advocate education

Contractors, Kick Backs and Clarity – That’s Why We’re Here for Advocates

4 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By

(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 imaginable. But of course, as with any group of highly intelligent, motivated and capable people, we’re not always going to agree. We experienced that again this week. One of our very active and valued members had visited her attorney to work on her contracts. She raised the idea of working with independent contractors, and her attorney immediately advised her against it. As she reported in the Forum, “He advised me …

Contractors, Kick Backs and Clarity – That’s Why We’re Here for Advocates Continue Reading

Eight Hour Day? Get Paid for Sixteen

5 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By

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 focus is medical-navigational in nature, helping mostly elderly parents of the adult children who hire her understand what their doctors tell them. She also has two cancer patients who want to self-direct their care more than the doctors would like, so some of Joan’s reward comes from seeing those clients make informed decisions based on their own wants and needs, and finding that their doctors have …

Eight Hour Day? Get Paid for Sixteen Continue Reading

Remember Cat’s Cradle? How to Use It to Build Your Advocacy Practice

4 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By
cats cradle

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 soon-to-be advocates…. As those who took the marketing workshop learned – one of the most important things we should do is to measure the effectiveness and client satisfaction of our work once it’s completed. To accomplish that, after each of the workshops, I surveyed attendees to see what they found most useful and to understand what didn’t work so well, too. The results: The answers varied. Many cited …

Remember Cat’s Cradle? How to Use It to Build Your Advocacy Practice Continue Reading

And a Great Time, and Some Great Learning, Was Had by All

4 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By

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 don’t want that to overshadow the real outcome of the weekend; that is, that about 25 of us got together for 1-1/2 days of EXCELLENCE. My measurement of EXCELLENCE comes from attendee comments, but even more so from the things I learned along the way, too. It’s the interaction, the connections, and the shared learning that comprise my definition of excellence. Observations and comments:

Flying the Not-So-Friendly Skies Can Teach Us All a Lesson

9 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By

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 into hour #7 of my frustration with them yesterday, I realized that private patient advocates can actually learn from my latest United Odyssey. Here’s the story: I can be found on anywhere from 30 to 50 flights in any given year, depending my speaking engagements and other consulting work. In general, airline customer service really tanked around 2008, except for Jet …

Flying the Not-So-Friendly Skies Can Teach Us All a Lesson Continue Reading

Don’t Kick Yourself Later! The Top 10 Reasons You Need to Attend the APHA Workshops

4 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By

With only two weeks to go before our Alliance of Professional Health Advocates Business & Marketing workshops, we still have a few seats left! I know that in the past when I’ve been on the fence about whether to take a course or attend a seminar, I have too easily let them go by without taking action – missing out entirely – and then – ARGHGH! – I kick myself afterward. I do not want you to kick yourself afterward if you miss them! So here are your top 10 reasons to attend these workshops: 10. Because, no matter what …

Don’t Kick Yourself Later! The Top 10 Reasons You Need to Attend the APHA Workshops Continue Reading

The More Things Change, The More They…

4 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By

… 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. Just think about the changes over the past few years! I suggest to you that all the changes in healthcare, ranging from the ACA, to updated research results, to use of the internet, to changes in DRGs and CPTs, to outright FRAUD – all create opportunities for advocates to market themselves and their services. All these changes have been on my mind in a …

The More Things Change, The More They… Continue Reading

APHA Blog : The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates →←
Scroll to Top