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/
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/
As we all know, the pandemic has thrown so much of life into a tailspin! We’re constantly reminded that in order to get our lives back, we must pivot. We’re all resetting our personal lives. ...
In the midst of this spring’s APHA Academy, we are working on marketing lessons. Marketing – that very necessary planning step in client acquisition that forces us to figure out WHO needs our...
https://aphablog.com/2021/03/16/how-wearing-the-right-shoes-can-define-your-success/
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 ...
Here we are, rounding the corner into 2021, heaving a sigh of relief that 2020 is behind us, and contemplating how we can improve our outcomes – in particular our business outcomes – in this ...
https://aphablog.com/2021/01/04/looking-beyond-the-headlines-can-improve-your-recognition/
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/
One great idea for marketing our advocacy services and acquiring new clients is to reach out to employers to encourage them to hire us on behalf of their employees. When done well, and right, it ...
“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/
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/
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: April 1, 2020 Sadly, but not surprisingly, I know those of you in practice just aren’t hearing much from new business / clients these days. Beyond the fact that everyone still ...
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...
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/
Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season are right around the corner. Smart health and patient advocates and care managers can find this season to be a golden opportunity to expand their r...
https://aphablog.com/2019/11/17/families-need-you-a-thanksgiving-opportunity/
They have been the fastest, most exhausting, most rewarding, and most humbling years of my life… And they result in a story in which the universe has played quite a large role. On September 18,...
As children across the US and Canada start kindergarten this time of the year, I’m reminded of Robert Fulghum’s book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, a classic, published...
Suppose I go to my favorite pizza shop and this conversation takes place: Me: I would like a pepperoni pizza with black olives, onions, and extra cheese. Johnny the Pizza Guy: Sure! I’d be hap...
https://aphablog.com/2019/08/12/self-centered-and-unbusinesslike/
“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/
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...
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...
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/
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/
What if I told you that you could make or break your advocacy practice by spending an additional 3-5 minutes after each client interface? Yes – it could be that simple. Hold that thought as I e...
You have probably heard that old joke about a Boy Scout who was determined to help a little old lady cross the street. After a number of attempts and iterations, he finally picked her up and carr...
https://aphablog.com/2018/08/20/when-granny-doesnt-want-to-cross-the-street/
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/
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/
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/
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/
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/
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/
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/
What do you do for a living? What sort of business do you run? That’s a classic business question, and those who understand marketing and PR, and have been in business during the last decade, m...
https://aphablog.com/2017/09/26/what-do-you-believe-why-a-marketing-proposition/
APHA members received a note from us this week with some expectation management. That is… we’re prepared, and are hunkering down, for Hurricane Irma. Our offices, located in Central Florida, ...
https://aphablog.com/2017/09/10/wind-rain-destruction-and-metaphors/
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/
OK – granted – I used that title to get your attention, but there’s a lesson here for all of us whether we use it for our clients, or for ourselves, or for a loved one — and that is — h...
https://aphablog.com/2017/08/07/how-to-avoid-pssing-off-the-doctor-in-one-easy-step/
My husband and I moved 14 months ago to Florida. Since then, each time I’ve been on the highway, I’ve seen billboards which have fascinated me. They advertise the Florida Citrus Centers which...
Words matter. Descriptions matter. Names matter. And we, as advocates, need to pay attention to words, descriptions, and names – and take steps to use them correctly, and as desired. The proble...
https://aphablog.com/2017/07/10/a-rose-by-any-other-name-might-ruin-a-client-relationship/
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 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...
Yes, Part III, as promised in our second installment when we continued with three additional attributes of successful advocates. Find Part I of the Dirty Dozen. Find Part II of the Dirty Dozen. T...
That’s quite a title for a blog post, don’t you think? I’ve been working on this one for awhile, and it seems to have taken on a life of its own. In fact, it’s so long, I’ve now divided...
Today I’m sharing a beef about HIPAA. Respect for our profession is at stake. Remember, one of our goals is to become one of THE most respected of professions who work in the healthcare system....
https://aphablog.com/2017/03/27/dont-let-hippa-drag-us-down/
Although you may not realize it, there is a debate raging about titles in advocacy. I chose this topic today not because I have an opinion on THE right title; rather because I think the debate is...
In Marketing 101, we learn that we learn that it is imperative to accurately identify our target audiences, then , then develop motivational messages for them about the benefits of working with u...
https://aphablog.com/2017/03/06/direct-to-patients-frank-honest-and-motivational/
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/
Over the years, I have connected with thousands of people who intend to become independent health advocates and care managers, and 99.9% of them have one thing in common: their choice of health a...
https://aphablog.com/2017/01/16/when-passion-and-reality-collide/
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 kick off 2017, let’s look at the past year in review. What is the status of this profession of health and patient advocacy? How well is APHA serving the needs of patient-clients and its m...
