My social media of choice is Twitter. I’ve been a “Tweep” since 2008, although that includes years of no Twitter during the craziness of politics and elections when I find my blood pressure...
Once in awhile a topic in the APHA Connect! Discussion Forum takes on a life of its own. The recent conversation regarding liability / professional / E&O (errors and omissions) insurance for advo...
https://aphablog.com/2021/11/28/the-advocacy-business-insurance-conundrum/
True confession here – I am not a HUGE fan of Dr. Phil’s. However, in the early years of his TV show I used to watch on occasion and felt like he made some great points about the choices we m...
https://aphablog.com/2021/09/21/with-a-nod-to-dr-phil-hows-that-workin-for-ya/
I love sayings and metaphors. Those who are regular readers of this blog know that from previous posts. I so admire and respect people who just have a “way” of phrasing words to make concepts...
https://aphablog.com/2021/09/06/the-enemy-of-the-good-getting-out-of-your-own-way/
I love Seattle. I have visited several times, all work-related, and always pleasurable. Such a vibrant city, so many good-hearted people. If I didn’t live so far away, I’d visit far more ofte...
I’m always fascinated by research results that make me go “hmmm”. Today I have one of those to share with you. Sometimes it’s not a good “hmmm” – because my thought process is – �...
https://aphablog.com/2021/06/22/a-simple-coin-toss-could-determine-your-future/
Understatement warning! (Like a spoiler alert only it’s no spoiler!) Burnout among medical professionals is huge right now. The COVID pandemic has caused exhausted healthcare professionals to s...
https://aphablog.com/2021/05/12/burned-out-leaving-medicine-advocacy-might-be-right-for-you/
I heard recently from a woman who represents many of you. Specifically, she wanted to know whether she could be successful if she committed herself to advocacy. She isn’t sure if she knows enou...
https://aphablog.com/2021/03/31/just-what-does-it-take-to-be-a-successful-patient-advocate/
It was jarring. It was upsetting. And it was taken care of swiftly. One among us decided that advocacy ethics don’t apply to her. And her actions, way outside our best practices and ethics, cou...
Today I’m sharing with you a recent revelation, based on a conversation with my friend, Grace. It’s H-U-U-G-E! With just a slight shift in thinking and approach, it can be used to manage our ...
2020 has been a year for the books, right? Few, if any, health and patient advocates or care managers will tell you that 2020 has been a good business year, much less a good year personally. But ...
https://aphablog.com/2020/12/08/success-in-2020-meant-finding-our-relocated-cheese/
This post asks the question: Under what circumstances do we go to the wall for our patient-clients? And when we need to go there, what’s the best approach? Scenario: Your patient-client checks ...
https://aphablog.com/2020/11/18/what-aretha-franklin-can-teach-us-about-communication/
Over the years, I’ve met, discussed, emailed, pleaded, and thrown my hands up at (probably) hundreds of advocates who have never truly become professional, independent, practicing advocates. Th...
https://aphablog.com/2020/10/30/all-that-but-missing-your-bag-of-chips/
“Back in the day” there was a piece of advice that admonished us to remember that if you went on a first date, or when you invited the boss to dinner, or while you were at work, or during sim...
https://aphablog.com/2020/09/15/science-darwin-and-advocacy-ethics/
It’s been a conundrum, now solved. It’s been a wish, now solved. It’s been a challenge, which has now been solved, and solved with a solution that will continue to grow the profession of ad...
This post was originally published in July 2013, and was updated in July 2020. Two unrelated stories have crossed my path, but their bottom lines are the same. It’s too easy to be fooled. Story...
https://aphablog.com/2020/07/06/beware-wolves-sheeps-clothing/
(This post is being published in May 2020 – in the midst of the pandemic – when many advocates are working from home, and hopefully taking time to update and improve their business practices....
https://aphablog.com/2020/05/15/bogus-claims-will-come-back-to-bite-you/
Covid-19 Update: April 13, 2020 Whether you’re holed up in your home office, or enjoying a nice walk or other exercise, or anything in between, your earpods, or earbuds, or a headset can be you...
Covid-19 Update: March 21, 2020 Responses to my previous post indicate many advocates are beginning to emerge from your “OMG” moments and trying to figure out how to get started, to prepare y...
Covid-19 Update: March 19, 2020 During the past week, as the coronavirus / COVID-19 crisis has taken over our lives, I have heard from many advocates who are taking all the steps needed to stay s...
https://aphablog.com/2020/03/19/update-2-covid-19-the-right-attitude/
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know you can’t turn on the news, read news online or in a newspaper, or attend an event, or go anywhere – in person or online – without seeing ...
https://aphablog.com/2020/03/04/patient-advocates-and-the-coronavirus/
If you consider a bacon-and-egg breakfast, what is the difference between the chicken and the pig? It’s a question that determines commitment. While the chicken can produce many eggs over a lif...
https://aphablog.com/2020/02/13/are-you-the-chicken-or-the-pig/
Most advocates and care managers I know have huge hearts. They want to help everyone who needs help! They truly dislike having to charge money for their services (because many have done this work...
https://aphablog.com/2020/01/29/charging-on-a-sliding-scale-just-creates-a-can-of-worms/
“My directory listing doesn’t attract enough clients. What am I doing wrong?” “I get calls, but we hang up the phone without a contract! What am I doing wrong?” “I finished working wi...
https://aphablog.com/2020/01/20/need-more-clients-3-marketing-realities-and-resources/
Common scenario: You have dreamed about becoming a private health /patient advocate or care manager for a while. You know you can do it, you know you are a good advocate, your heart really WANTS ...
https://aphablog.com/2020/01/03/get-unstuck-learn-to-overcome-the-paralysis-of-analysis/
… there is nothing like a shared experience to improve our worlds: personal and professional. Just WOW! The inaugural ICOPA is in the books and it was ALL THAT. ICOPA = International Conference...
https://aphablog.com/2019/10/14/icopa-2019-proved-once-again-that/
I’m a political being and a news junkie. Can’t help it. It’s in my blood – literally – because both my father and grandfather (Dad’s father) were journalists, both avidly interested i...
https://aphablog.com/2019/09/30/political-controversy-we-are-being-tested-once-again/
“Only rich people can afford an advocate.” Or: “Doesn’t providing private patient advocacy services only to those who can afford them, just create one more division between the “haves�...
https://aphablog.com/2019/07/29/going-on-offense-who-deserves-an-advocates-help/
When people ask you what you do for a living, what do you – as an independent health / patient advocate, or care manager — reply to them? It would be simple to say “I am an advocate” whic...
