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Holiday Hospital Dangers Spell HERO for Patient Advocates

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There is no time like the present to keep your clients out of the hospital. Just raising the issue may make you a hero to them. I realize how dramatic that sounds, but bear with me here. Think about any workplace you’ve ever worked in during the holidays. Employees, even customers, are not nearly as focused on the work-at-hand as they are during non-holiday times. They may be taking sick days or personal days off (shopping and baking take precedence!), they may be leaving work early to see their kids in the Holiday Concert at school. They may be laughing […]

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Advocate for Patients and the Environment, Too

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Among the dozens of details that needed attention after my father died, was figuring out what to do with the virtual pharmacy we found in his apartment. Dad was a firm believer of better living through chemistry – and he had dozens of prescription bottles, supplements and vitamins, patches and more, in the bathroom, the kitchen and next to his desk. I think CVS could have stocked up from his stash. Among them were drugs he had taken that hadn’t worked – so the entire rest of the prescription just got put away. We also found dozens of herbal supplements

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“In the Mood” – How Glenn Miller, Johnny Mercer and the Andrews Sisters Helped Dad Weather His Pain

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I’ve just returned from Florida, having spent almost two weeks with my sisters, taking care of details since Dad died. There were plenty of tears – of course. But even more, there was laughter! Because despite our mourning, we shared many marvelous family memories as we uncovered this treasure (good grief – our grade school report cards!) or that one (did we really wear our hair like that in the 80s?) And of course, there were the conversations. Quite surprising, more than 100 people  attended Dad’s memorial service. It was a memorial service like few others – exactly what Dad

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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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The Great Divide: The Haves and Have Nots

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(Originally posted June 2011. Updated June 2019) The health and patient advocates who are listed at AdvoConnection are all private practice advocates; that is, they work directly for patients and the patients pay them. Their services are not covered by insurance, their services aren’t donated or free. This is how these advocates make a living – they are paid by patients or caregivers. That seems to upset some people, and lately, it seems like a number of people have taken some sort of offense at that idea – as if patients or caregivers should not have the right to seek

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Do I Have to Be a Nurse to Be a Patient Advocate?

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The answer is simple. No. So why do I ask this question? Earlier this month, while attending the NAHAC Conference, the question was asked by a number of people. As if the qualification to be an effective patient advocate relied on a nursing education. Now please don’t get me wrong. I am a huge supporter of nurses and nursing, in its many important forms. I’ve written many times at About.com about nurses, nurse practitioners, and why I believe training as a nurse is far more patient-centered than other forms of medical training. Most of my commentary comes from my appreciation

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