What do you do when your daughter is in agony?

The following was originally posted on The Health Co-Op‘s blog and was written by their vice president of technology, Thad Puckett. The Health Co-Op provides a variety of member benefits including pharmacy benefits, medical bill mediation, patient navigation services and much more.

A few months ago our teenage daughter woke us up in the middle of the night. She wasn’t upset; she was in agony.

She had been suffering from an infection for several weeks, and though we thought it was healed up, that night she was in extreme pain. Something was seriously wrong, so we did what any parent would do when their child is in pain: we left for the hospital and the ER.

Since we live about 30 miles from Austin, the trip took a bit of time. As I drove, she was moaning in the back seat. My mind was racing, and I was more worried about whether she would be okay or not.

Because we are members of The Health Co-Op, and thus Samaritan Ministries, I knew that we were not confronting a major financial burden alone. Our fellow members would help us bear the burden of the expense. But those members weren’t there in the car as we drove that night.

My wife and I had to decide which ER we would go to. We could go to a free standing ER associated with a major Austin hospital, but if we did that and if she needed to be admitted, we would be driving even further to see her. Or we could go to a closer, but newer hospital, one we didn’t know much about. Or we could go to a hospital we knew of because of a family member’s recent experience. In the end, it was that great experience of someone close to us that influenced our decision. If our girl had to be admitted, she would be in a great hospital, one we had full confidence in.

The one thing we didn’t have to decide? We didn’t have to even ask the question about in or out of network because there are no network restrictions for members of Samaritan Ministries; you can chose any provider you want with membership in The Health Co-Op and Samaritan Ministries.

In the end our daughter didn’t have to be admitted. She was treated and quickly released.

We had been able to focus on her, and didn’t have to worry about the where or the how much.