Why Should You Use A Patient Advocate?
We Help Make Sure Your Voice Is Heard
It is a sad fact that doctors in the modern healthcare system often simply do not have the time it takes to get to know you and your story well enough to fully understand your needs and to adequately explain your conditions ensuring that you understand your diagnosis, as well as your treatment plan and options available to you. This is where a patient advocate can be very helpful by filling in the gaps. We take the time to get to know you, your family and what is important to you, then we advocate on your behalf to ensure your voice is heard.
We Can Be An Integral Part Of Your Healthcare Team
While we do not replace the doctors that you have, we can be an integral part of the healthcare team, acting as your private medical guide whether you are in a clinic, hospital, home or care facility setting. In fact, your patient advocate can be the one constant throughout all of these settings along the continuum of care, keeping detailed notes and a medical timeline that can be helpful to the entire team. A patient advocate is an especially valuable team member when there are multiple doctors, but no single doctor is effectively coordinating your care or in complex and ongoing medical conditions.
Who Patient Advocates Can Help
- Out-of-town family members who need assistance managing the care of aging parents or other loved ones long distance
- Patients who are too ill or overwhelmed to manage all the details of their treatment and care
- Patients or family members who need help understanding and navigating our complex healthcare system
- Patients or family members who would like assistance in getting a second opinion, finding a specialist or researching treatment options
- Patients recently discharged from a hospital who need short term help while they recover at home
- Patients and family members who need assistance researching housing options that offer a higher level of care and services than they currently have in place
- Patients with complex, long-term and/or serious medical diagnoses (brain injury, spinal cord injury, cancer, dementia, diabetes, etc..)
- Individuals without family members to help oversee and coordinate care and services on a long-term basis
