P3 Medical Group expanded over the hump to Pahrump in October of last year, bringing to the valley a whole new option for medical care for area residents. The inclusion of this area in the P3 network also brought with it another new health care option for valley seniors, with Senior Care Plus now offering its Medicare Advantage plans to Pahrump as well.
To help area seniors understand the scope of the new choices available to them right here in town, P3 recently hosted a health information fair at the NyE Communities Coalition. Residents were invited to learn more about the medical group and its affiliates, as well as how to make the most of their Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.
Taking part in the health information fair were an array of medical professionals, including the P3 team of Dr. Ed Harding and nurse practitioners Schadrey Bonds. P3 affiliates from Goodhart Medical Group and Reflections Healthcare, including nurse practitioners Renae Goedhart and Judi Larkin, Dr. William Craig, Dr. Sheryl Cipollini, also participated, along with Desert Radiology and Clinical Pathology Laboratories.
“For most of you, if you don’t know, P3 was founded by a group of physicians who really want to bring the love back to medical care, not only the love for the job we do but the love for the patients that we consider it an honor to serve,” P3 Medical Group President Tracy Wakefield told a large crowd of seniors gathered for the event.
“One of the things that I think sets P3 apart from the others is that we are really focused on keeping our patients well, not just focusing on financially gaining when patients are ill. Our goal is to keep people well and let them live the best life they can possibly live,” Wakefield said.
Ingrid Patin, Director of P3 Medical Group Operations, added, “We work as a team. We don’t individually care for you, all of us care for you as one large team. That includes the clinic here in Pahrump and all the staff we have there and we have even more people in Las Vegas helping you, whether that is over the phone or they are traveling here to help you in person. We are here to help and serve you in any possible way we can.”
Throughout the event, P3 representatives tackled questions from the audience and gave an overview of the medical group, touching on the primary care, urgent care and hospitals within its network, as well as patient resources such as the group’s Patient Portal, transportation options and much more. When all was said and done, the event was hailed as a great success by P3.
“We were very happy with how the event went. Many of the people who were there were already patients of ours and so we were pleased to help them understand why P3 is different and how they can make the most of their benefits and get the care they deserve,” P3 Communications Director Nancy Weaver stated following the event.
When asked what she felt was one of the most important takeaways from the event, Weaver honed in on the need for comprehensive exams.
“We want to make sure, first and foremost, that Medicare Advantage patients are taking advantage and starting the year off on the right foot by getting a comprehensive exam. That comprehensive exam is important so we can get baseline information on all of our patients,” Weaver detailed. “When we have that baseline information up front, whether it is cholesterol or blood pressure or whatever it is, we are better able to identify when something is out of the norm and therefore catch bigger issues while they are still relatively minor and are more manageable. That is really one of the biggest things.”
Weaver said another integral part of the event was informing area seniors about the model that P3 follows, noting that coordinated care is crucial.
“Very often, seniors have multiple specialists and with P3, part of our care model is that the primary care doctor becomes the center of the hub around which all of their medical treatment is coordinated. We’ve got neurologists and cardiologists and endocrinologists, all of those ‘ologists’ out there, so we want to make sure we check in with the patient to make sure that everything and everyone is working together and things are going as they should.”
Nancy explained that any area senior who is interested in possibly becoming a P3 patient has the opportunity to do so right now, with a special window of time now open for seniors to make a switch in their Medicare Advantage plans.
“If they are already a Medicare Advantage patient, there is a special period between January to the end of March where they can change from one Medicare Advantage plan to another. So they can change from their current Medicare Advantage plan to the Senior Care Plus Medicare Advantage Plan. In order to do that, we recommend patients talk to a broker who can help facilitate that process for them,” Weaver informed. “We do also accept some commercial insurances.”
For more information on P3 Medical Group visit www.P3NV.org
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com