patient advocacy

Putting WOM to Work for You

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(Originally published in November 2011. Updated November 2019) One of our APHA members got in touch after a talk he gave to his local Rotary Club. He was disappointed in the turn-out and wondered whether all his effort was worth it. After our brief email conversation, it seemed that sharing some of the important points might be a good idea since you might run into some of his same issues. Those issues are based on presentation and expectations. So let’s take a look. Public Speaking, whether there are 5, 50, 500 or 5000 people in attendance is a great form …

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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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Announcement: The Ken Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award

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As announced this morning at the AdvoConnection Business Institute, and in honor of the spirit, legacy and memory of Ken Schueler, our friend and colleague who passed away last spring, we’d like to invite you to apply for the Ken Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award. The H. Kenneth Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award recognizes Ken’s role in defining and growing patient advocacy as a valuable service that improves the lives of its client-patients. In his name and honor, it supports the growth of this career, and the work of individuals who wish to succeed by following in his footsteps. Ken’s …

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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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Tooting Your Own Horn, and Playing a Tune People Want (and Need) to Hear

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My last two posts have focused on why it’s important for those who want to succeed as private patient advocates realize that their success won’t rely on just their advocacy skills. The bottom line is that success is NOT about an advocate’s skills. Success is dependent on the balance of perception, needs and knowledge on the part of potential clients and the capabilities of advocates to fulfill them. And that means that success is dependent on the advocate’s understanding of how to run and promote a business. In other words: Succeeding in the business of private patient advocacy requires two …

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Your Success as a Patient Advocate Isn’t About You

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There’s a guy who has developed the formula for determining winning lotto numbers correctly 92.6% of the time. He’s so good at determining those winning numbers that all 50 states, plus the Irish Sweepstakes and the Nigerian Lottery, have banned him from playing their games. He’s been escorted away from more scratch-off ticket vending machines than anyone can count. And he lives around the corner from you. Now – hold that thought. ………………………………………….. Dorothy spent 28 years as a pediatric nurse, first in a busy peds practice where she had a marvelous reputation as a knowledgeable and caring professional. Then …

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