Frequently Asked Questions

Healthcare is hard enough, so we've made hiring a Care Champion two (2) steps.  

1. Schedule a Free Chat. Start by reaching out for a free 15-minute chat, either by phone or video. We use this time to learn more about what you need, make sure we’re a good fit, and answer your questions about our services. 

2. Purchase a Service Package. If you decide to move forward, you’ll purchase the services you want through our site.  
   
   

That's it, you've done it; you've hired a Care Champion! 

We are generalists and don't have any specific focus. We serve people of all ages in the US. 

Jennifer Stephens, our CEO and lead advocate, enjoys working with people who are managing a hospital visit, surgery, new diagnosis, or difficult billing and insurance issues. She's worked with people managing many different diseases and conditions, including ADHD, autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, HIV, and sickle cell disease.

We DO NOT:

• offer medical diagnoses or treatment

• make clinical decisions for you

• give legal advice

• provide transportation services

• support patients with VA Healthcare or Tricare

• offer interpreter or translation services 

If we feel we aren't able to support you or that someone else is better suited to help, we will provide a referral. 

We serve everyone across the US virtually via phone and video. 

We are located in (yes, in) Washington, DC. 

For in-person visits and support, we serve the following cities: Washington, DC; and Bethesda, Bowie, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park, MD.  

Absolutely. Life happens outside of 9 am - 5 pm, and so does the work of Care Champions. We offer free consultation slots Monday-Friday and on Sunday. Depending on the day, we have options available before 9 am and as late as 7:30 pm. 

Members needing virtual or on-site support can reach us from 8 am - 8 pm, Monday - Friday, and from 10 am - 2 pm, Sunday. In rare cases, we can make exceptions to support urgent needs outside those hours. 

Even the smartest people struggle to navigate the healthcare system. When you’re sick or caring for someone, you may not have the energy or emotional capacity to find the right doctors, get answers, and manage insurance. 

In a system this complex, small mistakes can be costly to your wallet and your well‑being. 

A Care Champion may be right for you if you want:

☑️ Exclusive, unbiased support. Our independence is our superpower. We provide objective support tailored to your needs, not the priorities of any insurance company, hospital, or doctor's office. 

☑️ More time and money to do what you love. What have you given up in search of the best care? Filling out forms? Waiting on hold? Care Champions can take a load off your mind and your to-do list by expertly navigating multiple healthcare systems. We get faster appointments, submit forms, and clear up billing confusion. 

☑️ Support organizing and communicating health information. Care Champions streamline care coordination among hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, insurers, and even family members. We organize and communicate health information to improve accuracy and outcomes. We can also manage the emotional burden of sharing news with everyone or coordinating support.  

☑️ Evidence-based research to help you pick the best care. We report on validated research articles, clinical outcomes, and patient ratings to compare insurance plans, doctors, facilities, treatments, and medications. 

☑️ A second set of eyes and ears. We ensure your safety by preventing medical errors and facilitating second opinions. We act as your partner by preparing for visits, taking detailed notes, asking focused questions, and translating confusing clinical language. 

☑️ Oversight of billing and insurance claims. We'll help expedite pre-authorizations, appeal denials, file out-of-network claims, submit FSA reimbursements, or analyze explanations of benefits (EOBs) and receipts for errors. 

We are not a substitute for doctors, nurses, home caregivers, or lawyers. We help patients and families make sense of it all, bridging patients and providers and fostering peace of mind. 

Care Champions is fully insured, HIPAA compliant to protect your privacy, and has a national provider identifier (NPI) number for referrals and electronic claims.

Jennifer Stephens, our CEO and lead advocate, has the knowledge, experience, and personal motivation for this work. 

• Knowledge: Board Certified Patient Advocate with a Master's of Public Health (MPH). 

• Experience: She has 26 years of experience evaluating, designing, and leading health programs. Using evidence-based research, she developed tools to build patient trust, compare health care options, and communicate in plain language. As a former executive and consultant, she has led work for hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms, government agencies, and non-profits. 

