Patient Accompaniment — In Good Times and Sad

Patient Accompaniment — In Good Times and Sad

This post was contributed by
Lisa Berry Blackstock, Soul Sherpa®

When a patient advocate decides to offer patient accompaniment services, the most common motivating factor is a desire to help a patient navigate the healthcare system more effectively. Better results can take the form of streamlined communication with healthcare providers, ensuring proper diagnoses and plans of care, and minimizing unnecessary diagnostic procedures and medical interventions when lifestyle changes might be all that’s needed.

There are cases, though, ...

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client services, Uncategorized

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To Thine Own Self Be True (with apologies to William Shakespeare)

To Thine Own Self Be True (with apologies to William Shakespeare)

This post was contributed by
Cindi Gatton, Pathfinder Patient Advocacy Group

As professional patient advocates we come to our discipline with a deep desire to help people through the vagaries of our healthcare system, a system that can swallow up even the most informed consumer. Our clients trust us to be able to step back from the situations that are upsetting and unfathomable to them to help them make truly personalized, informed decisions.

This is not work for the ...

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client services, health and patient advocate skills, mentoring, starting an advocacy practice, Uncategorized

Vision, Practice, and Leadership

Vision, Practice, and Leadership

This post was contributed by
Karen Mercereau, RN Patient Advocates

Do you have a Vision? Does this Vision underlay the structure of your evolving practice? Are you a Leader in your field?

We Advocates who have a vision of what we see as necessary to improve healthcare today, who are inspired to follow that, act upon it and develop that vision into a practice, have a unique opportunity to become Leaders in our fields. Let’s ...

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Uncategorized

The Challenge of Assessing the Merit of a Client

The Challenge of Assessing the Merit of a Client

This post was contributed by
Lisa Berry Blackstock, Soul Sherpa®

Most patient advocates are hungry for business, and for good reason. More customers mean better business revenues. It’s one of the major reasons people enter into business, regardless of the profession.

Patient advocacy isn’t any different. What is different about our profession, though, is a knee-jerk tendency to assume every potential client is a client worth taking. What patient advocate doesn’t want to help a person in need? We ...

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client services, Uncategorized

A Louder Voice

A Louder Voice

This post was contributed by
Martine Brousse, AdvimedPro

The majority of patient advocates are independent business owners, performing a number of tasks themselves. I am my own CEO, employee, bookkeeper, IT gal, advertising agency and, on Friday afternoons, cleaning lady.

While a number of these jobs can be outsourced, I encourage mentees and advocates to take the time and make the effort to perform one specific task themselves: getting “out there”. Not only is public speaking a great way ...

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marketing, Uncategorized

Lions, Tigers, and Insurance….Oh My!

Lions, Tigers, and Insurance….Oh My!

(or why investing in the jungle of insurance competence is worthwhile for your practice)

This post was contributed by
Cindi Gatton, Pathfinder Patient Advocacy Group

Occasionally when I’m asked the inevitable “What do you do?” at a party, I answer that I am a personal fire department for health care issues.

Most calls to the fire department don’t come when people first smell smoke, but rather when someone sees flames. The reality I experience in my own practice is ...

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client services, health and patient advocate skills, Uncategorized

Building a Team to Help Your Clients

This video post was contributed by
Caryn Isaacs, Get Health Help

Building a Team to Help Your Clients

Caryn Isaacs

  • How can you acquire the knowledge you need?  How can you get the answers you are looking for?
  • Build a team of professionals as resources, people you can trust and recommend
  • Participate in events and committees so others ask you to join their teams
  • It takes time.  Surround yourself with people you want to ...
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client services, health and patient advocate skills, starting an advocacy practice, Uncategorized