HoG’s Comprehensive Care and Its Impact on Donna M.

Donna M. had always been aware of her joint issues, but after her second hip replacement surgery in 2016, her hip wouldn’t stop bleeding. This led to a diagnosis of moderate hemophilia B, and she was referred to Hemophilia of Georgia (HoG). Although Donna knew that hemophilia ran distantly in her family, she was surprised by her diagnosis, as women are often underdiagnosed due to different symptom presentations and a general lack of awareness that women can have bleeding disorders.

Following her diagnosis, Donna needed shoulder surgery which made self-infusion difficult. To make her treatments more convenient, her HoG outreach nurse taught Donna’s best friend how to infuse her medication. HoG’s outreach nursing program is designed to provide comprehensive care to patients across the state by visiting them at home. The program offers personalized infusion training, follow-ups to manage bleeds, education for schools and daycares, and coordination of care between medical professionals.

Donna is also a telehealth patient, which saves her from having to spend an entire day traveling to the nearest HTC in Augusta. These clinics can offer comprehensive care by having nursing, social work, physical therapy, genetic counseling, and lab collection services in person – while also virtually seeing the Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) provider, nurse, and social worker. HoG has a telehealth clinic site in Savannah, where Donna resides, and in Perry to ensure all clients and patients in Georgia have access to high-quality, comprehensive health care no matter where they live.

Donna has now undergone 17 orthopedic surgeries. To ensure optimal care, Hemophilia of Georgia works with her doctors and surgeons to develop a preparation and care plan in advance of surgeries. HoG’s Medication Therapy Management Pharmacists and clinical care team collaborate with patient’s nurses, social workers, prescribers, and other healthcare providers to help patients manage their medications and provide them with the highest quality of care possible to improve their health outcomes.

HoG also helped Donna advocate for the ability to bring her own medication into hospitals. Donna says “HoG has been the life-saving blessing that I needed. I’m not sure where I would have been without the education and support you all offer. My best advice is to other people with bleeding orders is to not be embarrassed to ask if your health issues are normal and advocate for yourself.”