decision making | APHA Blog : The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates

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

5 minutes of reading / 2 Comments / By Trisha Torrey / April 22, 2012

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 […]

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

Setting New Standards for a New Profession – Your Chance to Help

3 minutes of reading / 3 Comments / By Trisha Torrey / April 1, 2012

As announced to AdvoConnection’s members last week, we have been working on a prescribed process for advocates who find it necessary to terminate their work with a client – in effect, to “divorce” that client, professionally, legally, and with the least amount of difficulty for both parties. (Members will find access to that protocol in this coming week’s Monday Member Mail.) One step in the process is the recommendation about sharing the notes you’ve kept with the client you’re divorcing, and the question about whether or not you, as the professional patient advocate, should be keeping those notes after you

Setting New Standards for a New Profession – Your Chance to Help Continue Reading

Recognizing Private Professional Patient Advocates

2 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By Trisha Torrey / March 11, 2012

This is it! Private Professional Patient Advocate Week (PPPAW)? is recognized this week, March 11 to 17, 2012. It’s a time to help patients and caregivers learn the many ways they can benefit from the assistance of private patient and health advocates and navigators. This year there are 21 people participating as featured advocates on the special website developed for them. They have shared stories about their successes, and we invite media to contact them and interview not only these fine advocates, but the patients and caregivers they have helped, too. A sample of stories: A man who contacted one

Recognizing Private Professional Patient Advocates Continue Reading

The 2012 Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award Winner Is…

2 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By Trisha Torrey / March 1, 2012

Announcing the 2012 winner* of the Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award… Elisabeth Russell of Patient Navigator in Vienna, Virginia. Congratulations Elisabeth! Elisabeth was the unanimous choice of the selection committee – although – the choice was not an easy one to make. All applicants were outstanding examples of excellence in their service to their clients. Competition was stiff. There were no wrong choices. A few excerpts from Elisabeth’s application: Patient Empowerment: Patient-empowerment is the reason I wrote the series of “Roadmaps” that is available on my website. They are self-contained guides in the areas of Medical Management, Advocacy and Patient

The 2012 Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award Winner Is… Continue Reading

When Is Potential Competition the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Your Business?

4 minutes of reading / 8 Comments / By Trisha Torrey / February 12, 2012

(Posted February 2, 2012) One of my favorite restaurants is an Italian place called Dominick’s. The food is always delicious, the pasta, sauces and dishes are homemade (you cannot beat their meatballs!), the wait staff is always friendly and the prices are fair, too. It’s a family place, with a busy bar and a glass-fronted bakery case with the most sinful-looking desserts. There’s only one Dominick’s, and sometimes it’s so busy that the wait can be well more than an hour. (I’ll bet you have a Dominick’s in your town, too, even if it’s called Antonio’s, Nick’s or Enzo’s –

When Is Potential Competition the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Your Business? Continue Reading

10 Lessons Patient Advocates and Navigators Can Learn from the Superbowl

5 minutes of reading / 2 Comments / By Trisha Torrey / February 5, 2012

I’ll confess that I’m not a big football fan. And I’m certainly not a big fan of sports metaphors (which actually drive me crazy in business because I think they are exclusionary – not everyone understands them.). But I am a fan of learning good business lessons from the experiences we have and the activities that are going on around us. And the lessons we can pull from the Superbowl are, well… super. So please forgive the sports metaphors for the moment, and see what you can learn: 1. The Superbowl is about excellence. Only the top two teams in

10 Lessons Patient Advocates and Navigators Can Learn from the Superbowl Continue Reading

Why We Should Avoid Using the Title “Certified Patient Advocate”

6 minutes of reading / 6 Comments / By Trisha Torrey / December 11, 2011

It’s a big question among patient and health advocates – whether or not someone is considered “certified” as a patient advocate. Last week I answered a question that came from an advocate about why someone would bother taking a course or finishing a program if they wouldn’t be considered “certified” at the end…. But there are even bigger considerations – some food for thought for those who disagree with my stand about claiming certification. I believe the use of “Certified Patient Advocate,” in these early stages of the profession’s development has the potential of hurting both you, as an individual

Why We Should Avoid Using the Title “Certified Patient Advocate” Continue Reading

Search APHA Blog