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Insurance Reimbursements? Not Exactly a Pot of Gold

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A recent post from a member advocate in our AdvoConnection Forum asked if any of our members have experience with working with self-funded insurance to offer patient advocacy services. Wouldn’t that be a great way to establish a big client, with a pot of money that was ready to be paid to private patient advocates? There were no replies to the question. That doesn’t mean that no one has experience with these reimbursements. It just means that no one replied to the question. BUT – the reasons no one replied may be a version of the following:

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Calling All Health Advocates – And Those Who Wish to Be One

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I’m excited to announce the launch of the new website (and therefore the agenda) for this year’s AdvoConnection Business Institute! This is something AdvoConnection’s members have requested for more than a year – one stop shopping – one place they can go to build their skills, improving those aspects of an advocate’s business that need support – from insurance (does my nurses insurance rider cover me?) to legal matters (forms and contracts) to marketing (do I really need a Facebook page?) to business tools (tracking clients, an inexpensive 800 phone number and more) to networking with fellow advocates and not-yet-advocates

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Health Advocacy and Healthcare Reform

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If you know and understand healthcare reform in the United States, please raise your hand and shout “I do!” <<hmm… I hear crickets…>> That’s right. There is no one who understands it, including Kathleen Sebelius (Secretary of Health and Human Services), or Donald Berwick (nominated to lead CMS). It’s too complex, too long and frankly – just plain daunting. But we are healthcare professionals. We make our livings understanding healthcare systems. So if we are confused by the complexity of healthcare reform, just imagine how patients and caregivers feel! Add to that all the changes going on at the state

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And Now a Word for Patients….

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Last week we recognized Private Professional Patient Advocates Week, and across the country, some great stories showed up in newspapers, on TV, online and in radio broadcasts sharing stories of patients and caregivers who have been helped and the advocates who have helped them. Some of the stories, both reviewed last week and over the past few years, are amazing – high end cancer protocols that were never mentioned by physicians, but were brought to patients by their advocates. Complementary therapies, and wellness strategies that patients feel have been useful to them. Thousands of dollars …

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Private Professional Patient Advocates Week

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Patient advocates and navigators are my heroes. As such, I am thrilled to announce the first Private Professional Patient Advocates Week (planned to be an annual event) – a week of recognizing the talents and contributions of the several hundred private patient advocates across the US and Canada. “Thrilled” may actually not be strong enough. Over the past couple of years, I have had the privilege of meeting dozens of private advocates – people who are dedicating to smoothing the difficult path through the healthcare system. They lead their charges to improved health, they protect them from medical errors and

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Patient Advocacy and the Allegiance Factor

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As we prepare for Private Professional Patient Advocates Week next week, I’ve been asked by a handful of people what the difference is between a private patient advocate and any other health advocate. It’s an important question, and the answer is actually quite simple. The difference between a private patient advocate or navigator, and those found in hospitals, through insurance companies, or other places, is what I call The Advocate’s Allegiance Factor. It’s based on who is producing the paycheck. Private patient advocates are paid directly by the patient or the patient’s caregiver and have only one allegiance – to

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MORE Magazine Article – Blessings and Missed Opportunities

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One of our AdvoConnection members, Elisabeth Russell, is featured in the March issue of MORE Magazine. The story of her journey toward becoming a patient navigator is worth reading. I dare you not to choke up when you read about her daughter’s diagnosis and treatment results. A true blessing – and very well written. (Thank you MORE Magazine!) But there were some real mistakes in the sidebar information – and they need to be pointed out. Potential patient advocates and navigators can get the wrong picture from what’s there. At this point in our growth as a career, it’s important

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APHA Blog : The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates
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