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/
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...
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/
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/
OK, yes, I’m dating myself… One of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs is Bridge Over Troubled Water. I’ve been humming it repeatedly over the last few weeks, and last week, we let the ad...
https://aphablog.com/2019/04/29/simon-and-garfunkel-an-anthem-to-advocacy/
Back in the 1950s, into the 1960s, a game show called Who Do You Trust? aired where couples were asked questions, and one had to “trust” the other to answer it (or not!). If you remember the ...
https://aphablog.com/2019/02/18/johnny-carson-game-shows-and-a-lesson-about-trust/
Once upon a time, the word “advocate” was contentious: doctors didn’t want us in the room, nurses didn’t want us next to a hospital bed, and health insurers thought we patient advocates w...
https://aphablog.com/2018/07/09/help-us-assess-the-lovefest/
Over the holiday weekend – Memorial Day Weekend – I pondered the sacrifices soldiers have made for our country. I expect you did, too. I’m married to a retired soldier. My husband spent 20 ...
https://aphablog.com/2018/05/29/serving-ones-country-as-a-healthcare-soldier/
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/
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/
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/
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...
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/
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. ...
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/
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...
Recently, I had one phone conversation and one email, with two different people who are hoping to, and working to become advocates, both exchanges which resulted in very negative takeaways on my ...
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/
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 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/
Having just returned from the APHA Business and Marketing workshops in Tampa, and in reviewing my notes and questions from attendees, I’ve come to a new conclusion about why many people have so...
https://aphablog.com/2014/04/06/asking-wtwttch-helps-to-overcome-the-paralysis-of-analysis/
This is one of those questions I’m asked frequently. It recently popped up again: When will private patient advocates be reimbursed by insurance? In fairness, the question is usually asked by t...
https://aphablog.com/2013/12/09/insurance-reimbursements-for-patient-advocates/
It happened one more time this week, frustrating me one more time this week, making me feel like a broken record again this week and then realizing…. hey! Why not make this point louder and cle...
Just in the past week alone, I’ve been asked three times why someone would hire a private patient advocate when there are so many other forms of help available. What other forms would those be?...
https://aphablog.com/2013/02/03/an-advocates-allegiance-makes-all-the-difference/