Heard on the street (and on the phone, and during an in-person conversation, and by text….) IFs and THENs: If was just ______, then ______ ! You’ll have your own variations to fill in there,...
https://aphablog.com/2019/06/17/raise-your-dues-so-we-can-turn-the-titanic/
As advocates, we all quickly become familiar with, and embrace, and share with clients, our Code of Ethics.* Of course, there are many tenets to the code, but primary among them is the very speci...
https://aphablog.com/2019/06/03/what-biases-dont-you-recognize/
I spent the weekend gardening. It’s spring, after all. Since my last assault on my garden last Fall, many plants got leggy, or died, or just needed rehab of some sort. Unlike many of my neighbo...
https://aphablog.com/2019/05/20/less-becomes-more-where-subtraction-has-positive-results/
An Open Letter to an Advocate Who Questions Her APHA Membership Received last week from Esther (not her real name): If you would please clarify a few things I’d really appreciate it.It’s time...
https://aphablog.com/2019/04/15/assessing-value-the-cost-of-meat-and-potatoes/
Over the years, dozens of professional advocate wannabes have talked to me about fear, including Fear of failure Fear of doing the wrong thing for a client Fear of failure Fear of losing their sa...
This is a question – or a statement – I hear frequently from those who wish to be independent health or patient advocates who are considering which business formation they need to set up to b...
I’ve been working on updating the AdvoConnection Directory website because it was time, because search engines look favorably upon updates. And because my not-frequent-enough review of the site...
https://aphablog.com/2019/03/04/how-does-a-patient-choose-the-best-advocate-to-hire/
Over the years, one of my favorite things to do has been to work with / speak to / address college students. They are young, aren’t yet set in their ways, still hope to save the world, are naiv...
Last week, I received an email from a woman, I’ll call her Miranda, taking me to task for an article I had written that she found online. If Miranda had her way, I’d be walking the plank abou...
https://aphablog.com/2019/01/21/loaded-for-bear-may-mean-no-care/
Honestly, I’m tired of the argument. I live and work in Florida where you would think it was some sort of national disgrace to wish someone “Happy Holidays”. As if somehow the failure to wi...
https://aphablog.com/2018/12/03/because-greetings-should-be-all-about-them/
In an email conversation with one of our APHA mentors last week, a point that is so often lacking in the understanding of an independent advocacy practice was made: That it usually takes 3 to 5 y...
https://aphablog.com/2018/11/19/like-learning-to-ride-your-bike/
Survivor – Jeff Probst and Company (and company and company and company!). Currently in its 37th season, I’ve watched probably 30 of those seasons. I’m more about the psychology, head games...
https://aphablog.com/2018/11/05/where-survivor-tv-meets-a-new-advocacy-practice/
12 years. While on the one hand, 12 years seems like a looong time, on the other hand, it has gone by in the blink of an eye. I’m referring to the 12 years I’ve focused my professional life o...
https://aphablog.com/2018/10/23/successes-failures-and-my-biggest-surprise/
Andrea is confused, and if Andrea is confused, others among you are, too. She’s just the one who asked. (You might want to thank her!) Andrea posted a comment on a previous APHA Blog post calle...
https://aphablog.com/2018/10/08/licensed-certified-uppercase-lowercase-where-are-you/
I’m often asked what questions people ask me most frequently. The answer is some variation of this family of questions: How much does an advocate charge? What is the hourly rate for health or p...
https://aphablog.com/2018/09/10/how-much-do-patient-advocates-charge/
Twice in the past week, I heard from people whose APHA memberships expired, explaining why they didn’t renew. In both cases excuses in the form of complaints about their memberships were made. ...
https://aphablog.com/2018/08/27/when-is-an-advocate-not-an-advocate/
In response to one of the most frequently asked questions I get as the director of The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates – I might be providing an answer you don’t expect. That’s OK...
https://aphablog.com/2018/07/23/independent-advocacys-three-legged-stool-of-success/
In April of this year, patient advocates convened in San Diego for the APHA Summits to mix and mingle, learn, and talk shop… Joining us was the video crew from HBO’s Vice News, led by produce...
Regular readers of this blog know a couple of things about me. For one thing, they know I live in Florida, having moved here from Upstate NY two years ago, no longer willing to freeze my cabungus...
It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s always an eyeopener and usually quite unsettling. When done well, and handled well, it can turn out to be therapeutic, and has the potential fo...
https://aphablog.com/2018/06/11/btching-and-moaning-therapeutic-and-educational/
Channeling Paul Harvey today…. (Don’t know who Paul Harvey is? Maybe you’re too young, or you never spent much time listening to Talk Radio… Paul Harvey was famous for his radio broadcast...
I’ve just returned from Newark where we held the second of our 2018 APHA Summits Networking Events. About 30 advocates attended, with backgrounds ranging from leaders (long-time advocates who h...
https://aphablog.com/2018/05/21/polishing-our-advocacy-rocks/
…then it’s time to get logical. And logic will triumph! As many readers know, I’m in the process of coordinating our APHA Summits. We had our first Summit adventure in San Diego a few weeks...
