{"id":4350,"date":"2021-03-15T15:04:05","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T20:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/?p=4350"},"modified":"2021-03-15T15:04:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-15T20:04:07","slug":"patient-advocates-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/patient-advocates-can-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Patient Advocates Can Help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you are having a tough time navigating medical care, patient\nadvocates can help! Last week I was talking to a friend who recently tore the\nmeniscus in his right knee. He was informed by doctor\u2019s office personnel that\nhe needs surgery. He had a few questions, so he requested a call from the\ndoctor before he scheduled. The response: This is standard care for this type\nof injury and you don\u2019t need to talk to the doctor. He\u2019s going to tell you the\nsame thing I\u2019m telling you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My friend was taken aback. As a former Division 1 college basketball\nplayer who continued his career playing Masters Basketball, he\u2019s accustomed to superior\nmedical care. He\u2019s also used to being treated as part of the healthcare team. When\nI told him his experience was not uncommon for the average patient, he was\nshocked. He also wasn\u2019t sure what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After some searching, I found the information for the associated hospital\u2019s patient experience team and sent him a link. Unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t as simple as a single search within their website. It took several tries with several keyword variations. This is also not uncommon. It is unfortunate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The healthcare system is often hard to navigate. When you feel sick, injured, and vulnerable, it can be next to impossible. That\u2019s when a patient advocate can help. If you have a family member who is capable and available to serve in this role, that is ideal. But many of us do not have that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how do you find an advocate when you need one? If you\nuse a clinic associated with a hospital, that hospital may have an office of patient\nexperience. Sometimes it may be called the office of patient and family\ncentered care (PFCC). Sometimes just using the keywords patient centered care\nwill get you to the proper place. Other hospitals will have someone on staff\ncalled a patient advocate. If you don\u2019t want to search online, call your local\nhospital and ask for the extension for the patient advocate or patient experience\noffice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patient advocates may have a degree in social work or nursing,\nbut they are not functioning in the same role as a hospital social worker or a\nnurse. They are more like your own personal communications team. When you run\ninto an obstacle like the one my friend did, an advocate can talk to both\nparties and help find a solution that works for both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can also help you understand a doctor\u2019s instructions, help\nyou seek a second opinion, and help you sort through different treatment\noptions. An advocate can assist your family in understanding how they can\nsupport you. Because they work within the system you are seeking to navigate,\nan advocate may have many avenues for solving a problem that you would not know\nabout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all advocates work for a specific institution. Some work for state health departments. Others work for independent services<\/a>. When dealing with long-term care, you may receive similar services from an ombudsman program<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s always hard to ask for help, especially when you feel vulnerable. Learning about the programs available in your area when you\u2019re well is a great way to prepare. The Beryl Institute gives awards<\/a> to institutions and professionals that innovate ways to improve the patient experience. If you are a member of an underserved population, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS<\/a>) may have a specialized program to assist you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are an important member of your healthcare team. It is\nimportant that the rest of the team collaborate with you to achieve the best\noutcome. That includes creating a treatment plan that considers what\u2019s most\nimportant to you. In order to do that, the team must share information and\ntreat you with dignity and respect. Anything less is unacceptable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a shift toward prioritizing the patient experience because it has become a significant measure of hospital quality. That means, now more than ever before, patient advocates<\/a> and patient experience specialists are available to assist you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish this had been true when I was struggling to get a\ndiagnosis for psittacosis and then celiac disease. But I am grateful things are\nchanging. I feel better knowing that when I need them, patient advocates can\nhelp!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you are having a tough time navigating medical care, patient advocates can help! Last week I was talking to a friend who recently tore the meniscus in his right knee. He was informed by doctor\u2019s office personnel that he needs surgery. He had a few questions, so he requested a call from the doctor … Continue reading “Patient Advocates Can Help”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[3016,3014,3015,2611,2300],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4350"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4358,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4350\/revisions\/4358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}