We’re proud to be
The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates
Founded in 2009, the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA) is the largest and most extensive professional and support organization for private, independent health and patient advocates and care managers.
APHA’s goal is to help them start and grow successful practices, to help them maximize their reach, and improve patient outcomes. It is based on the recognition that many of the people with the very best of advocacy skills don’t always have the necessary business skills which are vital to that success. We help create the balance between advocacy and business.
APHA provides these services to support our members:
- Legal
- Insurance
- Marketing and Client Acquisition including a listing in the Umbra Health Advocacy Directory (formerly AdvoConnection (for those who meet our criteria)
- Contracts & Forms
- Client Services (Care and Cost)
- Education & Training
- Networking
- Best Practices
- Code of Conduct
- Speakers Bureau
- Networking with other Advocates and Navigators / APHA Connect! Discussion Forum
- Opportunities (reporter interviews, jobs and contracts, speaking invitations)
- Medical Personnel Assistance
- Special Interest Groups (Medical Billing & Claims, Eldercare and Solo Seniors, Canadian Advocates, others)
- BCPA Certification Information and Updates
- Discounts on Advocacy and Business Related Products
- Course Discounts for learning opportunities at sister-site PracticeUP! Online
… and much more
Meet Our Team
Dena Feingold, APHA Co-Director
Dena Feingold, BCPA, is a Board-Certified Patient Advocate with a background in communications, and a professional work history in the field of advocacy and engagement. She holds a BA from the Cronkite School of Journalism from Arizona State University.
She is a volunteer with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and the Rare Action Network of California, the Gaucher Community Alliance, and the Patient Advocate Certification Board.
Dena lives in Southern California.
Deb Gordon, APHA Co-Director
Deb Gordon is a seasoned health care executive dedicated to helping consumers make sense of the health care system. Deb previously served as the CEO of a technology firm serving community-based health care providers and as chief marketing officer for a top-ranked Massachusetts health plan. She is the author of The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto: How to Get the Most for Your Money (Praeger 2020). She is a contributor at Forbes.com, where she writes about health care consumer issues. Her work has also appeared in the Harvard Business Review blog, USA Today, JAMA Network Open, and the Journal of Participatory Medicine, among others.
Deb has been recognized as an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow, an Eisenhower Fellow, and a Boston Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree. Deb volunteers with the MIT Legatum Center for Entrepreneurship and Development and MIT’s start-up accelerator.
Deb earned a BA in bioethics from Brown University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. Deb lives in the Boston area.