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As the American
healthcare system has
become increasingly
difficult to navigate,
and as patients' fears
and frustrations have
continued to grow, we've
begun to see the rise of
a new form of healthcare
provider. Various
names for these
providers are used:
health advocates,
patient advocates,
patient navigators, case
managers and others.
When Trisha first
began writing and
speaking to patients in
2005, she was often
confronted by the
frustration of patients
who understood her
patient empowerment
principles, but knew
they were too sick, or
otherwise incapable, of
seeing those principles
through themselves. They
asked Trisha if she knew
of professionals who
could help them.
At the same time, Trisha
would find herself in
conversations with
nurses who were looking
for a different, more
patient-friendly, way to
practice; or medical
billing and coding
specialists who wanted
to work directly for
patients instead of for
providers or payers; or
caregivers who had
shepherded a loved one
through cancer or
another terminal
disease; or chronic
disease patients who had
developed expertise in
their condition - in
short, people who wanted
to put the skills they
had developed to use
directly for patients -
and not for the
"system."
And so -
today Trisha
puts them together.
She has developed a
number of tools to help
patients get the support
they need, and to help
advocates and those who
hope to become advocates
develop the additional
skills they need to do
so.
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AdvoConnection
helps patients
find an advocate
to help them. |
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AdvoConnection
membership
helps patient
and health
advocates and
navigators
establish
themselves and
grow
a private
advocacy
business. |
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The
AdvoConnection
blog keeps up
with the latest
information on
this
growing
career.
Health Advocates
in Action |
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| Those who
are considering
patient advocacy
as a career will
be interested in
this series of
articles. |
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Those
looking for
educational
programs to
learn patient
advocacy will
find lists of
such programs,
degrees and
certificates at
Health Advocate
Programs
and Education. |
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Each year,
AdvoConnection
holds a
conference to
help advocates
and other
private health
providers
establish and
build their
businesses.
Learn more about
the
AdvoConnection
Business
Institute. |
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