Premier Family Physicians & Snowmageddon 2021

Texas in February: where the average temperature high is typically in the 60s. Imagine neighborhood streets full of kids playing on scooters and local parks bustling with games of ultimate frisbee. That’s the Texas in February we all know and love. It’s why the snowbirds come in for the season and vacationers wonder why they don’t live here year-round.

But 2021 was… different. And how could it not be?! If 2020 taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. In 2021, for a crippling few days, there were no seasonal highs, and there were no weekend warriors. Instead, we were met with cold and snow. And a lot of snow, at that.

We had the Snowmageddon of 2021.

A once-in-a-generation snowstorm brought Central Texas to its knees. While the whole country watched it all unfold on the evening news, Texans beared the brunt of record-breaking low temperatures, freezing rain, 12 inches of snow, and everything else Mother Nature could conjure up. Roads became impassable in the blink of an eye, 100-year-old oak trees crashed down as if Paul Bunyan himself had swung his mighty axe, and power lines went down as temperatures dipped into the negative range. Negative temperatures in Texas? Is that even a thing? For several days, more than 4 million households in Texas were without electricity, water, or both at the same time.

Here in Austin, a respected partner of CareHive’s, Premier Family Physicians (PFP) was equally as affected. For context, CareHive is the after-hours provider for PFP. When PFP turns off the lights on evenings, weekends, and holidays, CareHive takes over. By extending the incredible service PFP provides to their patients, we offer a streamlined integrated experience for their patients to prevent them from having to find an after-hours alternative for their needs. Whether a patient just needs a prescription refill or is dealing with an urgent issue, CareHive is there to meet the needs of PFP patients and to provide seamless communication with the clinicians of PFP, guaranteeing the practice remains the centralized medical home for their patients.

During the Snowmageddon of 2021, after-hours came sooner than expected for both PFP and CareHive. Like so many other businesses in the area, PFP was forced to temporarily close operations as power went out in their offices and in the homes of many of their staff members. (At one point, 75% of the city was without electricity!) As a result of suspending operations, their phone lines were routed to the dedicated PFP/CareHive after-hours line, and it was time for CareHive to do what we do best: go above and beyond to service the needs of our client and their patients.

Over a four-day period, CareHive fielded more than 500% of our typical volume of calls. A team of administrators, nurses, physicians, advanced practice providers, and patient experience staff members came together to meet several times each day. We discussed anything and everything: Who had power? Who had internet? Who could talk to patients? Who could see patients over video? What pharmacies were open?

Truly, when we say everything, we mean everything. It was the beauty of the machine on full display, and it functioned gloriously.

“In our years of partnership, CareHive has consistently demonstrated a high standard when caring for our patients, and this epic weather event was yet another example where that came shining through,” said Dr. Kevin Spencer, President & CEO of Premier Family Physicians. “As we worked on getting our operations back online, CareHive stepped in and provided exceptional care to our patients, going the extra mile day and night to provide care and comfort. We were extremely thankful for this partnership during these extreme conditions.”