advocate marketing

Carly Simon, Ketchup and an Advocate’s Secret Sauce

6 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By

Many readers of this blog (members of The Alliance of Professional Health Advocates) know we’ve been burning the candle at both ends trying to complete the build of the new APHA membership website. Short of raising my two daughters, I think it’s the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken – just enormous – hundreds of resources and thousands of pages – and I’m happy that it is now complete! (Or at least as close as it will ever be – these things are never truly complete.) Along the way, I’ve learned a few lessons about how to approach the work that …

Carly Simon, Ketchup and an Advocate’s Secret Sauce Continue Reading

Like Putting Ponze in Charge of My Retirement Savings – a Rant

4 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By
Charles Ponze

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. As a result, when I sit down to watch TV in the evening, I see a constant barrage of the most objectionable commercials. This candidate bashing that candidate. “Facts” that aren’t facts. Claims that have been disproved over and over again. Detestable. You may be surprised to know that THOSE commercials aren’t the ones that upset me the most! In fact, I no …

Like Putting Ponze in Charge of My Retirement Savings – a Rant Continue Reading

… and Now the New York Times

5 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By

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 a switch is flipped and the world begins to recognize, then hire independent advocates to help them navigate the healthcare system. Truth is, I’ve been expecting that tipping point for years. But (true confession) the evolution has been slower than I anticipated. Despite my 30+ years of business experience, working with every size business in every area of business imaginable, my crystal ball is …

… and Now the New York Times Continue Reading

Our Clients Need This ONE Skill the Most

5 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By
photo of man listening @ kostyha Fotolia.com

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 different every day and allowed me to meet and get to know people I never would have known in any other way. It required me to get out into the college community to meet faculty, other administrative departments, and students. It required me to have good relations with the press, and because it was during a recession, it required me to be creative and clever to bring …

Our Clients Need This ONE Skill the Most Continue Reading

Survey Says! The Results Are In

2 minutes of reading / Leave a Comment / By

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.” …. or at least that is one conclusion drawn by the surveyors — those who built, issued and analyzed the first National Health and Patient Advocate Survey.* Both private, self-employed advocates, and employed advocates (hospitals, insurers, employers), were surveyed. Whether or not you were one of the folks who took the survey, if you have any interest in patient or health advocacy as a profession, you’ll be interested in the results. They were …

Survey Says! The Results Are In Continue Reading

A Train of Thought to Put You on the Fast Track to Success

6 minutes of reading / 1 Comment / By

Last week my husband and I made our move. After decades of living in Upstate NY, we moved to Florida (hey! It’s hot down here!) – and are now transitioning to new lives in a new place, with new friends, new challenges, new fun and more. The 1200+ mile trip itself was made a little easier by taking the Amtrak Auto Train. If you aren’t familiar with the Auto Train, it’s a service that transports both you and your car, leaving from the Washington DC area and traveling non-stop to Sanford, Florida, just north of Orlando. Your car is loaded …

A Train of Thought to Put You on the Fast Track to Success Continue Reading

Mixed Messages Are Just a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen

7 minutes of reading / 2 Comments / By

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 and best practices. Those problems range from advocates working beyond their own abilities to help clients because they may not have the experience or education to do so, to selling medical products on their websites, and others. Today we’re looking at the promised Example #2 of this problem in hopes of a hard stop. That problem: the danger of mixed messages. As stated in the Fool …

Mixed Messages Are Just a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen Continue Reading

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