but he also had his treatment protocols determined just a few days later. According to Dr. Passias, it’s becoming more and more the norm to see time shortened between testing, diagnosis and treatment for his patients, due to OhioHealth Physician Group doctors and clinicians working together at Pickerington.

“There’s a comfort level for the patient that comes when we collaborate like this, providing them a timely, compassionate approach to their care." ~ Dr. Passias 

When a patient came to see Dr. Passias with symptoms of a heart condition, typically Dr. Passias would’ve sent him to the emergency room; however, he was able to collaborate with an OhioHealth Physician Group cardiologist at Pickerington, reviewing a care plan with the cardiologist the same day of the patient’s appointment. Dr. Passias and the cardiologist got the patient on the medicines he needed that day, and then the cardiologist followed up with the patient within the next 48 hours in the office, getting him the care he needed and by-passing the high cost of an emergency room visit.

“For us, this kind of working together provides value to the way we care for our patients,” Dr. Passias said. “We’re on the same plan, the same page and everybody wins.”

OhioHealth Physician Group Primary Care physicians have medical practices located throughout Ohio for the convenience of our patients.

Helping a Patient Get His Follow-Up Care

When Andrea Green, RN, reviewed her list of patients recently discharged from a hospital stay, she particularly noticed one patient, who hadn’t seen his primary care doctor in close to a year.

Andrea is anOhioHealth care coordinator. She works closely with patients who have chronic conditions to help them manage and monitor their health. She works as a team with primary care physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and other clinicians collaborating to help OhioHealth patients achieve their best health.

Andrea called the patient for several days after his discharge from Riverside Methodist but without success. One day, he walked into his primary care doctor’s office. “He said, ‘Somebody here has been trying to call me,’” Andrea said.

She met with the patient and learned he’d lost his health insurance coverage when he retired. That’s when she got to work helping him connect with OhioHealth Financial Services to verify that charitable assistance would cover his hospital stay and follow-up care. “We also went over all his medications and what they were going to cost him,” Andrea said. “I gave him contact information for the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, and he used that. They were able to get him all his medications at no cost to him.”

Andrea also set the patient up with doctor appointments, and a social worker assisted him with a search for health insurance. "Given these resources, he followed through with everything I asked him to do, and he's doing very well at this point," Andrea said.  

“He told his primary care doctor how much this care coordination helped him continue getting what he needs to stay healthy. He was very thankful.” ~ Andrea

OhioHealth Physician Group Care Coordination is offered to patients without cost as part of our patient-centered model of care. 

A Patient Gets Her Life Back

Lyndsey Nadolson, RN, is one of several behavioral health providers who work in OhioHealth Physician Group Primary Care offices to help patients who may suffer from depression, anxiety or other behavioral health conditions.

“If you need the care, you’re immediately linked to a behavioral health provider during your primary care annual check-up,” she said. "It's all in one appointment."

A patient benefited from this accessibility when she scored extremely high on the routine depression screening that’s given during annual primary care check-ups. “She was in the mind frame that she didn't want anyone to know about her depression,” Lyndsey said, “but it was pretty severe. She was staying in bed most days, struggling to interact with her family and having suicidal thoughts.”

Lyndsey spent time with the patient to understand what was going on in her life and the depth of her depression. Then she met with the patient’s primary care doctor to help develop an individualized treatment plan.

“When I work with patients, if further collaboration is needed, I have an on-call psychiatrist I work with. That also brings a psychiatrist into the circle immediately, when otherwise a patient would have to wait six to seven months for an appointment.” ~ Lyndsey

 The patient returned for her follow-up appointment, and her depression screening was normal. She was back to volunteering at her kids’ school and traveling with her husband. “She told me that she got her life back,” Lyndsey said. “You could see she was thriving.” 

At OhioHealth Physician Group, we are staffing our primary care practices with behavioral health providers, so patients struggling with depression, anxiety and other behavioral health conditions get immediate attention. It’s one more way we’re delivering great patient care by connecting you to the resources you need when you need them.