Ask Kelly!
Becoming a new patient at any health care organization can be a daunting task.
First you have to find the right doctor, figure out how to make an appointment, find where to go for that appointment, fill out forms on your current health and medical history, get a release of medical information, and get a handle on what specialists, programs and services your new heath care system has to offer.
At NorthBay Healthcare we get it. That’s why we’ve made sure that new patients find the help they need to navigate the system right at their fingertips.
Kelly Rhoads-Poston, senior business development liaison, has been helping patients answer questions on insurance and providers for more than 20 years at NorthBay.
She can explain the difference between an HMO and a PPO, as well as between Medi-Cal and Medicare. Do you have double coverage? She can help you get the most out of your health benefits.
And now, patients also have access to information through a “New Patient Resources” online webpage. A direct link can be found at the top of the NorthBay.org home page, labeled “New to NorthBay?”
The webpage includes a seven-step menu to help you take care of everything from choosing a doctor to transferring your medical records.
Have a question?
Call Kelly (707) 646-3280
or email AskKelly@NorthBay.org.
“I think it’s a valuable page for people who are new to NorthBay and it is designed to answer the most common questions patients have when they come from another health care organization,” Kelly said. “It provides information on those first steps, as well as additional resources such as being able to print out new patient forms and have them filled out and ready before their first-patient visit. It’s designed to help them easily become a part of NorthBay.”
In addition to helping new patients choose a doctor, make an appointment, fill out forms and transfer their health records, the site also includes a link to the NorthBay patient portal page where they can sign up for MyNorthBayDoc. They’ll also find links to information on specialists, NorthBay’s Mayo Clinic Care Network page and information on Urgent Care services.
NorthBay Healthcare and Meritage Medical Network have partnered to expand service areas, improving access to care and broadening specialty service options for thousands of Meritage and NorthBay Medicare Advantage HMO patients.
This provides current patients in Meritage a larger specialist network (now including 150-plus NorthBay specialists). It also gives Medicare Advantage patients who’ve chosen NorthBay Healthcare primary care physicians in Solano County access to Meritage’s physicians in Solano, Napa, Marin and Sonoma counties.