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How Health Advocates Can Save Money for Their Clients

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Over the past few years, increasingly, I hear from patients who (usually after hospitalization) feel that they have been unfairly billed for medical services.They contact me because they find an article or two I’ve written at my Patient Empowerment site at About.com about medical billing and insurance. When I say increasingly, I mean – since the first of this year the numbers have really spiked. I mean, really spiked. As if the medical billing universe has decided that no one should get a correct bill anymore, and everyone should be required to pay for something they didn’t think they should …

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How Empowering Your Clients Makes You a Better, and Stronger, Health Advocate

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Those of you who know me beyond my work with AdvoConnection may know that my roots – the reason I started AdvoConnection – came from patient empowerment – specifically the recognition that when we are sick and debilitated, or scared or worried, most of us are unable to process the information we need to assess in order to make the wisest choices for ourselves. I experienced it myself, and I’ve heard stories over and over again – where the illness and emotion just don’t allow for even the most intelligent, rational thinkers to conduct themselves the way they would in …

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Dear Abby Lights a Fire Under Health Advocates, Too

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Maybe twenty years ago, I read a Dear Abby column that went something like: “Dear Abby, When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. But life got in the way – I got married, had three kids, was a good wife…. But now my kids are grown and on their own. I’m 47 years old, but I find I still have my dream of becoming a doctor. By the time I get back into school, and do my residency, it will be 10 years before I have doctor in front of my name! What …

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Spring Cleaning

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If only my closets, cupboards and drawers were as cleaned out as the AdvoConnection websites are today! AC Members know that during the weekend, we moved – moved servers that is. Moved the 3,910 files that comprise the two websites (membership site and directory site) from one hosting server to another – a major undertaking. Moved the gigantic database that contains all the information about members, visitors, services, locations, explanations – all of it. Moved the zip/postal code database that helps patients and caregivers find our members, ready to help them with their healthcare system challenges. (Here’s a statistic for …

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Just Who Is Making Your Clients’ Medical Decisions?

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A 58-year old man learns he has early stage prostate cancer. His urologist suggests he wait for a few months so they can test him again, then decide whether he needs treatment. But the man decides to get a second opinion to find a doctor who will treat him, because he just wants that cancer gone. It doesn’t take him long to find a doctor willing to treat him as much as he’d like to be treated. An 85-year old woman with diabetes has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctor tells her she needs surgery to remove her breast, …

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What’s a Bad Outcome? And Where Does the Fault Lie?

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Scenario: Joan, age 75, living in Ft. Lauderdale, was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer. Joan’s daughter, Beth, who lives in Kansas, contacts Maxine, a private patient advocate and RN who works in Ft. Lauderdale, to help her mother. Joan, Beth and Maxine have extensive conversations about the care Joan will need. The decision is made that Joan will need surgery and chemo. Maxine is hired to oversee the care since Beth lives so far away. The surgery goes well. The hospital stay is typical. Joan is discharged from the hospital, but three days later begins to show signs of …

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Just How Many Patient Advocates Are There?

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One of our AdvoConnection members asked me the question a few weeks ago: How many patient advocates do I think there are? I’ve got some educated guesses. But there are actually three parts to the question. Just trying to figure out how many there are is only the first part. Figuring out the trends is also important. And figuring out who can actually help patients in the ways they need help is the other. Here are the answers I gave her. See what you think. Add or subtract. Change direction. Whatever you think…. because you and your role are found …

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