A Board Certified Patient Advocate is a healthcare specialist who helps patients and their loved ones navigate the challenges and complexities brought about by a medical system that is overcrowded, expensive, and often dangerous. 

Patient Advocates work one-on-one with their clients to oversee care, explore treatment options, and improve communication between patients and their medical teams. A professional Independent Patient Advocate has the knowledge, experience, and training to step in, listen, gather information, identify areas of concern and take charge by recommending the best plan of action. 

Independent Patient Advocates undertake coursework, mentoring, training, and continuing education to gain the skills to successfully improve patient outcomes. Board Certified Patient Advocates (BCPA) is the only certification available to patient advocates and is awarded by the Patient Advocacy Certification Board to qualified individuals who pass a rigorous exam and who adhere to the highest ethical standards for the protection and benefit of their clients.

Nowadays almost every major hospital has its Patient Advocate. Although the presence of Patient Advocate is certainly beneficial, hospital-employed Patient Advocates have a very limited scope of their services, as they need to adhere to the policies and procedures of that specific hospital. Hospital-employed Patient Advocates often face a conflict of interest when it comes to advising on second opinions outside of this particular medical institution.

This is where the role of the Independent Patient Advocate comes in. Since Independent Patient Advocate is not bounded by its hiring institution, he/she can advise on a multitude options from seeing out-of-network providers in different medical centers to choosing a hospital in a different state which has the best results in treating particularly rare medical condition. Besides research and health care coordination, Independent Patient Advocates often help with negotiating the cost of care, rectifying billing errors and providing information about financial support/grants available to patients who face complex medical treatment. 

No. Patient advocates do not provide medical advice nor recommend specific treatments options. Their role is to guide clients throughout the process, coordinate care and do extensive research in order to provide clients with information allowing them to make the best choices regarding their care.

Yes. Per Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), your information can be disclosed or discussed with only those people for whom you have given written permission (your doctors, family members, etc). Email and electronic sharing of documents occurs via HIPAA-compliant applications. 

For us to access or receive any of your medical/personal information, you will need to sign HIPAA release forms.

Absolutely! 

It is difficult to fully support a loved one if you live far away, or if you are juggling work and kids and all the stresses of your own life. Advocacy services can be requested by the client, a surrogate decision-maker or by a family member concerned about a loved one’s/parent’s care. An advocate can help provide you with peace of mind and will keep you informed every step of the way.