Tetiana Pylypenko, 74, has been helped immeasurably by the Department of Ophthalmology Patient Navigator Dana McGinnis-Thomas. While Tetiana does not speak English, her daughter Olena Raichenko does.
As she related, “One day we came to some hospital, and a doctor explained that the Vision Institute has a program to help my mom. In the Vision Institute, we met Dana. She asked about my mom’s problem. She helped [with the] documents so much. Dana is amazing, awesome! She figured out [the] insurance for my mom. My mom can go to any doctor; it’s so awesome! My mom got two surgeries, and it was free because Dana helped.”
Tetiana has several diagnoses: exudative age-related macular degeneration of both eyes with active choroidal neovascularization, subconjunctival hemorrhage of the left eye, nuclear sclerosis of both eyes, advanced nonexudative age-related macular degeneration of the right eye with subfoveal involvement, total, mature age-related cataract, and pseudo foliation of both eyes. Needless to say, she required medical care.
The relationship started when McGinnis-Thomas received a phone call that Tetiana and her daughter were at the office concerned about not having health insurance prior to an appointment the next day. She helped them complete an application for UPMC financial assistance.
A few months later, McGinnis-Thomas sent a PA Medical Assistance application to the Alleghany County Assistance Office. Two months after that, she received a call from a case worker in that office, who said Tetiana was not eligible for PA Medical Assistance and/or SNAP.
McGinnis-Thomas completed a Fair Hearing Form for the denial. She then contacted the case worker a couple of months later to request the denial letter, which was requested by the Allegheny Health Network Financial Assistance Program. The next day, she received a call from the case worker’s supervisor informing her that Tetiana was approved for PA Medical Assistance, retroactively effective from when she initially applied. The County Assistance Office had checked a box that she was a child, which is what prompted the denial.
McGinnis-Thomas helped Tetiana with other things, including scheduling appointments and enrolling her in the Medical Assistance Transportation Program.
“My mom and [I] so appreciate Dana,” Olena said. “She is so so wonderful! She took care and takes care [of] my mom all [the] time. It’s so amazing that she [is] in the Vision Institute!”