Black Lung Care
Valley Health Systems' Black Lung and Occupational Lung Disease Program
Valley Health Systems, Inc. provides specialized respiratory care and ancillary services within the context of three community-based primary centers located at Harts, Cedar Grove and Stepptown. These unique services are made available to appreciative families in part due to the financial, technical, and programmatic support of the West Virginia Black Lung Clinics Program.
Our services include a comprehensive array of diagnostic, education, treatment and benefits counseling options. We take a thorough medical, employment, and social history on each patient. Where indicated, patients receive a baseline chest x-ray, pulmonary function test, and/or a hearing test. The patient is examined by a physician who orders these or other tests as warranted by the individual's needs.
Upon return, the physician reviews test results with the patient, examines him/her further, identifies the presence and severity of any disease, indicated treatment options as warranted, and prescribes any necessary treatment plan. The patient care coordinator provides education about treatment, the need to avoid certain future exposures, and implication of lifestyle. There are proactive options to preserve lifestyle. We offer information on programs for smoking cessation, exercise and nutrition. We also facilitate referral to other medical services including pulmonary rehabilitation.
Benefits counseling comprises a major component of our core services. Many workers come to us with a diminished capacity to work and corresponding limitations on their ability to physically and financially provide for themselves and their families. We provide assistance to understanding their rights, their limitations, and the process required to file a successful claim for compensation. We can help assess their impairment, the advisability of filing claims and the likelihood of a particular claim's success, what the process will be, how long it will take, assistance in filing the claim, providing documented evidence to support the claim, and timely referral to attorneys or other professionals if and when such assistance is indicated.
Public and private insurance entities are billed for services. We accept all major insurance plans. We offer payment plans and sliding fee arrangements for patients in need of such options. We bill Workers' Compensation and the Department of Labor for qualifying services. All services are offered without regard to the patient's socio-economic status.