Close to Home: Signify Health Nurse Practitioner Joel Yerbo

For Joel, connecting with people in the community is essential to helping individuals maintain their independence and quality of life. The opportunity to support health plan members at home brought him to Signify Health.

Joel began his health care career as a patient care associate. Over time, he made education a priority and eventually became a nurse practitioner. A friend in his nursing program recommended Signify Health.

“I like the community aspect of our work completing In-Home Health Evaluations (IHEs). When you see members in the home, you get a very good idea of what they need, where the gaps are, and what support would be beneficial,” Joel said.

He believes the IHE addresses three important issues: 

• Medications: Members often do not understand why they take certain medications and how those medications relate to their conditions and symptoms. 
• Time & Attention: Signify Health clinicians generally spend more time with members than they have with other health care providers. This allows a great opportunity to explore symptoms, answer questions, and deliver education.
• Prevention: Members receive the guidance they need to understand their conditions and the benefits of taking action to prevent worsening symptoms or conditions.

“When the member has a chronic condition, we are not only there to teach the member. We have a significant opportunity to deliver education to family members and caregivers about the condition as well,” he said. “We can give them an idea of how to manage chronic problems and the steps they can take to feel better.”

As a member of the Signify Health clinician network for more than five years, Yerbo has also had the opportunity to see some members for their IHE in subsequent years. A second encounter with one member in particular allowed him to see the simple but powerful difference he made.

When Joel first encountered this member, he noted a very low blood pressure. The member explained not feeling well and experiencing dizziness when standing. A call to the member’s PCP quickly got him the medications he needed.

“The member remembered me and told me how much I helped him during that first visit. It felt so good to know that I made a difference in his life.”

Joel lives in Reynoldsburg, OH, and enjoys watching and playing soccer in his free time.