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System of Care: It Works

For the past couple of years in my marketing role for Pentucket Medical, I’ve done a good deal of communicating about our System of Care – people, services and technology integrated to meet any healthcare needs our patients might face.

Unexpectedly, earlier this month, I experienced it myself.

After a day and a half of trying to ignore what I’d assumed was indigestion or an intestinal bug, I checked into ExpressCare. Using ExpressCare’s online appointment system, I registered from home and skipped the waiting room. Within minutes, I was describing my symptoms to Tracey Sarro, one of the ExpressCare Nurse Practitioners. She reviewed my vitals, asked a few questions and probed a bit around the area of my complaint.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“I’m going to order a CT scan so we can see what’s going on,” Ms Sarro told me, and in a matter of minutes I was booked for a CT scan.

I was given two bottles of prep fluid and then I made my way to Pentucket Medical in Haverhill, chugging the prep as I went. It was now about noon.

By 12:45, I was through the scanner and back in the diagnostic waiting room. I expected to hear from a radiologist that my CT showed no indication of a problem. Instead, I was beckoned to the check-in window and handed a phone receiver.

“Mr. Plante, this is Tracey over at ExpressCare. Your CT shows appendicitis. You need to get to hospital right away.”

I told Tracey I preferred to go to Anna Jaques, since I live in that end of the Valley. The AJH emergency department was crowded when I arrived, but Tracey had called ahead, so I was triaged immediately. Having a DVD of my CT scan and the radiologist’s workup saved more time and, I assume, more expense. In what seemed like no time, I was in the Operating Room. Dr. Peter Hartmann performed the operation, and did a great job. The next morning I was discharged and sent home, sore from surgery, but my problem resolved.

System of Care: An integrated team of clinicians, support staff and technology that extends to excellent local hospitals.

Having experienced it personally leaves me impressed and proud.

And healthy.

It works. Thanks.