advocate education

The Affordable Care Act / Obamacare Defines Perfect Roles for Private Professional Patient Advocates

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The healthcare reform law called the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – or Obamacare if you prefer the moniker (preferences seem to run about 50/50) – is being implemented over time. Of course, as most of us realize, the major portion described as the individual mandate, kicks in January 1, 2014 – only a few months from now. No matter how you feel about the legislation for your personal situation, you owe it to yourself to become familiar with the aspects of the law that define excellent roles for health advocates, no matter what type of advocacy they practice – medical …

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Stealing Not Allowed

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Suppose you wake up one morning, and realize as you make your way to the kitchen that someone has broken in overnight and stolen your belongings! You never heard anything – you slept right through it. And yet, they’ve taken some of your most valued possessions. You feel violated. You’ve lost your sense of security. It’s a disruption, it’s disturbing, it makes you feel sick…. You try to figure out exactly what is missing, what exactly they have taken, and you wonder whether you’ll ever get any of it back or even more importantly, whether you can ever feel safe …

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Obamacare Seeks Navigators – Is There a Role for You?

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It seems that word is getting out about one of the aspects of the Affordable Care Act that hasn’t been highlighted much before now. That is, the role of “navigators” and “in-person assisters” as they are called by the government. Many of the folks who read this blog are interested in whether there is a role for them (especially whether they can make any money from such a role!) The answer is – maybe – but probably not. Because these “navigators” may not be what you think (or hope!) they are. Here’s why:

Imagine a Friend’s Night Out and Dial-a-Mentor All Rolled Into One

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You’ve run into a hurdle with your advocacy work. Maybe your client has a challenge you can’t seem to solve for him, or the hospital is standing between you and your client’s medical records…. Or maybe you are just stuck for a good marketing idea, and you know you’ve got an opportunity, you just can’t get your arms around it…. Maybe you have a special interest topic in advocacy, like mental health, or legal mediation, or insurance claims or…. yes, I could go on and on. You need resources – but where can you go to find the help you …

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Is Patient Advocacy Certification on the Horizon?

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The quick answer to that question: it depends on how far away you define horizon. The more accurate answer to that question: a definite maybe. The more exciting answer to that question: yes! And now everyone’s favorite – answering a question with another question: That depends. Will you get involved? No promises here – but at least a good head start. A notice is being sent to thousands of patient and health advocates and navigators over the next several days, providing them with the status of a new certification or credential-development initiative, and – very importantly – inviting them to …

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Plenty of Disruption at the PPAI Conference

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It was an incredible collection of professionals representing a wide spectrum of private and hospital advocacy. Men, women, younger (20-somethings), older (70-somethings), newbies (“I’m still thinking about it”) and veterans (“I’ve been doing this for 20 years!”). Bedside advocates, hospital advocates, billing and claims advocates, mediators, nurses and nurse practitioners, lawyers, x-ray technicians, social workers, CPAs, mothers, fathers, daughters and sons, nieces and nephews, neighbors and friends… And they are all disruptive – and are now more committed to continuing disruption than ever. Such was the PPAI (Professional Patient Advocate Institute) Conference held last week in Orlando. It was a …

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Professionalism Ratchets Up a Notch at the 2012 NAHAC Conference

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While Superstorm Sandy made an attempt to put the kibosh on this year’s NAHAC Conference (National Association of Health Advocacy Consultants), she could not dampen the spirits, nor the passion or professionalism of this year’s gathering. … proving, once again, that you can’t slow down this advocacy freight train. While I understand that a handful of folks didn’t make the trip (some from storm-torn areas), the crowd was almost as large as it might have been if no storm ever tried to stand in the way. As it turned out, at least a half-dozen folks from the NYC / NJ …

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