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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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First Schueler Compass Award Winners

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The first AdvoConnection Business Institute is behind us – a grand learning time was had by all. During the conference, the establishment of the H. Kenneth Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award was announced by our “mystery” keynote speaker – Alexandra Schueler, Ken’s daughter. Her speech was one of the best I have ever heard in any venue, under any circumstances – quite remarkable for a young woman who is just starting out in the world. Alexandra shared her dad with us, what she knew about his work, and his relationship to his work. She evoked laughter and tears, respect and

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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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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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