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“If you really show you care, they’re going to let you see their true person.”
When Lori was 5 years old, she wrote in the pages of a children’s book what she wanted to be one day.
“My answer was a nurse,” she says. “And I still have that book that shows that.”
After working as an in-hospital nurse for 10 years and for an insurance company, Lori is back helping patients in a different way.
As a care manager, she serves as an important liaison between patients and health care providers. She tries to help patients understand and follow the care plans that their providers set. Sometimes, that means working with patients who are not following their care plans and helping to guide them through why those treatment plans are important.
“I see my job as being a nurse, but also, I am a detective,” Lori says. “So, I am always trying to figure out why patients made the decisions they made and how I can convince them to make potentially different decisions.”
Lori’s job requires her to meet the patients where they are: whether that’s in the office or in the patient’s home. That helps her to understand the patients better and develop a better relationship.
“Sometimes, it's very eye-opening because I can see why they are not able to do the things that the provider wants them to do,” she says. “There's always things that I'm trying to solve and fix. It’s a challenge. But the thing that I love about it is that patients really do appreciate what we do. And providers probably even appreciate it even more.”
Lori believes in establishing trust with the patients she works with and being honest. Without that, the relationship won’t work. It’s why she works hard to build relationships with them.
“If you show your genuine care for them, they’re so accepting,” she says. “If you really show them you care, they’re going to break down that barrier and let you see their true person.”
At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means being someone our patients can trust.
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