Melinda Smith, RN

I would like to recognize Melinda as I had a patient who is a young man who had a stroke. He was found to have a PFO or ASD, AKA hole in his heart, and required the blood thinner Eliquis prior to discharge. However, his insurance company would not cover it without pre-approval, and this was a Friday evening at about 7:00 p.m., and there could be no pre-approval done over the weekend. She took it upon herself to check with the pharmacy for every option, and none of the options would work without pre-approval. She contacted me, and she walked down to my office to get the patient samples and a 30-day co-pay card so the patient was able to get his medication and was able to go home that same night without delay. She demonstrated that she had a significant caring for the patient, which I would like to recognize.