To celebrate the upcoming openings of three new Care Centers in Missouri (Crossroads, Lee’s Summit and Liberty), we spoke with our Spira Care Care Guides to get their thoughts on Spira Care, their roles and what makes Spira Care different.
If you’re unfamiliar with Spira Care, it’s a first-of-its-kind healthcare offering available to eligible Blue KC members. Spira Care is a combined primary care and insurance offering that puts members back at the center of their care. After all, there’s nothing more personal than our health, so why does the traditional healthcare experience often feel so impersonal?
Put simply, Spira Care was designed with you in mind. We’ve staffed each one of our Spira Care Centers with Care Guides. We like to think of a Care Guide as a “quarterback to your care.” A Care Guide is a real, live and local person, often with a nursing and benefit background, who’s there to help answer your questions, explain your benefits and coordinate your care across all of your providers.
According to Lisa Nelson, Care Guide RN at Spira Care Liberty, the Care Teams create a healthcare experience that returns to what healthcare used to be.
“We are putting the member first and engaging them in their care,” Nelson said. “We are listening to their needs and wants, and assuring they have a full understanding of not only their care but also their insurance benefits.”
The Spira Care experience means members receive the optimal level of care every time they enter a Care Center.
When we asked Nelson what drew her to become a Care Guide she said, “I wanted to be in a role in which those that I interact with wouldn’t feel as if they were just a number, and that I really am listening to their needs.”
The way we see it, the relationship between the Care Guide and member is invaluable.
“Spira Care is a place where caring providers take time to understand and address a members’ needs in a compassionate manner,” said Melissa Ward, a Care Guide RN at Spira Care Crossroads.
Care Guides also promote health and wellness for members.
“I was most excited to be a helping hand for Blue KC members,” said Melissa Evard, Care Guide RN at Spira Care Lee’s Summit. I want to be the familiar face our members see when they come to the doctor, and understand that I am solely there for them – to make their day and this journey easier.”
To learn more about the Care Teams and to find a Care Center near you, visit SpiraCare.com.