Advocating – It’s Like Nailing Jello to a Tree
(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 majority of...
View ArticleAdvocate for Patients and the Environment, Too
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...
View ArticleHealthcare System Challenges in 2013 Create Opportunities for Advocates
The healthcare times, they are a-changing! As we wrap up 2012 and look forward to next year (or perhaps, by the time you read this, it will already be 2013), there are a number of issues and challenges...
View ArticleHospital Providers Come to Patient Advocates’ Defense
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, that...
View ArticlePushing Back
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...
View ArticleBeware Those Wolves in Sheeps’ Clothing
Two unrelated stories have crossed my path, but their bottom lines are the same. It’s too easy to be fooled. Story #1: … is based on a scathing article in this week’s Wall Street Journal about the...
View ArticleIs Grampa Packin’ Heat? And Other Considerations for Advocates
Sometimes a conversation gets started in our APHA Forum that brings me up short. (One reason I SO love the Forum!) One of those conversations was kicked off this week by member Marie Connolly (Guiding...
View ArticleDo Advocates Have a Duty to Report Dangerous Patients?
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 150...
View ArticleA Second Opinion Isn’t Good Enough
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 can’t let...
View ArticleCan an Advocate Do More Harm Than Good?
Yes, sadly (although rarely) a patient advocate does more harm than good. I was reminded of this recently when I heard from one of our Alliance members who was picking up the ball from another advocate...
View ArticleMerriam Webster, The Who, and Hacking Churnalism
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 media...
View ArticleDo You Protect Your Herd?
(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!) When I began my...
View ArticleRevisiting the Case of Farid Fata – Why Patient Advocates Must Take Notice
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’t have,...
View ArticleBreaking the Rules
If you think about it for a minute, rule-breaking plays an enormous role in the life of a patient advocate. Rule breaking – is one reason (even if it’s not the only reasons) we exist – a problem we...
View ArticlePhysicians Buying In – Bring on the Patient Advocates!
Posted in the APHA Discussion Forum by one of our member advocates, In the last week I have received calls from 2 potential clients whose physicians actually advised them to get a Patient Advocate! One...
View ArticleAnnouncing – the Winner of the Schueler Patient Advocacy Compass Award for 2016
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 tenets...
View ArticleTough Questions, Informative Discussions, and Opportunities to Count Our...
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 medicine...
View ArticleWhy Can’t Patients Be Their Own Advocates?
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 leaves you...
View ArticleWho Deserves a Patient Advocate’s Help?
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 by those...
View ArticleAnd Now a Word for Patients….
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...
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