The “mean girls” are at it again… or so I’ve been warned by a handful of APHA members. I’m not sure I agree. But I know one thing for sure: the world of the mean girls has shifted. Who ...
https://aphablog.com/2018/05/07/revisiting-the-mean-girls-in-our-new-advocacy-environment/
I had interesting conversations with someday-advocates last week. I love those conversations; I always learn something from them which I can then bring back to the Alliance and the information we...
https://aphablog.com/2018/04/23/should-insurance-provide-reimbursement-to-independent-advocates/
My husband and I moved two years ago to Florida where we now live in an “active adult” community*. We love it! We’re very happy here. We’ve met and made many new friends – people we hav...
https://aphablog.com/2018/04/16/that-very-very-thin-line-do-not-be-tom/
Would you ever hire someone to do your laundry? Many of us would answer Yes! Of course! — IF we had the money. A big IF! I suspect, however, that most of us would say no, knowing that washers a...
https://aphablog.com/2018/03/19/how-is-patient-advocacy-like-doing-the-laundry/
This past week, for the first time, AdvoConnection Directory-listed APHA members were able to access their statistics (analytics) for their AdvoConnection profiles. How many visitors found the ad...
It’s that time of year when, every time we turn around, we’re being reminded that it’s time to file our income tax returns. I rank those moments right down there with getting a tooth drille...
https://aphablog.com/2018/03/05/income-tax-time-saving-money-and-saving-trouble/
You don’t have to be a huge fan of Dr. Phil’s to appreciate his delightful and useful sayings. He boils down important and sometimes complex concepts into downhome philosophy that helps us be...
https://aphablog.com/2018/02/26/pancakes-snakes-red-flags-and-advocacy/
I played golf the other day with a group of women I didn’t know well. I came away from the round being less pleased with my golf game (I really can’t putt!), but much pleased with the convers...
https://aphablog.com/2018/02/19/fashionistas-what-hats-does-an-advocate-wear/
A few days ago, I heard from Beatrice (not her real name), an APHA member who has been successfully running her patient advocacy practice for several years. We met a few years ago when she and he...
https://aphablog.com/2018/02/12/the-biggest-risk-in-life-are-you-living-the-life-you-want-to-live/
There was big excitement last week as the launch for the first Patient Advocate Certification exam took place. From the massive email that went out on January 31 (1700+ people!) to the most-atten...
https://aphablog.com/2018/02/05/what-you-havent-asked-about-patient-advocate-certification/
This is week 3 of our series, and includes the final four myths about starting, building, and growing an independent patient advocacy or care management practice. Week 1 (Myths 1, 2, and 3) is fo...
https://aphablog.com/2018/01/29/the-last-four-myths-about-starting-an-independent-advocacy-practice/
We began last week with this series of myths about starting, building, and growing an independent patient advocacy or care management practice. As a reminder, these myths are based on the comment...
https://aphablog.com/2018/01/22/3-more-myths-building-advocacy-practice/
The real shame of this new series of posts is that it’s the result of feedback from people who gave up on their dreams of starting and growing independent, private advocacy practices. The furth...
https://aphablog.com/2018/01/15/3-myths-about-building-an-independent-advocacy-practice/
Happy New Year to you! And so begins another year of improving patients’ healthcare system outcomes in one way or another, and realizing we are making a huge difference in people’s lives! We�...
As 2017 comes to a close, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the blog posts you, my readers, considered to be most worth your reading time. Using post analytics, I’m able to se...
https://aphablog.com/2017/12/18/top-10-best-of-apha-posts-2017-in-review/
The shocking news last week (although not-so-shocking to some) that Matt Lauer had been kicked to the curb by NBC came in tandem with an email conversation with a newly minted health advocate who...
https://aphablog.com/2017/12/04/what-matt-lauer-can-teach-us-about-private-independent-advocacy/
One of the simplest best practices for patient advocates is also the one with the fuzziest line. Sometimes it can be difficult to know at what point that fuzzy line will be crossed, and since cro...
The blame game has been on my mind recently after several emails or phone conversations, plus the results of an exit survey offered when APHA memberships expire. In all cases, people gave reasons...
https://aphablog.com/2017/11/13/5-lousy-excuses-and-one-very-good-one/
What a MESS Open Enrollment is this year! No matter where your health insurance comes from – an employer, the Obamacare exchanges, or Medicare – it’s changed up, switched up, and more confu...
https://aphablog.com/2017/10/30/open-enrollment-confusion-spells-opportunity/
Safety has been on my mind this week. It’s one of those concepts that, when related to patient advocacy and care management, can be applied in so many ways, with not so many easy answers. What ...
Those of us who stay on top of patient advocacy-related news got a jolt from this headline, “Patient Advocacy Groups Rake In Donations From Pharma.” Just the jolt itself suggests that a few c...
Chances are you’ve never heard of the three gentlemen named in today’s post title: Vilfredo Pareto, Joseph Juran, or Richard Koch. Nor can you imagine how they – and garden peas – relate ...
Are you a TV watcher? I am. Big time. I love TV. And because of that, more often than I care to admit, I draw inspiration from TV shows and characters. (As a side confession here, we’ve been bi...
https://aphablog.com/2017/10/02/my-person-my-people-building-partnerships-expanding-your-practice/
Yes – it’s entirely possible you’ve crossed the line and had no idea you did so. In fact, you may be crossing it every day and be totally unaware. Further, except that I’m going to illust...
