Appalachian Mountain Health (AMH) is a key regional healthcare provider nestled within the rugged terrain of Western North Carolina. Distinguished by its focus on underserved populations, AMH’s compassionate model combines primary healthcare with wraparound services—a holistic and inclusive approach that also strives to offer same-day and same-location services.
As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), AMH prioritizes assistance to vulnerable populations, including women with limited or restricted access to reproductive healthcare. The center’s dedication to evidence-based, patient-centered care is pivotal in empowering women in local communities to make informed choices and ensuring that services—including access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)—are ready and available for patients.
These sentiments are echoed not only by CMS and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) but also by VaxCare.
The Challenge
Equitable LARC Access
Healthcare practices that offer contraceptive assistance face numerous challenges in providing comprehensive, patient-centered care, particularly when it comes to LARCs. Because they have multiple rural locations, one of the primary obstacles FQHCs like Appalachian Mountain Health face is ensuring that their patients have access to their choice of contraception—not just the options that are convenient to stock.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend LARCs as the most effective reversible method for preventing unintended pregnancy. However, chronic underinvestment in rural communities, healthcare infrastructure, and public health campaigns have created significant barriers to obtaining essential healthcare services, including family planning and reproductive health.
Translating these recommendations into practical, accessible care requires navigating logistical and financial roadblocks. Clinicians are expected to provide comprehensive counseling on all contraceptive options, prioritize patient preferences, and respect their right to make informed decisions.
This ideal scenario can be difficult to achieve when many practices are constrained by limited resources, staff availability, and reimbursement challenges. Keeping LARC devices in stock and on hand simply becomes logistically difficult.
The Solution
Improving Access to LARC with VaxCare
VaxCare enables practices to easily carry a complete range of contraceptive options, including all IUDs, the implant, and DMPA. This ensures that every patient has access to the best solution for their needs and that every practice has the support it needs to focus on care.
Same-Day Device Access
Offering LARC to all who are medically eligible, and facilitating the availability of same-day insertion for interested patients is just one way OB-GYNs and reproductive health care clinicians can improve contraceptive access—an evidence-based practice encouraged by the ACOG.
By partnering with VaxCare, Appalachian Mountain Health is better able to ensure their patients have access to LARC as a preferred method on the day of their visit—planned or otherwise. No rescheduling, no missed opportunities—the care they need, when they need it.
I utilized our new VaxCare Hub to verify a patient’s insurance coverage for Nexplanon and provide the patient with a device the same day she sought services.
“This morning, I utilized our new VaxCare Hub to verify a patient’s insurance coverage for Nexplanon and provide the patient with a device the same day she sought services. I found the process to be straightforward and through our partnership with VaxCare, our stock of Nexplanon will automatically be replenished within days,” remarked Kaitlyn Breiten, WHNP-BC. “This is an incredible improvement over the standard procurement process – I’m in awe of the ease and simplicity of VaxCare’s system.”
Bringing Care to Medical Deserts
The availability of same-day LARC means that AMH Robbinsville is now able to offer on-demand Paragard insertion in addition to their existing contraceptive options. That change also makes AMH the only healthcare provider in the county to offer the most effective form of contraception available. And because VaxCare automatically monitors their stock and reorders contraceptive implants, IUDs, and DMPA as needed, locations stay prepared for every patient without needing to worry about running out of essential products.
This is an incredible improvement over the standard procurement process – I’m in awe of the ease and simplicity of VaxCare’s system.
By eliminating the inequity of limited geographical access, AMH is able to focus on the quality of care it provides and create better health opportunities for women throughout the region.
Real-Time Verification
With VaxCare’s platform, insurance eligibility is verified instantly at the point of care. This provides practices and their patients with clear, real-time information about coverage and costs and has allowed AMH to consult with patients about their health needs regardless of their location.
Kim Holloway, a Women’s Health Medical Assistant with AMH, often verifies LARC coverage through VaxCare for their Sylva and Peachtree locations. This gives their staff the confidence to schedule a LARC insertion and reassure their patients about device coverage in real time.
Appalachian Mountain Health and VaxCare
A Big Win for Contraceptive Health
Appalachian Mountain Health is a vital healthcare lifeline for Western North Carolina. As the primary Community Health Center in the region, AMH’s partnership with VaxCare reinforces its commitment to improving local health standards and providing accessible contraceptive care to women in rural areas.
VaxCare’s tool for instantly verifying insurance coverage has streamlined appointments, and same-day availability of LARCs has eliminated many of the logistical and financial barriers that typically hinder access to high-quality reproductive health services.
With no patient left waiting due to device shortages or insurance uncertainties, it’s easier than ever for residents of Western North Carolina to receive the care they need. As Kaitlyn Breiten, WHNP-BC, noted, “This is a big win for patients who depend on AMH for their contraceptive needs!”
Through innovative partnerships like this, AMH continues to enhance access to contraception and shines as an example of patient-centered care—ensuring that women, no matter where they live, can confidently access the reproductive healthcare they need and deserve.