As a human, you are a unique creature, and because you need proper care and maintenance of your body, this will enable you to have a healthy body. But even though you do all this, you will at one point or another fall ill, be hospitalized, undergone a surgical procedure, or maybe not feeling your best. To some point, it may be challenging to advocate yourself.
And this where the patient advocate comes in. The primary role of healthcare patient advocates is to help patients communicate with their healthcare providers to get the information they need to make decisions about their health care. In most instances, they may help their patients set up appointments for doctor visits or medical tests and get social support.
According to recent research that states that the health system doesn’t work correctly, it is vital to hire someone to advocate for you to get the proper care. And this idea of having a patient advocate did not start recently in the United States, but it started back in 1893. But the fact is, choosing the best or legit patient advocate is an easy task, but here comes a solution for you.
Do you need a patient advocate? Here is what you should do before choosing one.
- Locate The Patient Advocate
Patient advocacy is a rapidly growing career, but due to this fact getting one is still not easy. There are numerous strategies for locating the right patient advocate, and you may decide to pick one of your family members, friends, or even a person from the workplace or church. You may also use Google to get one, but your choice will be determined by what kind of help you want. By utilizing, you will find all varieties of support each advocate will offer, such as insurance denials or claims, billing reviews, hospital bedside assistance, and medical help. This is free you need the internet and your computer.
- Prepare An Interview
The chances of getting a massive number of patient advocates are relatively high, get their contacts and name, call each of them. This will enable you to know their service costs, what the process will entail. This is a legitimate way to see if they fit all your needs, keeping in mind that all patients are unique on their own.
Ask them numerous questions you may not know exactly you should ask because this is your first time. Here is a bunch of question you should ask during the interview.
- Ask about their credentials and experience. You will not choose a patient advocate with null expertise simultaneously; you are not expected to select the one who has been in the field for two over the one who has been in the area for about ten years. Asking about their qualification is very important; ask them to share a copy of the Patient Advocate Certification Board certificate.
- Ask them if they have handled similar cases before, just like yours. This will make you trust them and have confidence in their ability.
- Requesting them to provide references will help you validate their ability to represent you. You can get this information from their website in the comment section.
- Ask them about their location. During the interview, know their specific location. Is it far from you? Some cases will require you to be accompanied by your advocate to the hospital, and some just a phone is enough.