If we have learned anything about ourselves in the past 10 days, it’s that there are some people in this world we will never be able to understand or condone. Between the skirmishes in Charlott...
https://aphablog.com/2017/08/22/saying-no-and-refusing-to-serve-how-to-draw-that-line/
We were all there at one time; that point in early adulthood when we realized we needed someone to guide us as we saved money for our futures and retirement. We didn’t understand much (if anyth...
https://aphablog.com/2017/08/14/background-checks-for-health-advocates/
You know Plan B. Plan B is your go-to option when what you thought would work, didn’t. It’s the answer to the question, “What will you do when life gets in the way?” I was reminded of Pla...
https://aphablog.com/2017/07/17/you-cant-do-life-or-business-without-plan-b/
Please indulge me today. I’m going to share a very personal experience I rarely think about anymore, in hopes it will propel some good advocacy. Sometimes months go by when I barely give it any...
https://aphablog.com/2017/06/26/an-anniversary-meltdowns-blessings-and-fuel-for-advocates/
Earlier this year we hosted one of our APHA Workshop weekends*, with about 30 individuals who are somewhere in the process of growing an advocacy practice. The APHA Workshops were originally desi...
https://aphablog.com/2017/06/20/advocates-are-afraid-to-do-this-until-they-love-to-do-it/
It’s entirely possible to start a new business on a shoestring. We know this, because every publication worth the paper or website it’s published on tells us so: Forbes, USA Today, Entreprene...
https://aphablog.com/2017/06/12/the-most-expensive-business-to-start/
It happened again last week. A gentleman called me to discuss becoming an advocate. He has great experience and could be very helpful to patient-clients because he is (mostly) retired from a care...
And, finally, the fourth and last in our series of skills, abilities and attributes that all successful advocates and care managers must. Find Part I of the Dirty Dozen. Find Part II of the Dirty...
https://aphablog.com/2017/05/30/part-iv-the-dirty-dozen-skills-abilities/
Yes, Part II, as promised in our first installment last week when we began with the first four attributes of successful advocates. Find Part I of the Dirty Dozen. Which of these describe you and ...
One of the websites offered by APHA is a listing of all advocacy educational programs (that we know about). There are programs offered by colleges and universities, private programs, organization...
I heard from a gentleman this week who represents many of you. Specifically, he was trying to decide whether to pursue becoming an independent patient advocate – or not – because he wasn’t ...
https://aphablog.com/2021/03/31/just-what-does-it-take-to-be-a-successful-patient-advocate/
Saturday night (well, OK, in the wee hours of Sunday morning) across most of the US and Canada, we “sprung forward” our clocks, resulting in lost sleep, and at least a day of being totally th...
https://aphablog.com/2017/03/13/sleep-deprivation-spells-opportunity-and-responsibility/
Most of us working as advocates apply the word “profession” to our work. Those who have been advocates for a longer period of time might tell you it has turned into a career. I often hear fro...
https://aphablog.com/2017/02/27/a-career-a-profession-and-a-calling-with-responsibility-too/
(Updated March 2021) Note: this is a good post to bookmark (or “favorite”) so you can come back to it when it’s time to do your income taxes, or print it or send a link to clients and forme...
https://aphablog.com/2017/02/20/its-that-time-of-the-year-income-taxes-for-you-and-your-clients/
This isn’t intended to be a political statement, even if it has its roots in the political nastiness and vitriol taking place in the United States Congress. That said, perhaps it IS political. ...
Today’s post will be short and sweet (for a change.) It’s about making a decision. It applies to ALL decision-making processes. It popped up in the past week several times, in these scenarios...
Last week marked the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States. No matter your feelings about him or his politics, he’s here to stay, presumably for the next four years, alongside...
https://aphablog.com/2017/01/23/repeal-of-the-aca-so-now-what-should-we-do/
Since I started this blog, and as each new year begins, I try to think of ways to challenge advocate-readers (and advocate-wannabe-readers) with ways they can improve their work, their results fo...
https://aphablog.com/2017/01/09/the-2017-advocates-challenges/
As we close in on the end of the year, many of you are (or at least should be) in the process of reviewing your marketing plans in preparation for the new year. Others among you, those who are ju...
https://aphablog.com/2016/12/12/an-advocates-website-checklist/
When President Barack Obama ran for office in 2008, healthcare reform was already an enormous and contentious topic. In those days, I was invited to speak to dozens of groups of patients and care...
https://aphablog.com/2016/11/14/what-the-presidential-election-results-mean-for-patient-advocates/
Two years ago we asked whether a health/patient advocate can also be a decision-maker for her client in the form of being a healthcare proxy or guardian (the patient-designated person who makes e...
https://aphablog.com/2016/10/31/advocate-and-proxy-too-making-decisions-for-clients/
I live and work in Florida now. For the first time in my adult life, I live in a state where there’s a real possibility that my vote in the upcoming presidential election will make a difference...
https://aphablog.com/2016/10/10/like-putting-ponze-in-charge-of-my-retirement-savings-a-rant/
Last week I shared with you two stories of my physician heroes, why they are my heroes, their relationship to my work in patient empowerment and patient advocacy, and why you, too, should emulate...
https://aphablog.com/2016/10/04/of-heroes-trust-discord-arrogance-and-karma-part-ii/
This year I can tell I’m finally getting beyond the trauma. It’s a feeling of freedom to some extent, but sort of a shame to another. And you know me – I always end up analyzing these thing...
https://aphablog.com/2016/09/26/of-heroes-trust-discord-arrogance-and-karma-part-i/
Several weeks ago, a couple we know were married. It was a wonderfully happy event, celebrated by many. The wedding itself was elegant, and beautiful, and everyone had a delightful time at the re...
https://aphablog.com/2016/09/19/the-starfish-story-curmudgeon/
Twenty years ago, prior to self-employment and work in patient empowerment and advocacy, I was the marketing director for my local community college. In so many ways I loved that job. It was diff...
https://aphablog.com/2016/08/01/our-clients-need-this-one-skill-the-most/
Tuesday was a whack-a-mole day. One thing would go wrong, I would begin to fix it, only to find something else needed fixing, too. Details with new bank accounts (have you tried opening a new bus...
https://aphablog.com/2016/07/25/whack-a-mole-and-the-zen-of-the-caterpillar-that-became-lunch/
The whole world was fascinated last month by Brexit: the vote in Britain to leave the European Union. Would they leave? Wouldn’t they? But to me, the most fascinating part was what happened the...
https://aphablog.com/2016/07/18/preventing-our-own-brexit-saving-our-clients-and-advocacy-practices/
We privately paid, independent, professional patient advocates “tend to be older, white, female, more highly educated, and have other medical training or past careers in related professions.”...
https://aphablog.com/2016/07/11/survey-says-the-results-are-in/
Early in my patient empowerment work, I was invited to write a column for my local daily newspaper. Over the next six years, I wrote hundreds of columns on every empowerment topic imaginable from...
