+ What is a patient advocate?

An advocate is someone trained to assist or navigate a person and their loved ones through what has become the maze of our healthcare system.

+ What is a board-certified patient advocate?

A Board-Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) adheres to a predetermined set of parameters that have been developed to “ensure current competence in the specialized field of patient advocacy.”

See the link here to understand the Code of Professional Responsibility of a BCPA.

See the link here to understand more about the Ethical Standards required of a BCPA.

See the link here for the Competencies and Best Practices of a BCPA.

+ Why hire Collaborative Patient Advocacy?

We have over 20 years of experience in the healthcare field and truly find satisfaction in solving challenging issues for our clients. We provide authentic support and transparent guidance for each client and are dedicated to providing the best healthcare journey for you, given your goals, values and the well-being that YOU cherish. See our testimonials for clients with whom we have established relationships. We also adhere to the Health Advocate Code of Conduct as described here.

+ What don’t we do?

We do not provide medical, legal, or financial advice or insurance brokerage. We do not guarantee specific medical, legal, financial or insurance outcomes. We do not provide hands-on care for individuals.

+ What is our process?

There is typically a free consultation call (15-20 minutes) which will provide the base for our work together and an acknowledgement that we can provide the services requested.

Shortly thereafter, an initial assessment will be conducted, which includes 1) an in-depth discussion of the issue at hand, and 2) a follow up phone call reviewing a report that is compiled by us and given to you, detailing the work to be done.

Once the assessment is complete, the scope of work will determine the overall estimate and depends on the needs of each unique and individual client.

You can learn more about our services here.

+ What services do we offer?

We are happy to have a 15/20-minute FREE consultation with our potential clients to determine if we are a good fit for their issues. See our list of services here.

+ What are our time frames for work?

This may be longer term care management or coordination of care, for instance, to be a liaison for an interdisciplinary care team for many months.

Our benefit to the client could also be more short term, as in project based, in which we are able to assist with transition from one healthcare setting to another (hospital to a rehabilitation center) or to research a new diagnosis and possible treatments or for instance, second opinion options and sourcing.

+ How does our pricing work?

After the free consultation (which you can sign up for here!), the personalized initial assessment is $400.00.

Once this is completed, a deliverable report outlining the scope of work to be done is compiled by us and given to you (all of which is included in the $400). At this point, the document is yours!

If you choose to do the work yourself, you can absolutely do that. However, if preferred, we can give you additional peace of mind and do the in-the-trenches work for you at the rates estimated in your report.

We do not quote hourly rates up front as each client presents so differently and we find that it is much more individualized to curate the cost to the client’s issues.

+ Does insurance pay for our services?

No, and for our most productive work, this is actually a good thing!

The independent advocate (i.e. us!) has allegiance only to you; there is no middleman, no insurance (with a profit motive in mind) and no hospital or medical provider with too little time and too many patients to see. If an organization carries the cost, you run into much more red tape and several more hoops to jump through…and there is (unfortunately) almost always a question of whether the answers you’re getting from an insurance or healthcare provider are in your best interest or theirs. Paying us directly allows us to both be more flexible with our services and to keep you and/or your loved one(s) as our #1 priority…which is our favorite part of doing what we do.

+ Do we offer transportation services when we accompany a client?

We are happy to meet with clients at the provider’s office, lab or other healthcare setting, but we are unable to drive clients to appointments. We are able to assist clients in exploring options for transportation through rideshare alternatives when it is determined that they are needed.

+ Would you like to receive updates about speaking engagements, workshops or events?

Please leave an email in our contact information so that we can include you in on any upcoming events that may be occurring.

+ Would you like to be included in important information that might be sent out through blog posts or newsletters when they might occur?

Please leave your email in our contact information so that we can include you in on these important announcements.

+ How do you work with out of state or long-distance clients?

You can sign up for advocacy work on behalf of loved ones or friends who may be out of state. We can do much of our work by phone or online, either via email or through videoconferencing. There are many alternatives as to how we can approach making sure that your questions are answered and a plan of care set in motion, putting you closer to achieving your goals.

+ Want to know a bit more about us?

We like doggies, gardens, labyrinths, mosaics, travel and are avid readers! Learn more about us here.