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Clarifications and an Update on the Schueler Compass Award

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Just so you know we pay attention, three important concerns have popped up about the Schueler Compass Award, the award recently announced at the AdvoConnection conference. These concerns came in the form of replies to the survey we took after the conference was over. Since the surveys were completed anonymously, and since comments expressed by one person may represent the thoughts of many, we’ll address them here, publicly, on the blog. Concern 1: Posted among the survey results about the conference in general was the following: There was alot of conversation about the KS awards going to 2 members who will […]

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Patient Advocacy on the Cusp of the Tipping Point

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A tipping point: a dictionary definition will tell you that it means “the crisis stage in a process, when significant change takes place.” And for patient and health advocacy – we are almost there. Almost at the tipping point. I first learned the term when I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book by that title, The Tipping Point. I learned that the term is borrowed from epidemiology. That is, when a contagious organism infects enough people to go from just a few sick people, to hundreds, or thousands or millions – the tipping point occurs in that modicum of space or time,

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And Above All – Establish Trust

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For many years I’ve heard from patients across the country with questions about their healthcare. Not medical questions; rather questions about something in the healthcare system that isn’t working the way they want, or expect it, to work. They can’t get their doctors to answer their questions, or the insurance company has turned them down for a test or treatment, or they got a bill they didn’t expect – or – ______ (fill in the blank with hundreds more questions!) There is one theme that runs through every question; – that is – a lack of trust. In every case,

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Forum Fireworks Tackle the Question: Who Is Qualified to Be a Patient Advocate?

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(Originally published September 2011. Updated September 2019) Fireworks erupted in the APHA Forum recently. I call them fireworks because those involved are so passionate about their work – no matter what their points of view. Fireworks are awe-inspiring and truly beautiful, even if they don’t accomplish much, which is exactly what transpired. The questions and statements that caused that passion are worth sharing here, because they can help all of us clarify our roles in this growing profession of patient advocacy and navigation. The initial question was ” I’d love to hear from advocates –like me– who do not have

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Got Business? AdvoConnection One Day Business Institute – Reserve Your Spot Now

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Most members of AdvoConnection are aware of the upcoming Business Institute, but for those of you who aren’t members – you are invited, too! The cost to attend goes up this week, so this is the time to make your commitment. Topics will include legal, insurance, marketing, tools, money and certification. Here are some of the questions we will answer: Do you have the right insurance at the best price? What forms do you need and what makes your contracts legally binding? What’s the latest on certification issues? How can you deal with business problems your client poses, like not

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The Option of Saying “NO”

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Several months ago I wrote about the tendency of big-hearted advocates to over-extend themselves with volunteer work; that when someone needs their help, but doesn’t have the means to pay them, they don’t know how to say “no.” We looked at some of the ways to get past that inability in order to keep our businesses moving forward. Truth is, that is only one of the circumstances where “no” is the right answer. That’s true whether it is us, as professional advocacy business owners who must choose to say no, or whether we must help our clients choose “no” if

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YOMs – and That Sense of Entitlement

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It arrived in my email a few days ago – a demand for a reply. It came from a person who reads my articles at About.com. She had sent me a question the day before regarding trouble she was having getting copies of her records from her doctor. I had not yet responded to that email. The second one arrived, shouting in capital letters: WHY DIDN’T YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION? I SENT IT YESTERDAY AND YOU HAVEN’T ANSWERED IT YET! There it is. A simple example of that sense of entitlement we all seem to be dealing with. I get

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