facility's surgical services manager.
The essential oils come in lavender, sandalwood, peppermint and
orange, and are clipped on to a patient's gown. Some are delivered to
patients via handheld inhalers that have ginger and spearmint, and
can be used as an alternative or in conjunction with traditional phar-
maceutical antiemetics. The fast-acting oils are hailed as non-habit
forming and don't make patients drowsy.
3. Creative patient financing
The coronavirus brought with it huge financial concerns for Gulf
Coast Outpatient Surgery Center in Biloxi, Miss., according to Michele
Blackwood, CPC, CPB, the facility's business manager. Patients who
have lost jobs and their insurance coverage are more likely to put off
procedures, meaning the facility needs to collect full copays from
patients who show up for their scheduled procedures.
"As we're ramping back up, patients who had their procedures post-
poned because of COVID-19 might wait even longer, especially if
they're just returning to work themselves," says Ms. Blackwood. "And
some of our patients will now have more difficulty paying the out-of-
pocket fees for surgery."
The patient finance company Gulf Coast works with offers a series
of loans to patients. Ms. Blackwood says the arrangements work for
patients because the terms of the loans are flexible, meaning the
monthly payments can be adjusted. The online application can be
completed in advance of surgeries, or, in the case of an emergent pro-
cedure, in less than 10 minutes in the facility on the day of surgery.
Ms. Blackwood says the loans help to ensure cash-strapped patients,
who can't afford high deductibles of $2,500 to $5,000, have access to
the surgical care they need.
The arrangement also helps the facility, which gets 100% of
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