• Personal motivation: Jennifer has 5 years of experience as a caregiver for her husband. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at an early age. The experience deepened her empathy for patients and families navigating the health system.  

Care Champions is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of your personal and health information. As a healthcare-adjacent entity, we take the security of your data seriously.

• • Business Associate Agreements (BAA): We maintain BAAs with our technology providers, including Google Workspace, to ensure your PHI is handled according to federal standards.

  • Controlling Access: Access to patient data is strictly limited to authorized personnel. We use multi-factor authentication and encrypted storage solutions. All staff are trained annually on our privacy standards and practices.

  • Transmission: We use secure methods for document sharing. We discourage the transmission of sensitive health information via standard, unencrypted email.

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only share your data when 1) you provide written consent to do so, 2) legally required to, or 3) organizations have signed a Business Associate Agreement and therefore must keep confidentiality. 

Care Champions maintains your records securely for six (6) years. This is the length of time required by federal HIPAA laws. After that time, your records are permanently deleted.

No. Care Champions' services are out-of-pocket or private pay. This allows us to be 100% loyal to you, not the insurance company, not the hospital. 

Our work often pays for itself by avoiding medical errors, resolving billing issues, and saving you time and effort so you can focus on what matters most.

We are committed to transparent pricing. Our services and costs are on our website. 

We offer service packages, so you know exactly what support you’ll receive. Packages mean less financial risk to you, less paperwork, and more time to support you. 

• Less risk. We charge for specific activities, not an hourly rate. This eliminates surprise bills because of wait times, delays, and unexpected challenges. Plus, you don't have to worry that we're doing more work than needed just to make more money.

• Less paperwork. Service packages allow us to move faster. No need to customize an estimate, get your approval, and send over a 10-page legal contract for you to review. Our service agreements clearly state what we will and won't do.

• More time to support you. Service packages are designed to work around you, not a clock. Instead of rushing to meet an hourly target or tracking our every minute, we can focus on you and your needs. 

For more information on what patient advocates cost in general, see the resource: What does it cost to hire a patient advocate? 

No, we do not offer discounts, a sliding fee scale, or payment plans. Our prices are transparent; everyone pays the same price. 

We believe everyone deserves high-quality patient advocacy support. Discounts and sliding scales require us to select who is "deserving" of a lower price or verify sensitive income information. Plus, we wouldn't be able to take on everyone who might qualify, and we'd have to choose who to help and who to leave out.  

At least four times per year, we offer community-based strategy sessions at local DC libraries. Join our newsletter for more information and to sign up for a community session. See also: Referrals and Free Resources.

While healthcare outcomes can't always be guaranteed, we're committed to keeping you informed, supported, and never alone on your care journey. Specifically:

• • You'll receive clear, honest communication every step of the way

  • We'll advocate for your needs with respect and transparency

  • You'll get practical support that actually moves your care forward

  • If something isn't working, we address it immediately

Feel free to call us directly at (202) 866-4242 or submit your referral via HIPAA-compliant, secure Referral Form.

Thank you for thinking of us to support your patient community. 

You're right to ask—there ARE other options available. Keep in mind that availability may be limited, and their loyalty may be to the hospital or insurance plan that employs them.

• Hospital Social Work: Most hospitals offer free social work services that can help with resource navigation, discharge planning, and insurance assistance.

• Insurance Care Management: Many major insurers offer case management programs (often free) when you call their number before any procedure.

• Patient Advocate and Patient Navigation Programs: Some non-profits offer navigation services for high-cost procedures like surgery or cancer care. The Patient Advocate Foundation has a number of free resources, including case management and financial aid. 

OPTION 1: Go to https://portal.care-champions.com to request your portal link be emailed to you.

OPTION 2: Users who registered with their Google Account can access your portal directly at this link.

OPTION 3: Search your email for "Access Your Care Champions Portal" for your personalized link.

OPTION 4: Contact admin@care-champions.com to have us resend the link.