A SelectHealth member who’d been dealing with medical bills after an auto accident called in to vent her frustrations. She was grateful she got to work with Danielle Fetter, a health benefits specialist who listened and reassured her she’d do everything she could to help. The member said afterward, “Danielle was perfect with the way she dealt with my needs. She listened and let me know she cared and that made a big difference.”
Danielle Fetter
When the member initially called in, she was worried about her medical bills and that her claims were taking too long to process. Danielle, who works with small employer member services, says her job is to help people understand their benefits and work with the provider’s offices to gather information.
Danielle says she understands that navigating insurance can be confusing for members.
“Many members call us with questions, asking why a claim didn’t go through or why they received a large bill,” she says. “It’s scary. We can all relate.”
Danielle listened to the member’s concerns and let her know she’d look into her case. Claims can take an average of 30 days to process, Danielle says—and that’s average—which is something most members don’t realize.
With the member still on the phone, Danielle reached out to the provider’s office and realized a few things were missing in her case. She asked that all the member’s claim information be sent directly to her.
“Unfortunately, errors can happen, and when they do it slows down the claims process,” she says. “Maybe a claim got lost in the mail, a fax was never sent, or there was an error in the technology. I let the provider’s office staff know they could work with me as a direct contact to speed everything up.”
Eventually, the member’s claims were processed—and a big part of her gratitude to SelectHealth was having someone listen. The member says, “I needed help and Danielle understood my problem. She was perfect with the way she dealt with my needs. There is a phrase you’re either one in a million or one of a million. She’s one in a million. I just love her for being so good. I’m grateful for SelectHealth.”
Danielle says active listening is especially important in high stress, emotional situations where letting someone vent can help deescalate the issue and get to a solution. This included speaking without interrupting, which encourages respect and understanding during an interaction.
“I’ve learned throughout my career in healthcare that when people are going through a lot of stress, sometimes they just need someone to listen,” Danielle says. “Active listening and helping someone know you care makes a big difference.”