Blog Editor’s Note: Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) is a not-for-profit, full-service critical access hospital in Southwest Wyoming. Offering a wide range of specialties, advanced imaging, and a state-of-the-art cancer center, MHSC provides high-quality, accessible care. We sat down with MHSC lead financial navigator and TailorMed User Advisory Committee member Melida Marin to chat about her professional journey—and how her small but mighty team leveraged technology to save patients $11.1 million in the last fiscal year.
MHSC Lead Financial Navigator Melida Marin (right) with her colleague Megan Benedict.
TailorMed: Tell us about your professional background and what motivated you to become a financial navigator.
Melida Marin: My passion for helping others began early in my life. As the child of a Spanish-speaking mother, I often served as her interpreter. I still remember the impact it made when someone went the extra mile for her or shared valuable resources. These experiences inspired me to pursue careers with community service organizations and nonprofits.
In 2016, I joined Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) as an interpreter. Since this was a newly created position at MHSC, I quickly recognized the critical need to develop formal policies and procedures while fostering key community relationships. After four years in this role, the director of financial services invited me to join their recently established financial navigation department. I leveraged the diverse skills and knowledge I had accumulated throughout my career to help establish and shape our program.
TailorMed: What are the main responsibilities of your role?
MM: As a Lead Financial Navigator for the past three years, I’ve worked on developing policies, procedures, and training programs. My core responsibility is to proactively identify patients needing assistance and connect them with appropriate resources.
Our navigation department goes above and beyond typical programs, which often serve the cancer and infusion centers. We help all patients across all departments optimize their insurance coverage, reduce their out-of-pocket costs, and lower the financial toxicity that can come with these costs.
Self-pay patients automatically receive our support. We also focus on Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those new to Medicare, who might need help understanding the various parts and could qualify for copay programs. Our services extend to insurance optimization, including assessing Medicaid eligibility, helping patients secure secondary plans and subsidies, or facilitating connections with insurance representatives for ACA plans.
I also took time to evaluate existing community resources in our county to determine how our navigation department could address unmet needs. Research and development were crucial in establishing a comprehensive program. We strive to fill any service gaps to ensure patients receive complete support throughout their healthcare journey.
TailorMed: What are the greatest rewards of your work and the greatest challenges?
MM: The most fulfilling aspect of my work—and I know my colleague Megan shares this sentiment—is serving as a patient advocate. All the effort we invest in securing that crucial medication comes straight from our hearts. When I see someone able to afford their necessary treatment, I think, “Wow, it worked!” That feeling is incredibly rewarding.
Conversely, our greatest challenge is when we’re unable to help someone. Part of this stems from our staffing situation; we currently have two navigators and are in the process of hiring a third. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day to assist everyone who needs it. For me, the issue isn’t about managing our workload—it’s about whether we can reach everyone who could benefit from our help.
TailorMed: With treatment costs on the rise, what types of financial struggles have you observed among patients at MHSC?
MM: Transportation expenses pose a significant challenge for our patients. Being in a rural area means many people travel up to two hours for treatment. Consider dialysis patients who need care three times weekly—these costs accumulate quickly. When we connect patients with foundation grants for copay or premium assistance, it often liberates their resources for gas and other necessities.
We also see widespread gaps in healthcare literacy regarding insurance and financial aid options. We take it upon ourselves to proactively contact patients and determine if they qualify for Medicaid, coverage through the ACA Marketplace, copay programs, premium assistance, free and/or replacement medication, or our internal medical assistance program.
TailorMed: Tell us more about Sweetwater’s financial navigation program and how the hospital has committed to removing barriers to care.
MM: Our program originated to assist patients with Medicaid applications. We had one navigator initially, Patricia Grossnickle. The pivotal moment came when she and the billing department encountered an account with over $100,000 in outstanding medication costs. They realized, “There must be resources available to help with these expenses.” This discovery transformed our navigation services.
Our program fulfills our mission because we refuse to turn anyone away. Regardless of coverage status or even if they have bills in collections, we, as a county hospital, are committed to serving everyone. Our navigation team evaluates each patient’s situation and connects them with potential savings programs. This allows patients to focus on their needed care rather than costs. It’s often said that the financial burden can be far worse than the treatment itself. We frequently hear that without our assistance, patients would face bankruptcy or, worse, forgo necessary treatment, potentially leading to complications or chronic conditions.
TailorMed: What motivated your leadership to consider a technology solution for financial navigation?
MM: We wanted to demonstrate the impact of our work on the hospital. A technology solution allows us to instantly match patients with potential savings opportunities instead of manually searching various programs and foundations. When establishing the program, our leadership brought in financial navigation expert Dan Sherman as a consultant. He provided training and a spreadsheet to track our progress. Dan recommended implementing a technology solution. We started with Vivor before transitioning to TailorMed.
TailorMed: What have been the greatest benefits of having a technology platform to enhance your efforts?
MM: One of the greatest benefits of using a technology platform is the visibility it provides to all stakeholders. When I help a patient access free medication or other resources, I can report back to their provider. This ensures everyone stays aligned and understands the value of our work.
I particularly appreciate TailorMed’s alert system. For example, when a patient needs to order medication, it appears immediately on my screen, preventing anything from being overlooked. The worklists and filters are also valuable. We can identify how many patients are using specific medication and which departments they’re visiting, providing crucial insights. We also utilize TailorMed Insights for reporting. Extensive data allows us to document patient savings and other successes. When I first started, our navigation department saved the hospital approximately $600,000—last fiscal year, that figure exceeded $3.6 million. Patient savings increased from $1.5 million to over $11.1 million. These patient savings represent our true reward.
TailorMed: What advice would you give to healthcare professionals who are looking into technology to streamline their financial assistance workflows and serve more patients in need?
MM: My advice to other healthcare professionals considering technology solutions: Don’t hesitate! It will enhance your processes and create efficiencies that save both time and money. Hospitals should begin by generating reports on losses due to inability to secure replacement medications, and on self-pay patient volumes over specific periods. These data points help identify the demand for financial navigation and necessary resources. Once your program is established, platforms like TailorMed become essential. Performing everything manually would require substantially more time to assist each patient. With TailorMed, you can easily connect with foundations, manufacturer programs, and more with just a few clicks. TailorMed allows you to concentrate on the core mission: helping patients afford the care they deserve.
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To learn more about how TailorMed can help your organization optimize financial assistance and reach more patients, get in touch with our team.
