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Learn Something Every Day

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Today I’m going to brag about my sister – to make a point. I expect it will embarrass her a little (no intention to do that) but she illustrates something very important – a good lesson for us all. Barbara (Torrey) Friedman, decided a few years ago (2010) that she’d like to learn a little something about photography. “A little something” has now become a skill that is, simply put, awe-inspiring. And yes, that’s a photo she took two days ago of a real snowflake, one of bazillions that fell in Ithaca, NY where she lives. Think about it. She […]

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Insurance Reimbursements for Patient Advocates?

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This is one of those questions I’m asked frequently. It recently popped up again: When will private patient advocates be reimbursed by insurance? In fairness, the question is usually asked by those who either aren’t advocates, or are in the very early stages of thinking about patient advocacy as a way to make a living. They haven’t been exposed to the issues involved on a regular basis, so the obvious answers aren’t so readily apparent. But whether you’re a total newbie, or you’ve been dancing in advocacy circles for awhile, there are two answers, at least for now: > probably

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What Patients Fear – The Waiter Will Spit in Their Soup

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In the patient empowerment corner of my world, a complaint or fear I hear voiced by patients is the fear of retaliation. They are afraid that if they speak up to their doctors, or ask questions, or make their own decisions, then they will get substandard care. The provider will be so upset, he or she won’t provide what the patient really needs. I call this The Waiter Will Spit In My Soup Syndrome. I’ve never had a conversation with someone who can identify a time this actually happened to them – where they got care that wasn’t up to

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A Surefire Way to Drive Older Clients Away

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OK – so I confess. I talk baby talk to my dog. He’s little, and snuggly, and adorable – and it’s just so easy to call him cutesy names and fall into that simplification of short sentences that we do with babies, too. Just what is it about babies and puppy dogs that begs us to speak baby talk to them. I think that it’s that aura of vulnerability that surrounds them. Vulnerability that begs us to be reassuring or coddling or just drippy-sweet. They clearly need caretaking or caregiving, and we, as their protectors, want to make them feel

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High Tech, Scalability and the Human Role of Health Advocates

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One aspect of healthcare that not enough people understand is about the role of technology for providing medical services: how it should be used, when it should be used, and why it should be used. That disconnect in understanding creates a huge gap in the healthcare continuum that we patient advocates fill – immediately understood, instantly appreciated, and more than worth whatever a client will pay for it. Put simply: tools can’t provide the hugs and reassurance that individuals crave, and need for survival. Consider: There is a huge difference between directly providing care coordination, and using technology to do

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Certified Patient or Health Advocate? Here we Go Again

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Do you consider yourself a Certified Patient Advocate or Certified Health Advocate? I hate to burst bubbles here, but no matter who you are, or what courses or programs you have taken, no matter who or what handed you a certificate at the end, you are not a certified advocate. Why? Because there is no such thing as certification for patient advocates or health advocates. Period. Those of you who have been reading this blog for any length of time have heard this tune – many times – before. Some of you, realizing that you may be doing yourselves and

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The Tragedies That Keep Me Up at Night

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The collision of my two professional worlds is keeping me up at night. It provides a cautionary tale for private, independent patient advocates. Not all readers of this blog know that I have my feet planted in two parts of this patient-assistance world. My first foray into healthcare started in 2004 with a horrific misdiagnosis which resulted in a change of careers (from being a marketing consultant) to becoming an expert in patient empowerment. By 2005 I had started writing on patient empowerment topics. Then in 2006, I began doing a great deal of public speaking across the US –

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