Stephanie’s cardiac story: A leap of faith with Carrum Health
“My care specialist helped with literally everything from start to finish. She was super informative and explained how the company worked and what the process was and then set everything up with the doctors at Cleveland Clinic. She made everything seamless. It helped set aside our fears.”
A Leap of Faith with Carrum Health
Stephanie always knew She had a heart condition; she had been diagnosed with a heart murmur as a child. But in 2004, Stephanie began having intense heart palpitations and was rushed to the emergency room. She was told she had atrial fibrillation. an irregular heartbeat that could be treated with medication and blood thinners. But even after treatment and the birth of her daughter, Stephanie still didn’t feel right. “l finally got in touch with my current cardiologist, and he sent me for tests That’s when they found the hole.” She finally received the correct diagnosis, an atrial septal defect. She would need heart surgery to fix it.
Stephanie’s cardiologist suggested she go to Cleveland Clinic, Americas number one hospital for cardiology and heart surgery. for her surgery. At that time, Cleveland Clinic was out of network on her insurance, and the out-of-pocket cost was a huge concern.
“We didn’t want to wipe out our retirement or go bankrupt. We are pretty frugal and diligent—we’d saved for years and didn’t want to see that all taken out from one medical issue.”
But Stephanie felt like Cleveland Clinic was the best choice, and during open enrollment with her employer, Stephanie learned about the Carrum Health benefit. Carrum Health connects members with Centers of Excellence—leading hospitals like Cleveland Clinic—and doctors who are recognized as the best clinicians with top patient care. These are providers who achieve the best outcomes and have fewer complications than their peers. And through this benefit, Stephanie’s surgery was completely covered by her employer.*
Stephanie liked the accessibility of the Carrum Health app. “If I had a question, I didn’t have to call. I could just send her (the care specialist) a message, and She’d usually just shoot me a message back or call me if it was something that needed to be explained more in depth. The app was helpful and easy to use.”
The day finally came for Stephanie’s heart surgery. and she and her husband, Mark, traveled from Buffalo to Cleveland for the surgery. Stephanie and Mark’s travel and hotel expenses
“My care specialist helped with literally everything from start to finish_ She was super informative and explained how the company worked and what the process was and then set everything up with the doctors at Cleveland Clinic. She made everything seamless. It helped set aside our fears.”
Stephanie and her family did not have to worry about surprise medical bills and were able to focus on Stephanie getting better. “I’m so happy I found out about it and took the leap,” says Stephanie. who is getting stronger every day. “I was pretty much at the point of giving up. It was a good thing.”
“It was cool that I got to go with her, because when you’re doing something like that, you definitely need the support,” explains Mark. As soon as she woke up from her surgery. she was able to feel a difference. Stephanie was out of the hospital after just four days, and two months post surgery, she was feeling great.
“We took a leap of faith and it worked out,” she says. “I feel a lot better, and it has improved my ability to be more active.”
Stephanie and her family did not have to worry about surprise medical bills and were able to focus on Stephanie getting better. “I’m so happy I found out about it and took the leap.” says Stephanie. who is getting stronger every day.
