21 Apr Why Hire a Patient Advocate?
Posted at 19:32h
in Diagnosis Education, Diet and Your Health, Elder Care, Medical Navigation, Stress and Your Health
An independent advocate is someone who helps you and/or your family navigate through challenging medical issues. As your patient advocate, we can help you in the following ways:
- Find answers from credible sources to information you do not know.
- Provide you a peace of mind when you have emotions regarding your care. We help you with the fear, uncertainty, doubt, guilt, and exhaustion during your experiences of healthcare for yourself and/or your family members.
- Support filling in the missing gaps of information from your doctor visit. We are a valued member of your healthcare team and help bridge the gap between you and your physician(s).
- We organize your medical information so that it is easily referenced by your physician.
- We prepare questions for your next doctor visit that are meant to fully define your condition and treatment options.
- Our questions utilize our specific medical training and expertise to ask questions that a layperson may not know that are important.
- If you wish, we can correspond directly with your physician using our specific medical knowledge to gain full knowledge of the condition.
- If you are already overwhelmed by a severe medical condition, we can help coordinate care for you, giving you time to focus on recovery.
- We offer another line of defense against the potential for medical mistakes. Medical errors are the #3 killer in the United States.
- We help you wade through the facts so that you do not have to rely on the internet for education about your condition. The internet is fraught with unreliable information that can lead to more confusion and worry regarding your diagnosis. Your advocate will help you navigate the information you can trust.
- We empower you with knowledge and support so that you can confidently take ownership of your healthcare decision-making.
