Ryan English Earns the Above and Way Beyond Award
It’s nice to know that when you just don’t have the strength, someone is willing to help you even when he doesn’t have to! Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services (PHCC), a company that provides medical services throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania with headquarters in Eatontown, recently championed a client in Kenilworth, N.J., who has a diagnosis of ALS and requires 24-hour skilled nursing care.
The client had been paying another home health care agency privately for services. When Monica Bukowski, clinical supervisor at Preferred, opened the case, she found out that the client did not have insurance. The client said she had tried to get the insurance to cover the PDN (Private Duty Nursing) benefit but was told she did not have the benefit and that PDN services were not covered.
Ryan English, a Forked River resident and branch manager of Preferred, North Brunswick, could easily have accepted the fact that the client did not have coverage and bill the 100 percent of out-of-pocket fee; however, he decided to check all the facts with the hope that he could help the client. English called the insurance company and working with them, he found out that the client did, in fact, have the benefit.
English said, “When you are in this situation, it is easy to get beaten down and almost give up. Preferred felt that the needs of this family had progressed, and we were not willing to give up on getting them approved. With the effort of our office staff, our clinicians and the family’s primary physician, we put together updated information and presented it to the insurance company. I am proud to say that this family is now approved for 16 hours a day of PDN. The money saved can now go to other pressing family needs and has allowed the family to take one worry off their plate so they can concentrate on their loved one.”
Jonathan Herman, COO of PHHC, said, “It would have been easier just to focus on the next client, but Ryan went above and beyond his job description to help another human being, a core philosophy at Preferred. Had it not been for Ryan’s hard work and concern for our client, the family would still be paying 100 percent privately. Kudos to Ryan!”
Ann La Patta RN, corporate director of nursing at PHHC, said, “Talk about going above and beyond for a client. FANTASTIC! In my opinion, this is the type of action that makes Preferred special and stand out.”
The North Brunswick branch of PHHC employs close to 300 nurses and aides, and services 160 families with various medical needs. Ryan, a 10-year employee of Preferred, said, “My office services Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties, which is a source of great to pride to me because it is where I grew up and continue to have many bonds.
“Although I have not experienced first-hand the need for ongoing medical care in my immediate family, I am very sensitive to the financial and emotional strains these needs can place on a family. My grandmother and both uncles on my mother’s side passed away in their 40s due to health issues so I fully understand the emotional tolls a family endures during health struggles.”
Ryan said, “I love my job, I love helping people and I love being a part of such a dedicated organization. I now volunteer and coach youth sports in my town. Being an influential and a positive role model to others has become something I search for. I try to teach my family not to be bystanders, rather to always be part of the solution.”
For more information, contact Lisa Gallicchio, PHHC Director of Community Relations.
About Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services:
Since 1987, Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services (PHHC), 45 Main Street, Eatontown, N.J., has provided a wide range of medical and non-medical home health care services from pediatric to geriatric care throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. PHHC is accredited by CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Program), an accrediting organization for the home health care industry.
Preferred works collaboratively with physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and facilities to ensure a smooth transition to one’s home. In-house services include skilled nursing care for infants, children, adults, and seniors; personal care services, including bathing, grooming, dressing, feeding, etc.; private duty nursing services; and at-home physical therapy, among others. All of the care can be provided in-house and is coordinated by registered nurses, with clinical supervision available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit Preferred at PreferredCares.com for more information.