You may be aware that The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates maintains a list of mentors – people who have worked in private advocacy for long enough, and who have become successful enou...
https://aphablog.com/2016/06/13/the-yoms-are-back-and-thats-not-a-good-thing/
From 2006 to 2010, I hosted a weekly radio show, sponsored by Upstate Medical University (Syracuse, NY). It gave me the opportunity to interview truly knowledgeable experts in every aspect of med...
If you follow this blog, you know my husband and I have moved to Florida. It’s been a long two weeks, but we are now settled in our temporary housing, a nice home in the same community where we...
https://aphablog.com/2016/05/30/today-i-expect-they-will-begin-to-fly-will-you/
Years ago, I hosted a radio show where I had the opportunity to interview medical providers from many specialties about their work with patients. One of the recurring themes was that “Patients ...
I beg your indulgence today as I relate a personal story. I don’t usually do this – rarely do I share this much personal information! But I promise you, if you stick with it – it will make ...
https://aphablog.com/2016/04/25/the-binder-the-meltdown-and-some-advocacy-karma-too/
You may remember Robert Fulghum’s book, published in the 1980s, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten… The book is a group of essays focused on the wisdom that helps us lead a g...
https://aphablog.com/2016/04/11/patient-advocates-and-the-kindergarten-principles/
A few weeks ago, I wrote Fool Me Once, Shame on You, But Fool Me Twice about the problems that can hurt patient-clients which also hurt our profession because they violate our ethical principles ...
https://aphablog.com/2016/04/04/mixed-messages-are-just-a-lawsuit-waiting-to-happen/
From bold-faced lies to misrepresentation – facts that aren’t facts, withholding information, skirting the code of ethics, and shades of truth – honesty and the advocacy business have been ...
https://aphablog.com/2016/03/07/fool-me-once-shame-on-you-but-fool-me-twice/
Posted in the APHA Discussion Forum by one of our member advocates, In the last week I have received calls from 2 potential clients whose physicians actually advised them to get a Patient Advocat...
https://aphablog.com/2016/02/01/physicians-buying-in-bring-on-the-patient-advocates/
If you think about it, rule-breaking plays an enormous role in the life and work of a patient advocate. Rule breaking – is one reason (even if it’s not the only reasons) we exist – a proble...
In July 2015, we took a look at the case of Farid Fata, the Michigan oncologist who is now in prison on fraud charges because he diagnosed and treated more than 500 people for cancer they didn’...
During the next few weeks, just prior to January 1, our brains begin to process the “Oh no! A new year is about to arrive! It’s time to make another New Year’s resolution!” And then, the...
See if this sounds familiar: When it comes time to help a client, or discuss your work, or promote your practice… you hesitate. Sometimes just a little, sometimes more, sometimes you balk all t...
You may be in the process of making up your holiday shopping and to-do lists… So while you are at it, here’s another important list to make – this one for your advocacy practice. When if yo...
https://aphablog.com/2015/11/30/8-end-of-the-year-tasks-for-smart-care-professionals/
(Warning! Today I’m sharing a personal opinion for which I don’t expect total agreement. But I’m steadfast in my belief. I have science behind me. I’m girded for argument… bring it on!)...
I suspect this discussion is going to surprise you as much as it surprised me. The topic is Nonsense, but not Nonsense by its classic definition. No, this Nonsense is quite different, and, frankl...
https://aphablog.com/2015/11/09/making-the-case-for-nonsense/
This is a message with a little tough love for some of the folks I encounter – Pollyannas – who are choosing advocacy as career move. Sorry Pollyanna – but there is no room for you in patie...
https://aphablog.com/2015/11/02/step-aside-pollyanna-theres-no-room-here-for-you/
Today we’re channeling The Who, Merriam Webster and one of my longtime favorite fellow patient empowerment buddies, Gary Schwitzer, who reminds me at least weekly why we just can’t trust the ...
https://aphablog.com/2015/10/19/merriam-webster-the-who-and-hacking-churnalism/
My dad retired in the 1980s. In addition to his pension he had also earned health insurance coverage for the rest of his life. Over time, as you can imagine, the actual value of that insurance be...
https://aphablog.com/2015/09/14/goldilocks-dad-and-finding-care-thats-just-right/
“But she is so upset with me now!” That was the response from an advocate who wrote to me after an unpleasant encounter with a former client. Even though they had not worked together for more...
I’ve stewed over this for years, since 2013 when he was first arrested. But ever since Farid Fata was sentenced to 45 years in prison (ONLY 45!) for fraud, I’m like a dog with a bone. I just ...
https://aphablog.com/2015/07/20/a-second-opinion-isnt-good-enough/
On Friday, Dr. Farid Fata was sentenced to 45 years in prison in the state of Michigan. If you read or watch the news reports you would think the reason behind his long sentence had something to ...
https://aphablog.com/2015/07/11/how-professional-patient-advocates-would-have-stopped-farid-fata/
(Originally published June 2015. Updated June 2020) This week (2015) we were contacted by two major TV news outlets requesting interviews with advocates – one a national broadcast outlet, the o...
https://aphablog.com/2015/06/29/just-where-is-that-privacy-line/
Long time readers of this blog know that when it comes to private advocacy, I preach the gospel of learning to run a business. I know – it seems counter-intuitive sometimes. But it’s true; th...
