Why This Page?
What is patient advocacy? While the blog category is designed to give you insights into patient advocacy, this page is dedicated to the definition and intial goals of patient advocacy. Here you can find definitions and links to helpful organizations so that you get the most out of your medical care.
What is a Patient Advocate?
A patient advocate is supposed to be the person who looks out for the patient’s interests when mediating access to care. There are patient advocates that work for hospitals and insurance companies to directly negotiate with the hospital or company, and there are also private organizations that will help negotiate care with the hospital, insurance company, pharmacy, employers, and more. A patient advocate is someone you should be able to trust to act on your behalf regarding your medical care.
Patient advocacy has come under a great amount of criticism of late, because many advocates feel they are under pressure to do what the “employer” wants. Therefore, the advocates end up looking out for the interest of the hospital or insurance company. This has led to a number of non-profit patient advocate organizations so that mediation comes from an impartial and outside source.
Choosing an Advocate
Here are some steps to choosing an advocate:
- Choose Someone You Trust. You need to choose an advocate you trust to look out for your best interest. The person should be a good communicator and have an ability to get along with people well. However, the person should also know how to be assertive to get you what you need.
- Know What You Want. Since your advocate will be looking out for your interests, you should know what your interests are! Be sure to tell them if you want clarification of options, more information on yoru illness or treatment, notes on treatment, or assurance that your wishes will be carried out if you are unconscious or unable to voice decisions.
- Level of Involvement. Some people only want an advocate to ask questions or get notes. Others want advocates that will accompany them to procedures and be involved in treatment decisions. Make sure you are choosing an advocate that will be respectful of your desired level of involvement.
- Communicate Involvement. If you are asking for your advocate to be involved in your case, then you should communicate this fact to your family and your medical team. Phone numbers and names should be exchanged so that, if an emergency occurs, everyone is able to communicate easily.
Helpful Links
- Patient Advocacy Foundation: This 10-year old company advocates for patients. It is a non-profit and its services are free.
- National Patient Advocate Foundation: This organization is a non-profit organization designed to enhance patient access to medical care. There is a lot of great legislative information on the site.
