Health Advocacy and Research
Health advocates support and promote patients' rights as they navigate the health care system.
Whether or not the patient is ill, managing health for a patient or family members not educated in health care can be confusing and overwhelming. When things go wrong, it may be hard for their voice to be heard by the health care professionals around them. Health care providers and administrators do not intend to make things difficult for patients, but the system is increasingly becoming so complicated that there is not much time for compassion and understanding.
A health advocate may guide a patient and family members through the confusing maze of health care with care, knowledge and sensitivity. We can focus exclusively on the needs and help patient(s) and family members resolve concerns about the quality of their care, receive the care they need, and ensure their voice is heard and assure they are included in the decision-making process.
A Health Advocate will also research the diagnosis and plan of care for the patient and properly educate the patient and/or family about the condition(s), while providing continued educational materials or resources available to follow the directive Physician(s) and health professionals provide.
Health advocates can be found at hospitals, and in non-profit and for-profit organizations. Some work independently, like at AHCA, LLC.
We work with everyone in the patients health cycle to maintain the continuity of care, with the goal to assure all entities are well informed and the cycle is complete. Essentially we are similar to a health navigator outside the hospital system yet personalize our structure to service our clients individually.
