“So freaking awesome” Member Robin T. turns health struggles into a care plan guided by a Regence care manager

Regence member Robin T., 73, worked as a registered nurse for decades, caring for everyone from renal transplant patients to inmates in a California detention center.

Over that time, she developed a less-than-positive impression of health insurance companies.

So when a stranger left a voicemail for the retired nurse earlier this year saying she was Andrea Thompson, RN, BSN, CCM, CDCES, a Regence nurse care manager, Robin assumed the worst.

“Initially, I thought Andrea was calling to dump me from the [health plan member] rolls,” Robin says. “I had used [my Regence plan] a lot over the past several months, and I thought, ‘This person is calling to find my points of weakness and get me dumped.’”

Robin was reluctant to return Thompson’s call.

“But I did, and I’m glad I did,” she recalls. “Andrea has been so freaking awesome.”

From suspicion to trust

Robin was identified for Regence Care Management services after several emergency room visits related to withdrawal symptoms from a substance use disorder (SUD).

As a former nurse, Robin can sense when someone is operating with genuine compassion or is simply going through the motions. Thompson, she quickly realized, cared.

The Regence nurse care manager met Robin where she was: someone who was suspicious of insurance companies and burned by recent healthcare experiences.

Thompson listened and empathized as Robin recounted her ER experiences: waiting in hallways feeling sick and in profound discomfort. People walking past her without seeing her as human. Not having her health needs addressed.

“Andrea is kind, and she asks questions that I can respect as a fellow nurse—what she’s asking and how she’s asking it,” Robin explains. “She’s respectful of my situation and has never made me feel judged. She’s not intrusive. She’s inquisitive, and there’s a big difference between the two.”

The two established a rapport, and trust blossomed.

Turning goals into action

In their conversations, Robin asked for help finding in-network care and community resources: a new primary care physician, a nutritionist, a strength trainer to help rebuild her stamina, and a SUD therapist.

“She offered possible options without trying to push them onto me,” says Robin. “She would say, ‘I could send this information to you. I can offer you this. Here’s what’s out there. Are you interested in this?’ She asks questions first and then does the research.”

Thompson followed up on each care request, often conference-calling providers directly with Robin who, at the time, asked for extra support in care conversations.

When Robin ran into an unexpected barrier to finding individual addiction treatment, Thompson pulled in a Regence behavioral health care manager to keep searching.

Eventually Robin found and established a good relationship with an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapist she now sees twice a week. The therapy helped Robin chart not only a path to recovery, she says, but navigate other life transitions as well.

“Now Robin’s calling people on her own and searching for services independent of me,” says Thompson. “It’s been great to celebrate her successes.”

Advice to fellow members

What advice would Robin give to fellow members who’ve never worked with a Regence care manager before?   

“Listen to the care manager,” says Robin. “They have a world of resources at their fingertips, and they can guide you toward the best way you should go. And, if what they suggest doesn’t work, they’re going to work even harder to find what does. They’re on your side.”

Above all, Robin wants other members to know they’re safe. “You’re going to be in good hands. You’re not going to be judged. You’re just going to be helped. There’s no ulterior motive.”

Robin’s experience also challenged her long-held assumptions about health insurance companies.

“I don’t think [Regence would] be paying for someone in Andrea’s role if they didn’t care,” she says.