health advocates and navigators

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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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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A New Tool for Choosing Providers – and You Can Help

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If you aren’t aware of the Society for Participatory Medicine, you should be. The organization’s membership is comprised of people who work or seek healthcare who promote participation, collaboration, cooperation and empowerment of all parties involved in the practice of medicine. Yes – people like us. You may be more familiar with the group if I tell you that the “e-patient” movement started with the SPM. Importantly – members include patients, caregivers and others who are not necessarily traditional participants – and yes, advocates. It truly lives up to its name: PARTICIPATORY. We, as advocates, are too keenly aware that …

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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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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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Man Relaxing with Music and his dog

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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Start and Grow Your Independent, Private Advocacy Practice – Coming Soon!

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Coming Soon! I’m happy to announce that my next book is now in the hands of the publisher, in the final stages of being edited, prepped and printed: The Health Advocate’s Start and Grow Your Own Practice Handbook – is on its way. Pre-orders are now available (through October 1.) ($10 off the total of cover price, plus shipping and handling). Pre-ordered books will be mailed on or before November 1. It’s a step-by-step guide, covering soup to nuts, for starting a one person, solo practice or a partnership of two or more people. If your intent is to start …

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