With maternity care, the focus is naturally on the mother and baby. But as an expectant dad, Andy Johnson was surprised that the MyMaternityHealth Bundle acknowledged his role, too.
He appreciated that he received his own set of support person updates from the bundle’s patient navigator. These emails helped him understand what he could expect, what resources were available to him and how he could support his wife Melissa and their new arrival, Jasper.
“The emails made me feel more included.”
Because Melissa had a miscarriage the first time she was pregnant, having a navigator was particularly helpful and reassuring. The navigator assisted with enrollment, scheduling appointments and setting up birthing classes. And when Melissa had to be induced early, the navigator made sure that all related services were covered.
“When we reached out, the navigator always got back to us within 24 hours,” Johnson said. “When you go through something unknown, the last thing you want to think about is insurance. I assumed we’d get a random operator on the phone, but we had someone who knew how to find resources to help.
“We went through this without feeling alone,” he continued. “It’s one of the best benefits I could have as a VUMC employee.” In fact, the MyMaternityHealth Bundle process was so easy, “it almost felt too good to be true,” Johnson said.
Johnson works at home as an IT enterprise architect and rarely visits the hospital. But the MyMaternityHealth Bundle experience “helped me feel more connected to our overall mission,” he said. “I was better able to see what we do and the benefits we provide.”
The fact that the couple was able to have a baby with no out-of-pocket costs was huge for Johnson, but it wasn’t the only advantage.
“The care from VUMC was top notch,” Johnson said. “I knew we were being taken care of by the best. That was reassuring. The nurses and doctors were phenomenal. To be able to share that experience with my family was very rewarding.
“I know I’ll continue to work here for a long time.”