A recent email exchange with an APHA member highlighted a point we don’t make often enough, and one you need to embrace so you can discuss it with potential clients. The problem is – she used...
https://aphablog.com/2015/04/20/enemies-no-but-with-an-important-distinction/
Warning! This will be one of those posts you think back to from time to time, because the answers aren’t clear or easy, and the stakes are so high. A few weeks ago we all watched the news about...
https://aphablog.com/2015/04/13/do-advocates-have-a-duty-to-report-dangerous-patients/
One of my favorite activities as the director of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates is conducting the APHA workshops in business and marketing that we offer a few times each year. One ...
They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. While there may be some truth to that, there is no truth to the idea that plagiarism is a form of flattery at all. In my last post I share...
https://aphablog.com/2015/03/02/has-your-work-been-plagiarized/
Updated 2/10/2020 Like Jeopardy, I’m going to start by giving you the answer: Patients and Caregivers Smart Health and Patient Advocates So what’s the question? That would be: Who are the big...
https://aphablog.com/2015/02/16/head-to-head-toe-to-toe-and-who-are-the-big-winners/
OK – I will set the stage for this blog post with a true confession… I graduated from high school in 1969. (Go ahead – do the math!) So you can imagine I was interested in this post on Mash...
https://aphablog.com/2015/01/19/be-bold-like-wearing-pants-to-school/
Remember that TV show from a decade or more ago? When a contestant failed to answer a quiz question correctly, the host would sternly declare, “YOU ARE the WEAKEST LINK. GOOD-BYE!”? Remaining...
< ….cue Paul Anka or Donny Osmond…. > …. Remember when you were a teenager in puppy love> Oh! You couldn’t stand to be away from the new person in your life! You knew you would love each ...
https://aphablog.com/2014/12/01/and-they-called-it-puppy-l-o-o-ve/
Last summer I came upon this great word – a word I had never heard before, but which can be used in so many aspects of conversation and life! The word is “gallimaufry.”? It means a hodgepod...
https://aphablog.com/2014/11/24/gallimaufry-your-questions-some-answers-media-and-just-stuff/
One of our APHA members* forwarded this video link to me, interested in the idea posed about starting one’s practice before it is perfect. So I watched it… And watching it was perhaps the bes...
An email this week comes from one of our APHA members, who I will call Bernice, who reminds me of how easy it is to lose sight of what is important to us when it comes to building our advocacy pr...
A recent conversation with a handful of knowledgeable people, people I respect a great deal, yielded two different outcomes – either a loud “yes, of course!!” or a loud “no, no way!” So...
https://aphablog.com/2014/10/13/health-advocacy-ethics-conflict-of-interest-or-important-service/
I received an email from a woman named Irma. She wants to become a health advocate, to assist people in her community who have Alzheimers. (Bless her for that.) But she was laid off from her job,...
https://aphablog.com/2014/09/29/cruel-to-be-kind-and-kind-to-be-cruel/
One of my favorite words: Chutzpah! Pronounced “hoots-pah.” A Yiddish word translated as “shameless audacity” or “supreme self-confidence,” as in (according to Merriam-Webster) “per...
https://aphablog.com/2014/09/15/chutzpah-know-when-it-crosses-the-line/
What is it worth to find someone who can save your life? What is it worth to find someone who can provide quality to a life that has little or no quality because of health problems? What is it wo...
https://aphablog.com/2014/08/18/youre-not-charging-enough-and-its-hurting-our-entire-profession/
Here are samples of some inquiries I have received from people wanting to be advocates. See if you can guess what they all have in common: I want to help Medicaid patients find doctors who will t...
The answer to this notion of “the one thing you must do” boils down to trust, although maybe not in the way you’ll expect… I say this to you, with the keen awareness of the fact that trus...
Updated March 2017 When APHA and AdvoConnection were launched in 2009, the resources that existed for starting and growing a private, independent advocacy practice were few and far between. There...
https://aphablog.com/2014/07/21/mentors-and-sigs-our-best-resources-yet/
I heard from a friend that he recently sold his start-up business after years of building it to do just that. Wow! I was so impressed! “Take a break!” I replied. “I can only imagine how muc...
https://aphablog.com/2014/07/14/the-real-cost-of-selling-ones-soul/
It’s a holiday week, a quieter time for many businesses, and for that I hope to leave you with some food for thought to ponder your success as an advocacy practice owner… One of my favorite q...
https://aphablog.com/2014/06/30/henry-ford-mary-kay-success-and-patient-advocates/
Ramona – whose real name was Rosemary – has died. She did it (mostly) her way. I first shared Ramona/Rosemary’s story with you a few months ago. She had contacted me through my patient empo...
https://aphablog.com/2014/04/21/rip-ramona-with-appreciation-for-the-lessons-she-taught-us/
Patient advocate Joan H. Elper has been an independent advocate for more than a year now. She has worked with seven clients during that time, and is growing her practice slowly but surely. Her fo...
https://aphablog.com/2014/02/17/eight-hour-day-get-paid-for-sixteen/
Several weeks ago I was contacted by Ramona*, a woman in her 50s who is leading what she considers to be a horrible, no-quality life. She is tied to machines for all but about 2 hours a day, she ...
https://aphablog.com/2014/02/02/death-dying-unhappiness-and-misery-have-been-on-my-mind/
The holidays are behind us. The fre-e-e-zing cold has arrived in most of North America. We’re feeling a little sluggish perhaps…. and maybe need a kick in the behind to get ourselves going in...