It’s the question I’m asked by newbies more frequently than any other: How much can I charge? (BTW – what they really mean is – How much can I make?) To answer those questions in 2014, I ...
https://aphablog.com/2016/12/05/charge-more-its-good-for-everyone-including-your-clients/
Readers of this blog may remember that my husband and I have been in the process of moving – from Upstate NY (where they had 40 inches of snow last week!) to Central Florida. (No, no snow here ...
https://aphablog.com/2016/11/28/shooting-your-advocacy-in-the-foot/
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/
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/
I’m guessing you don’t think of your body parts as making important contributions to your advocacy career. But they certainly do! In the past we’ve talked about the importance of your ears ...
https://aphablog.com/2016/09/12/an-independent-care-professionals-most-important-body-part/
Over the years I’ve been asked this so many times – when do I think health and patient advocacy as a well-known profession will “arrive?” As if there should be some sort of date on which ...
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...
Since moving last month, I now live not far from Orlando. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the tragic and horrible events that have surrounded this city during the past ten days...
https://aphablog.com/2016/06/20/balance-in-all-things-we-create-a-world-of-good/
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...
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/
The most prestigious award in the profession of patient advocacy, and in particular, independent, private patient advocacy is awarded this time each year to the person who best exemplifies the te...
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/
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’...
Updated June 2018 Recently I was asked my opinion on the biggest challenges in patient advocacy as we turn the corner to 2016. I didn’t hesitate with my answer. I know exactly what those huge c...
https://aphablog.com/2016/01/11/how-to-overcome-the-biggest-challenge-in-patient-advocacy-today/
(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/
I’m a huge fan of TV’s Shark Tank. Not an episode goes by when I don’t learn something about business, investment, marketing or some other tidbit I can use in my work. My favorite “shark�...
https://aphablog.com/2015/10/12/shark-tank-narrative-your-audiences-and-success/
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/
They’re getting worse. Or at least it feels that way. I’ve just spent a week away, traveling across the country for both business and pleasure. While on the road, I’ve talked to dozens of p...
“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...
(Channeling the Plain White T’s here…) The book is a childhood classic, Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. It tells the story of a tree that gives all it has to a boy as he grows from litt...
https://aphablog.com/2015/08/16/8-ways-your-advocacy-practice-may-be-like-the-giving-tree/
Yes, sadly (although rarely) a patient advocate might do more harm than good. I was reminded of this recently when I heard from an APHA member who had picked up the ball from another advocate (no...
https://aphablog.com/2015/08/10/can-an-advocate-do-more-harm-than-good/
Joey Eisch, the 12-year-old son of friends of ours, was a major goofball with an enormous smile, a contagious laugh, and a sheer love of life.The photo above gives you a sense of him. It was take...
https://aphablog.com/2015/08/03/broken-hearts-remind-us-to-show-sympathy-and-empathy/
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/
We live in an instant gratification world, don’t we? I suppose we could harken back to BF Skinner’s hungry rats, then combine that with the expectation of instant answers we get from the Inte...
https://aphablog.com/2015/06/15/why-it-takes-so-long-to-acquire-a-new-client/
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 ...
This week the Chicago Tribune featured patient advocacy as a growing trend – a marvelous exposure to private advocacy for the uninitiated (uninitiated = most of the known universe). Several of ...
https://aphablog.com/2015/04/27/misleading-headline-provides-an-opportunity/
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 ...
Our Fifth Annual Private Professional Patient Advocates Week is this week – March 16 to 22 -and I’m here to share tales of the growth of our profession. Can it be that patient advocacy as a ...
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/
One of the most visible changes in the new health insurance reality are the medical bill surprises people are receiving that they never received before, for services covered previously as a matte...
https://aphablog.com/2015/01/12/sorry-thats-not-good-enough/
“Happy New Year to you and much happiness and success in 2015!”… You know that all business conducted by email or holiday card during the past few weeks has ended with just that greeting �...
https://aphablog.com/2015/01/05/a-new-year-and-the-responsibility-of-potential/
< ….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/
It was a desperate plea from a young women (we’ll call her Bethany) with a real problem: Bethany had been through several years of infusion treatment for services rendered outside of her networ...
https://aphablog.com/2014/11/17/common-courtesy-and-who-owes-what/
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/
We’re in the final stages of putting together the Advanced Marketing Handbook (scheduled for release in early October 2014) – and as I was reviewing parts of it this week, I had a thought to ...
