A nurse is always on-call to help. 

By Candace Cook-Cline, LPN

 

Q. How do I contact the AHN, and when are they available?

A. The AHN is available anytime the clinic is closed (early mornings, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays). A patient needs to call and will be answered by our answering service, evaluated, and referred to the AHN nurse.

 

Q. Do I have to be a patient of SICHC?

A. Yes. You must be an established patient.

 

Q. What kind of things can I call for?

A. After Hours service is available for questions or concerns that need to be addressed in a clinical manner outside of normal business hours, that isn’t critical enough to warrant an ER visit. That can include medicine questions, someone’s feeling ill, reactions to meds, concerns regarding an appointment earlier in the day, etc.

 

Q.  Is the After Hours Nurse an employee of SICHC?

A. Yes. Our AHN Candace has been a nurse with SICHC for 10 years. So our patients will have the same familiar voice when they have concerns.

 

Q. Can the AHN make a daytime clinic appointment?

A. Yes. Plus the AHN can also make follow up appointments for a patient’s local ER or area urgent care center.

 

Q. Is there a lot of paperwork to fill out before calling?

A. No. Patient data and records are accessible by the AHN.

 

Q. Does the AHN have access to your records?

A. Yes. They have access to patient records and are able to order labs, imaging, and if needed, prescribe medications (authorized by on-call provider). 

 

Q. Will my insurance be billed for the AHN service?

A. No. Insurance is not billed for after hours calls.

 

Q. Does the AHN speak Spanish? Or can assist the hearing impaired?

A. The AHN has a translation app to work with the hearing impaired. The AHN doesn’t speak Spanish, however they utilize a translator app, while not 100%, does assist in the communication.

 

Q. Insurance companies often have After Hours Nurse lines, what’s the difference? 

A. SICHC’s AHN line differs from insurance options, due to the continuity of care aspect. Being able to have all patient records readily available in one place and also have a patient’s regular provider informed of the call in a timely manner is a wonderful asset for our patients.