Drexel University

12/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/02/2024 14:12

Working on Wellness and Navigating Healthcare

Working on Wellness and Navigating Healthcare

Get tips on how to make a doctor's appointment, what you need to do to keep yourself healthy and how to navigate insurance.
December 2, 2024

The Student Health Center is located at 3401 Market St.

Making and attending your own doctor's appointments can feel like a tall task, between what you should bring, what to expect and how to make one in the first place. As you're learning how to do these grown-up tasks for the first time, the friendly faces at Drexel University's Student Health Center, Counseling Center and Office of Health Insurance and Immunizations are here to help.

"Even if students don't want to be patients here, they can access resources like COVID tests if they need to," Student Health Programs Coordinator Dana Ly said.

Also, as the fall and winter wear on, illnesses will begin to crop up. You can get your flu shot and COVID booster to keep yourself as healthy as possible. Take other measures like washing your hands, staying home when you're sick, avoiding close contact with others or touching your face and practicing general wellness like sleeping and eating well to avoid getting sick.

But if you do get sick or just need care, this may be able to help you navigate going to the doctor.

Making an appointment

The Student Health Center functions less like an urgent care office and more like a primary care office like the one you might've grown up going to, Gary Davis, MD, medical director of the Drexel Student Health Center, said. There are almost always availabilities for appointments within the next 24 hours, but you do have to make one to get in. To make an appointment, you can call 215.220.4700 or use the online portal MyChart, but Davis recommends using MyChart to see what appointment times are available.

"It's never wrong to call, but you just might have to answer a few more questions that you could otherwise enter electronically," Davis said.

It's best to have your insurance card in front of you and if you're on your parent or guardian's plan, know what name is listed as the subscriber, as well as their date of birth. If you have HMO health insurance, you will have to change your primary care provider to Drexel Student Health Center to have your visit covered by your insurance.

Why and when to go to the doctor

Of course, if you broke your arm or hit your head, you won't be making an appointment for your primary care provider - you should go to the emergency room. But for more everyday problems or questions, your annual wellness visit should cover the bases. There, you'll talk with your provider about your medical history, get your blood pressure and weight checked, receive immunizations and get a physical exam and blood test.

"We see a lot of young adults who are interested in STI screenings," Davis said. "Part of wellness is sexual health, and though you may have had testing at your pediatrician for cholesterol or blood sugar, maybe you haven't had this before, but these are things we can discuss at a wellness visit, as well as traditional tests and contraception."

If you get sick or have a nagging issue like a chronic cough or an aching foot, you can make a separate appointment for that at the Student Health Center.

"Sometimes students try to put everything they can think of in one appointment, so when we're in the appointment, we don't have enough time to address everything," Ly said. "Just focus on one main issue."

Maintaining a continuum of care

As you get set up at Drexel with your healthcare, you'll need to get your previous provider to send your medical records to your new provider, Davis said, so your care can continue with the utmost accuracy. Your new doctor will be able to see prior diagnoses and consider future treatment or methods.

If you've received care for chronic issues like asthma, ADHD or depression, among others, you don't have to move everything to Philadelphia if you still have ways to stay in contact with your doctor either through visits home or telehealth visits. If you do want to move your care to your new local area, Davis advised that it can be fairly simple, as long as the transfer of records happens as you get set up.

Counseling

Students can access the Counseling Center at the Creese Student Center, or see an embedded therapist at the Student Health Center, Center for Black Culture or for athletes at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Students can use MiResource to find off-campus providers, but the Counseling Center's case manager, Melisa Mitchell, is also there to help students navigate finding a provider, whether that's on or off campus. She can't make the appointment for them, but she can help them navigate their insurance coverage or navigating the cost of healthcare, Executive Director of Counseling Tania Czarnecki, PsyD, said.

"Students may not always know what they're looking for, but they may decide to start with us, and we can help them navigate what the best course of action might be, whether that's with us or somewhere in the community," Czarnecki said. "We're goal-focused when working with students. We will help you try to hone in on what's happening or come up with a couple things that would be helpful to work on."

There are no session limits, although the Center offers time limited individual therapy. Students can use the Counseling Center for group care, as well as access to crisis care, peer counselors and some workshops.

Navigating health requirements

One thing that often trips students up is the difference between Student Health and the Health Insurance and Immunizations Office (HII). They work together but aren't linked, Director of Health Insurance and Immunizations Meghan Lovett said.

The HII has certain requirements, like immunizations, that can trigger a hold on your student account if they're not met, so if you have a hold, you can save yourself some time and angst by heading straight for the Health Insurance and Immunizations Office, not Student Health. If you get an immunization at the Student Health Center, you need to obtain that record and upload it into the HII system.

Help with health insurance

The cost of student health insurance, which is through United Healthcare, is determined through the Health Insurance and Immunization Office. If students use that plan, they don't have a deductible or copays at Student Health for preventative care like check-ups, screenings and immunizations; if you're on a private plan, check with your insurance to find out if you'll be covered at Student Health. Even if your insurance is not accepted at Student Health, you can receive 30% off your out-of-pocket cost of care for receiving care at the Student Health Center. This does not apply to co-pays or deductibles.

"For students who are enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare school plan, we will have an onsite UnitedHealthcare advocate in our office five days a week in the beginning of the new year who can assist students with questions regarding the plan and claims and coverage inquiries," Lovett said.

Even if you're on your parents' insurance, your health information will not be released to them unless Student Health has your consent to do so. If you're concerned about your parents receiving the statement of benefits, you can contact your insurance for a HIPAA form, so they don't see any information about the care you received, either.

"I think that's beneficial to know to empower students to make their own health decisions," Student Health Office Manager Bonnie Carrasquillo said. "They are adults."

Carrasquillo and the HII team are always happy to help students navigating health insurance, especially international students who are shopping for plans. Sometimes, a plan sounds great, but the coverage is very minimal. Always look for what's excluded, not just what's included, Carrasquillo said - sometimes, chronic illnesses aren't covered.

"It's important that they talk with their parents, if that's who they're covered under, about what the coverage is, what their co-pay is, about in-network providers versus out-of-network, if they have a deductible," Carrasquillo said. "If students get a bill from us or any healthcare service, it's OK to ask and be informed about what it is."

Simply put, the teams at Student Health and the HII department understand that this can be confusing. Lovett encourages students with questions to reach out at [email protected] with any questions regarding the health insurance and immunization policies or visit Suite 215 in Creese.

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