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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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What Private Patient Advocates Can Learn from Paula Deen*

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Hey y’all! If someone had asked you on the June 20, 2013 to describe Paula Deen, you might have described her as a bubbly, vivacious, popular Food Network star, author, well-merchandised cook or chef. Whether or not you liked her, and no matter what you thought of her approach to food, you at least had to admire her empire and popularity. Over the next week, her empire collapsed, seemingly because she fessed up to using the N-word during a lawsuit deposition.* The bigger they are, the harder they fall. It makes no difference whether or not Deen’s fall was fair

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We Get By With a Little Help from Our Friends

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(Can’t you just hear Ringo in your ear? and yes, if you understand that reference, you’re dating yourself!) This week I was reminded several times about all the folks who are trying to develop their patient advocacy practices on their own, thinking they need to conquer it all by themselves. They don’t. They shouldn’t. And they run the risk of failing in business until they start thinking differently. Here’s why: Patient Advocacy is a time-intensive, hands-on undertaking. Each client needs a great deal of attention, usually immediately. Yet time isn’t something we can find more of; there are still only

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Sharing Healthcare’s Dirty Little Secrets

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I’ve just written a post at About.com about my recent mammogram experience where the breast center I’ve gone to for more than a decade managed to dissolve my trust of their service in the span of one phone call. Is it possible that they were being honest and I have no reason to lose my trust in them? Yes, of course. Maybe I’ve jumped the gun – or maybe not. But it doesn’t really matter. Because whether they deserve my distrust or not, I will never trust them again. No, not a chance. (Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they

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What Does It Take to Be an Overnight Success?

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If I could wave a magic wand… …  and any potential private, independent patient advocate who reached out to me for support in getting his or her practice up, running, and successful would be just that – an overnight success! Well, OK. Maybe not. Hear me out… In the past few weeks, in my usual email or phone exchanges with dozens of patient advocates, there have been recurring themes. See if any of these sound familiar: Business is picking up, but I really could use more. Business is slower than I would like. I’m not sure how long I can

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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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If I Could File a Lawsuit, I Would

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I’m really angry at the investment firm Morgan Stanley – really angry. I have had to deal with them since my father died, trying to manage and move a small IRA my sisters and I inherited, and they have done their utmost to make that impossible. I’ve told the story at my About.com blog because the bottom line is – if there was such a thing as a financial services advocate, I would hire him or her. That’s a great lesson for patients, with similar concepts applied to their medical care, and will hopefully make some of your phones ring,

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