https://aphablog.com/2014/01/05/lets-do-a-refresh-for-2014-tipping-point-for-patient-advocacy/
This post is dedicated to all our APHA members and non-members who have been infested with YesButs. What’s a YesBut? A YesBut is the answer to all those questions and suggestions intended to he...
https://aphablog.com/2013/12/01/dont-let-the-yesbuts-stand-in-your-way/
(Updated 2020 in the midst of the pandemic!) Who hires you to be their advocate? It’s rarely one person who decides to hire you. No matter who your usual target audiences are – seniors, the e...
https://aphablog.com/2013/11/24/tis-the-season-to-extend-your-outreach/
You may have seen this riddle running around the internet: It’s 3:00 am. Your doorbell rings. Unexpected visitors! It’s long time friends, and they are hungry for some breakfast. You have str...
https://aphablog.com/2013/11/18/riddle-me-this-then-take-a-step-back/
Just back at my desk after the last of this Fall’s (2013) three APHA workshops, this one held in Los Angeles – another great experience meeting so many passionate, inspirational advocates and...
https://aphablog.com/2013/11/04/remember-cats-cradle-how-to-use-it-to-build-your-advocacy-practice/
Sometimes a conversation gets started in our APHA Forum that brings me up short. (One reason I SO love the Forum!) One of those conversations was kicked off this week by a member who posed a ques...
https://aphablog.com/2013/10/20/is-grampa-packin-heat-and-other-considerations-for-advocates/
The collision of my two professional worlds is keeping me up at night. It provides a cautionary tale for private, independent patient advocates. Not all readers of this blog know that I have my f...
https://aphablog.com/2013/09/15/the-tragedies-that-keep-me-up-at-night/
If you’re a parent, you know you’ve been asked this question: Which of your children is your favorite? Of course, there’s no way to answer that question! Because even if you have a favorite...
I know. Those two terms – insurance and success strategies – rarely show up in the same sentence in the patient advocate world, right? So bear with me. I follow a company called IDEO on Twitt...
https://aphablog.com/2013/07/14/what-do-insurance-and-success-strategies-have-in-common/
At the mid-year point, past the July 4th holiday…. time to take stock. All those resolutions I made on January 1 – how have I done? How many have I checked off my list? True confession time: ...
https://aphablog.com/2013/07/07/mid-year-resolution-checkup-what-have-you-accomplished/
Suppose you are asleep one night, and the police break down your front door, yank you out of bed, arrest you, and take you off to jail…. What would you do? Who would you call? It doesn’t matt...
https://aphablog.com/2013/06/10/going-to-jail-spinning-plates-peace-of-mind-and-you/
I truly dislike negativity. I suspect you do, too. As a kid, I would avoid arguments like the plague. I hated the upset that went along with it – that feeling of frustration, and churning in my...
(Note: June 2016 – this post is now more than 3 years old. See an update below.) In the category of “life imitates career”…. In 8+ years of blogging, and with the exception of the persona...
https://aphablog.com/2013/05/06/filling-the-gap-changes-everything-for-your-patient/
(With apologies to Canadian advocates – this post is targeted to taxpayers in the United States.) This question pops up about this time each year – whether or not patient advocacy services ar...
https://aphablog.com/2013/03/10/tax-time-can-your-clients-deduct-your-patient-advocacy-services/
(Updated February 2019) Since the first of the year, we’ve had a record number of applications for membership in the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA), in particular those who wa...
https://aphablog.com/2013/02/24/ticked-off-applicants-help-us-clarify-the-mission/
It was an incredible collection of professionals representing a wide spectrum of private and hospital advocacy. Men, women, younger (20-somethings), older (70-somethings), newbies (“I’m still...
https://aphablog.com/2012/12/10/plenty-of-disruption-at-the-ppai-conference/
Coming Soon! I’m happy to announce that my next book is now in the hands of the publisher, in the final stages of being edited, prepped and printed: The Health Advocate’s Start and Grow Your ...
https://aphablog.com/2012/09/16/start-and-grow-your-independentprivate-advocacy-practice/
Something I’ve noticed over the past two years or so is that people who write to me for help seem to be getting increasingly belligerent when they don’t like the information I share, or reply...
Maybe twenty years ago, I read a Dear Abby column that went something like: “Dear Abby, When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. But life got in the way – I got married, ha...
https://aphablog.com/2012/06/10/dear-abby-lights-a-fire-under-health-advocates-too/
A 58-year old man learns he has early stage prostate cancer. His urologist suggests he wait for a few months so they can test him again, then decide whether he needs treatment. But the man decide...
https://aphablog.com/2012/05/20/just-who-is-making-your-clients-medical-decisions/
My travels over the past two weeks have ultimately taken me to Florida where I’ll be staying for awhile to spend time with my dad. It’s the latest in many, many visits, which I mention only b...
https://aphablog.com/2012/05/06/where-do-spirituality-and-religion-come-in/
Today’s post is very personal, reflecting a situation I believe many families go through, brought on by any number of attitudes and fears. I’m hoping that by sharing it, you can find a role f...
https://aphablog.com/2012/04/29/getting-your-clients-past-magical-thinking/
Scenario: Joan, age 75, living in Ft. Lauderdale, was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer. Joan’s daughter, Beth, who lives in Kansas, contacts Maxine, a private patient advocate and RN who ...
https://aphablog.com/2012/04/22/whats-a-bad-outcome-and-where-does-the-fault-lie/
As announced to AdvoConnection’s members last week, we have been working on a prescribed process for advocates who find it necessary to terminate their work with a client – in effect, to “d...
https://aphablog.com/2012/04/01/setting-new-standards-for-a-new-profession-your-chance-to-help/
This is it! Private Professional Patient Advocate Week (PPPAW)? is recognized this week, March 11 to 17, 2012. It’s a time to help patients and caregivers learn the many ways they can benefit f...
https://aphablog.com/2012/03/11/recognizing-private-professional-patient-advocates/
Announcing the 2012 winner* of the Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award… Elisabeth Russell of Patient Navigator in Vienna, Virginia. Congratulations Elisabeth! Elisabeth was the unanimous ch...
https://aphablog.com/2012/03/01/and-the-2012-schueler-patient-advocacy-compass-award-winner-is/
(Posted February 2, 2012) One of my favorite restaurants is an Italian place called Dominick’s. The food is always delicious, the pasta, sauces and dishes are homemade (you cannot beat their me...
