Volunteers can be wonderful, and the price may be right, but they often don’t have the experience you need to be sure you’re getting the best care you can get.
Your best bet will be to find a private patient advocate. These advocates charge a fee for their services, but they are definitely worth the cost, even if it’s only for the confidence you will have about getting the best care.
Here is some basic information about finding, interviewing and choosing a private patient advocate.
One website, AdvoConnection, provides a searchable directory of advocates who offer a variety of kinds of help to patients and caregivers, such as medical, hospital bedside assistance, insurance denials or claims, billing reviews and more. Search for an advocate by the location of the patient and the service you need. There is no charge to use the site.
Another website offers a list of advocates who belong to an organization called NAHAC, the National Association of Health Advocacy Consultants. Use of this site is also free.
If you just cannot find the name and contact information of an advocate on either list, do a web search using “patient advocate” and your location.
There are no standard fees or standard procedures because, of course, every patient is unique and every case is different. That said, they should be able to give you satisfactory answers to the following questions.
Their previous experience working with patients with similar ailments, or in similar circumstances to yours will be a good indicator of whether you’ll be able to develop that confidence level.
A certification from the Patient Advocate Certification Board has been available since March 2018. There are also a handful of certificate programs advocates may take.
Advocates may charge for doing health assessments, time spent on research, review of bills, handling insurance claims or even getting tests or treatments approved (overcoming denials) and more.
Once you’ve made your choice for an advocate, ask them to put the answers to these questions in writing, along with a signed contract to be sure you agree on what is expected.