https://aphablog.com/2014/09/21/its-not-marketing-its-teaching/
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/
Margaret needs help for her aging father who lives 600 miles away from her. She wants to find someone to accompany him to doctors appointments, someone who can review and organize his medical bil...
https://aphablog.com/2014/09/08/babbling-will-get-you-nowhere/
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/
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 been a tough week. From the initial blow, I’ve been a poster child for Kubler Ross’s five stages of grief. At this point I’m probably mid-way between depression and acceptance. If yo...
https://aphablog.com/2014/07/07/turning-adversity-into-proactive-survivorship/
Years ago, in my salad days, I took a new marketing job after being interviewed by a gentleman who seemed as nice as anyone I had ever met in a workplace. It didn’t take me long to learn my new...
https://aphablog.com/2014/06/09/hidden-agendas-and-being-used/
A Memorial Day Tribute My husband is retired from the Air Force* after serving for 20 years during the Vietnam era. My father served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. These two veterans,...
(Updated February 2017) Recently we relaunched one of our APHA networking benefits, Special Interest Groups (SIGs). They provide members with the opportunity to connect with like-minded professio...
(Apologies for the lists that no longer work in this post. In early summer 2014, About.com deleted almost 1000 posts and articles I had written. The points below are still valid, but I wanted you...
https://aphablog.com/2014/04/28/saving-your-clients-from-jerks-crooks-and-malintents/
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/
(updated January 2017) We’ve seen fireworks in the APHA Forum before. And we’ve dealt with them. The beautiful thing about the Forum is that allows free conversations on every topic imaginabl...
Last week I shared with you the problems I had with my coffee pot which burned and melted its insides – and then, while shopping for a new one, it reminded me of a lesson in making sure we advo...
It was the SMELL – you know, that noxious, horrifying smell of burning rubber… That’s what alerted me to my smoldering coffee pot which was no longer just heating my coffee… No flames (OK...
https://aphablog.com/2014/03/10/my-coffee-pot-caught-fire-and-other-lessons-for-advocates/
This year, March 3 to 9th, marks our Fourth Annual Private Professional Patient Advocates Week – capping the 5th year of existence of AdvoConnection and the Alliance of Professional Health Advo...
If anyone decides one day to research and write the history of private, independent patient advocacy, they will likely put the genesis of the profession as 2009, when the first two advocacy organ...
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/
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/
OK – so I confess. I talk baby talk to my dog. He’s little, and snuggly, and adorable – and it’s just so easy to call him cutesy names and fall into that simplification of short sentences...
https://aphablog.com/2013/10/14/a-surefire-way-to-drive-older-clients-away/
One aspect of healthcare that not enough people understand is about the role of technology for providing medical services: how it should be used, when it should be used, and why it should be used...
https://aphablog.com/2013/10/06/hi-tech-scalability-and-the-human-role-of-health-advocates/
My head is still spinning from our Business and Marketing Workshop Experience in Chicago over the weekend. While I’ve already told you how United Airlines tried to ruin the experience for me, I...
https://aphablog.com/2013/09/23/and-a-great-time-and-some-great-learning-was-had-by-all/
If I never fly United Airlines again, it will be too soon. They have violated my trust over and over again. And I can’t be the only one. It’s a miracle they stay in business. And as I went in...
https://aphablog.com/2013/09/22/flying-the-not-so-friendly-skies-can-teach-us-all-a-lesson/
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/
… seem to change. Yes – I know that’s not the way that saying is supposed to go, but in this case, it’s true. Healthcare – and the pursuit if its best outcomes – changes constantly. J...
https://aphablog.com/2013/09/02/the-more-things-change-the-more-they/
The healthcare reform law called the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – or Obamacare if you prefer the moniker (preferences seem to run about 50/50) – is being implemented over time. Of course, as m...
Updated 8/2019* I suspect you were raised just like I was. As a polite young lady, one who knew and followed the rules of etiquette (a l those mavens of etiquette, Amy Vanderbilt and Emily Post),...
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...
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...
The month of March 2013 brought me more opportunities than I remember in a long time to think about the reasons I do the work I do – why I have chosen my profession, what I hope to get out of i...
https://aphablog.com/2013/03/30/profession-or-calling-what-do-you-consider-your-advocacy-work/
(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/
Last week I had the opportunity to speak to two groups of hospital quality personnel; those folks who work in hospitals who are charged with overseeing the safety of their patients. They are QIOS...
https://aphablog.com/2013/02/17/hospital-providers-come-to-advocates-defense/
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/
There is no time like the present to keep your clients out of the hospital. Just raising the issue may make you a hero to them. I realize how dramatic that sounds, but bear with me here. Think ab...
https://aphablog.com/2012/12/16/holiday-hospital-dangers-spell-hero-for-patient-advocates/
If you aren’t aware of the Society for Participatory Medicine, you should be. The organization’s membership is comprised of people who work or seek healthcare who promote participation, colla...
https://aphablog.com/2012/11/25/a-new-tool-for-choosing-providers-and-you-can-help/
Among the dozens of details that needed attention after my father died, was figuring out what to do with the virtual pharmacy we found in his apartment. Dad was a firm believer of better living t...
https://aphablog.com/2012/10/21/advocate-for-patients-and-the-environment-too/
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...
