Examples: calling the right teams at hospitals, tracking complex insurance approvals, translating medical jargon into plain language, and making sure your voice is heard even when you're overwhelmed.
Verify coverage and advance approvals needed; Negotiate medical bills and insurance payments; Identify alternative payment options; Appeal insurance rejections; Submit out-of-network claims or health savings reimbursements; Train caregivers and providers to be better care champions; Offer caregivers recommendations for thriving.; ;
Communicate with family members on behalf of the patient; Review medical records and break down information in lay terms; Create a health summary (medical history, insurance, providers' contacts, etc); Complete intake forms; ;
Usability testing to improve forms and communications; Interviews, focus groups, or surveys to assess barriers to and recommendations for improved patient flow, address patient adherence to appointments and pre-visit preparation, and increase patient experience and satisfaction scores.
My education and work, including interviews with roughly 1,000 patients, doctors, and health executives, provided proof of how hard great care can be to get.
Personal experience as a patient and caregiver amplified the physical and emotional toll of seeking answers and care when you are at your worst.
Lawyers don't represent themselves in court. Doctors will seek out specialists for themselves and their loved ones when they are sick. Patients and families should not have to advocate and navigate the complexities of the healthcare system on their own when not at their best. There's too much at stake.