In each port that CHS serves, we create an office enviroment trained in the unique circumstances of the shipping industry. We contract with elite hospitals and specialists and train our partners in the importance of shipping times and costs savings. Our level of management reduces misdiagnosis and other potentially cost-spiraling situations. The only way to control medical cost is to take care of the problem early and take care of it right. CHS has a reliable system to get that done.
Our offices are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Within the clinic, we have access to full diagnostic capabilities and specialist in most all fields – all ready when we need them. Crew members get first rate care and get back to the ship where they can be productive. If a crew member is hospitalized for treatment, we follow the case daily and meet with the treating physicians to get a up to date report, which is then passed on the all parties involved. At that point, the goal is to get the patient to a point that he is “Fit to Travel” and discharged to his home country for the remainder of his care.
OUTPATIENT SERVICES
For CHS, outpatient services are 95% of our business and we take it seriously. From an annoying rash to the most serious cases, accuracy is essential and expedient service is a priority.
Over the years, our contracted physicians have come to understand the shipping industry which allows for efficient and accurate treatment. If the primary physician needs a specialist to see a patient before he deems him “Fit for Duty”, they have immediate access through our contracted physicians, which eliminates the need, in most cases, for the crew member to return at a later date. When crew members return to the vessel, they have been treated and given anything they need to fully recover, from medications to splints or crutches.
INPATIENT SERVICES
When the treating physician decides that a crew member needs to be admitted into the hospital for treatment, their primary goal is to get the patient treated to a point that he can return to his home country for complete recovery. Our physicians understand the need to get the patient treated to a point that they are “Fit to Travel” as soon as possible. CHS then prepares the necessary paperwork for Customs & Border Protection (CBP) which allows the crew member to be cleared for departure. In the most severe cases, CHS has arranged for a medical escort to the crew members home country.
All inpatient crew members have a case manager appointed to oversee their case. CHS stays in direct contact with the case manager and the treating physicians to obtain daily reports on the treatment and progress, which that information is then passed on to all parties involved daily.
Once a crew member is discharged, CHS gives the crew member a complete copy of his medical records, including diagnostics on a disc, so they can take to their treating physician once they return home. We also give them any discharge medications ordered by the treating physicians. A “Fit to Travel” letter is prepared for Customs & Border Protection (CBP) so the crew member will have no delays being cleared for departure to his home country.
The next step is for CHS to acquire all medical charges incurred on the patient and compile one invoice, which is sent to the agent or P&I representative for audit and payment. This eliminates getting bills 3-6 months after discharge and a file having to be re-opened. CHS is accurate and efficient.