Maren was assigned a patient in our Home Services Ambulatory Infusion Suite. On arrival, she noticed the patient looked jaundiced. She asked the patient if he was feeling well. Patient stated he felt fine. She tactfully said he seemed a little yellow. Patient said he hadn't noticed and didn't think there was anything wrong. As she was going to start his infusion, she just didn't feel good about it. She consulted with the pharmacist, who indicated this medication could cause the patient significant harm if he was having problems with his liver.

Maren reached out to the provider and asked if we could draw a hepatic function panel. Labs were drawn, and the decision was made not to infuse the drug until results were reviewed. The patient was quite upset about not getting his infusion and was concerned about whether he was going to have to pay for the very expensive drug. The provider called the patient when the labs resulted and told him to go to the ER immediately. The patient was hospitalized and required a cholecystectomy.

After being discharged from the hospital, the patient called and expressed his appreciation for Maren being observant and, more importantly, being persistent in not continuing therapy that could have caused more damage. He didn't recognize until he was in the hospital after his surgery how yellow his skin and eyes were. He had heard that people have significant pain and feel very ill with this condition. He recognized she kept him from becoming more ill. He wanted her to be recognized for being persistent in doing the right thing and caring enough to speak up. Maren is dedicated to doing the right thing. She has a genuine concern for patients' safety.