Like many of you, I have been glued to the Olympics for more than a week. I stay up very late every night (and have to drag myself out of bed in the morning!) to watch athletes who can twist or t...
All patients and caregivers have questions for health advocates. Just like they have questions for their doctors, or nurses (or the Internet!), they have questions about navigating the craziness ...
https://aphablog.com/2012/07/08/ask-a-health-advocate-makes-its-debut/
Those of you who know me beyond my work with AdvoConnection may know that my roots – the reason I started AdvoConnection – came from patient empowerment – specifically the recognition that ...
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/
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/
In less than one week, we will be announcing the winner of this year’s Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award. This is a big deal – and not just for the winner, who will find some perks that...
https://aphablog.com/2012/02/26/lets-talk-about-excellence-in-patient-and-health-advocacy/
Greetings at the top of new year, with hopes you had a great holiday season and you’re getting prepped for success in 2012. I always feel a bit of inertia after taking a break, or a vacation, o...
https://aphablog.com/2012/01/02/a-one-word-resolution-for-all-advocates/
Attendees at our recent AdvoConnection Business Institute had a variety of topics and issues they wanted to discuss. Follow up surveys and emails produced even more, including some questions that...
https://aphablog.com/2011/12/04/revisiting-education-and-patient-advocates-certification/
(Originally published in November 2011. Updated November 2019) One of our APHA members got in touch after a talk he gave to his local Rotary Club. He was disappointed in the turn-out and wondered...
https://aphablog.com/2011/11/27/putting-word-of-mouth-to-work-for-you/
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/
Two years ago today, we launched AdvoConnection as the premier directory for patients and caregivers to find a health or patient advocate or navigator, and to support the business starting and gr...
https://aphablog.com/2011/09/01/happy-birthday-advoconnection-will-you-help-us-celebrate/
I’ve just returned from a marvelous week visiting with, and participating in, patient empowerment and advocacy experiences that included activities like video, webinars, panel discussions and p...
https://aphablog.com/2011/08/28/what-shall-we-call-ourselves/
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/
To say my trek to Alaska was overwhelmingly positive wouldn’t begin to touch the real experience. Alaska itself was glaciers, salmon, midnight sun, king crab legs, and learning that in Fairbank...
https://aphablog.com/2011/06/20/improving-patient-relationships-what-i-told-the-providers/
A recent post from a member advocate in our AdvoConnection Forum asked if any of our members have experience with working with self-funded insurance to offer patient advocacy services. Wouldn’t...
https://aphablog.com/2011/04/11/insurance-reimbursements-not-exactly-a-pot-of-gold/
Last week we recognized Private Professional Patient Advocates Week, and across the country, some great stories showed up in newspapers, on TV, online and in radio broadcasts sharing stories of p...
https://aphablog.com/2011/03/20/and-now-a-word-for-patients/
Patient advocates and navigators are my heroes. As such, I am thrilled to announce the first Private Professional Patient Advocates Week (planned to be an annual event) – a week of recognizing ...
https://aphablog.com/2011/03/14/private-professional-patient-advocates-week/
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/
One of our APHA members asked me about these differences a day or two ago… So I thought I would share my reply with you. She had called on a nursing home to see if they had interest in recommen...
In the process of writing about Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) I began looking at what constituted a “qualified medical expense,” which is the list of the...
Imagine – you suffer chest pains and are swept off to the ER. The pain meds leave you too groggy to make good decisions. Who will help you? Or – difficult symptoms result in a diagnosis that ...
https://aphablog.com/2010/11/24/why-cant-patients-be-their-own-advocates/
The answer is simple. No. So why do I ask this question? Earlier this month, while attending the NAHAC Conference, the question was asked by a number of people. As if the qualification to be an e...
https://aphablog.com/2010/11/14/do-i-have-to-be-a-nurse-to-be-a-patient-advocate/
That’s a good question — what does a patient advocate do? And there are a handful of answers, depending on the kind of help you need. Some advocates help you with insurance claims, or review ...
https://aphablog.com/2010/07/04/what-does-a-patient-advocate-do/
As Every Patient’s Advocate, the most frequent request I hear is to try to make a connection between a patient, or the loved one of a patient, and someone who can help navigate medical care on ...