I’ll confess that I’m not a big football fan. And I’m certainly not a big fan of sports metaphors (which actually drive me crazy in business because I think they are exclusionary – not ev...
It’s a big question among patient and health advocates – whether or not someone is considered “certified” as a patient advocate. Last week I answered a question that came from an advocate...
https://aphablog.com/2011/12/11/why-we-should-avoid-using-the-title-certified-patient-advocate/
Just so you know we pay attention, three important concerns have popped up about the Schueler Compass Award, the award recently announced at the AdvoConnection conference. These concerns came in ...
https://aphablog.com/2011/11/21/clarifications-and-an-update-on-the-schueler-compass-award/
A tipping point: a dictionary definition will tell you that it means “the crisis stage in a process, when significant change takes place.” And for patient and health advocacy – we are almos...
https://aphablog.com/2011/11/14/patient-advocacy-on-the-cusp-of-the-tipping-point/
For many years I’ve heard from patients across the country with questions about their healthcare. Not medical questions; rather questions about something in the healthcare system that isn’t w...
https://aphablog.com/2011/10/24/and-above-all-establish-trust/
(Originally published September 2011. Updated September 2019) Fireworks erupted in the APHA Forum recently. I call them fireworks because those involved are so passionate about their work – no ...
https://aphablog.com/2011/09/19/who-is-qualified-to-be-a-patient-advocate/
Most members of AdvoConnection are aware of the upcoming Business Institute, but for those of you who aren’t members – you are invited, too! The cost to attend goes up this week, so this is t...
Several months ago I wrote about the tendency of big-hearted advocates to over-extend themselves with volunteer work; that when someone needs their help, but doesn’t have the means to pay them,...
It arrived in my email a few days ago – a demand for a reply. It came from a person who reads my articles at About.com. She had sent me a question the day before regarding trouble she was havin...
https://aphablog.com/2011/07/31/yoms-and-that-sense-of-entitlement/
(No – that’s not Dad in the photo – but this gentleman is quite representative!) Last week I shared notes from my father’s hospital bedside as he began his recovery from back surgery. The...
https://aphablog.com/2011/07/24/advocating-its-like-nailing-jello-to-a-tree/
Lately I’ve run into questions and discussions about patient advocates or navigators and HIPAA, so it seems a good topic for today’s post. I’ll begin with a disclaimer: there’s no one on ...
https://aphablog.com/2011/06/27/patient-advocates-and-hipaa/
Ilene Corina is a long-time patient safety advocate who often sits by patients’ bedsides in hospitals to keep them safe during their hospital stays. A recent blog post of hers asks the question...
https://aphablog.com/2011/06/12/what-do-your-patient-clients-expect-from-you/
(Originally posted June 2011. Updated June 2019) The health and patient advocates who are listed at AdvoConnection are all private practice advocates; that is, they work directly for patients and...
https://aphablog.com/2011/06/05/the-great-divide-the-haves-and-have-nots/
One of my favorite things about patient advocates and navigators is that they are very generous, kind and giving people. They figure out what needs to be done, and they step up to the plate to do...
A few months ago, I was invited to speak in June during a one-day program for members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association on the topic of recovering from a catastrophe. Attorneys who attend will ...
https://aphablog.com/2011/05/09/its-the-universe-calling-time-for-plan-b/
During the past few years of connecting with patient advocates and navigators, I’ve asked dozens (maybe hundreds) of people why they chose patient advocacy work. Each person has one, individual...
https://aphablog.com/2011/04/24/why-do-you-choose-to-be-a-patient-advocate-or-navigator/
As we prepare for Private Professional Patient Advocates Week next week, I’ve been asked by a handful of people what the difference is between a private patient advocate and any other health ad...
https://aphablog.com/2011/03/05/patient-advocacy-and-the-allegiance-factor/
I’ve wrestled with this question more than once. It’s the question raised on occasion by those who talk about universal healthcare, and a for-profit healthcare system. It’s a question asked...
https://aphablog.com/2019/07/29/going-on-offense-who-deserves-an-advocates-help/
Several questions have come my way recently about what kinds of job opportunities might exist for patient advocates. I refer people to an article I’ve written elsewhere, but the real answer is ...
https://aphablog.com/2011/02/05/can-a-true-patient-advocate-be-paid-by-someone-else/
Sooner or later, it happens to every patient advocate or navigator who works with patients on the medical aspects of their care (as opposed to other forms of advocacy, like billing or legal advoc...
https://aphablog.com/2011/01/31/lessons-from-the-loss-of-a-patient/
I was quite surprised in a conversation recently with an advocate who is not (yet) a member of AdvoConnection. OK. That’s putting it mildly. I was actually stunned. “Why do people feel well s...
https://aphablog.com/2011/01/22/doctor-recommendations-do-you-should-you/
Good primary care physicians are becoming harder and harder to find. You may not have noticed it yet, but I predict that a year from now we’ll find it almost impossible to find primary care doc...
https://aphablog.com/2011/01/15/preparing-patients-for-primary-care-troubles/
One of our AdvoConnection members, Ken Schueler, shared a favorite article of his, published in JAMA a couple of years ago, and a good reminder of one of our roles as patient advocates. Written b...
https://aphablog.com/2010/12/17/enough-is-enough-helping-elderly-patients-make-decisions/