What does a Private Professional Healthcare Advocate do?
Advocates, sometimes called navigators, typically work to help patients negotiate the often confusing, scary, and frustrating complexities of the healthcare system. Advocates can:
 help patients transition from hospital to home or another facility |
 accompany them to doctor appointments |
 assist with insurance forms, billing reviews and claims appeals |
 schedule follow-up appointments or tests |
 help make sure the patient understands medications and treatments |
 research diagnoses, treatments and care options. |
In these ways and more, they “advocate” for the patient to help remove barriers and obstacles, then guide them smoothly through the system with a focus on the best care possible.
One of the most important services a patient advocate can provide is representing the patient’s perspective. It takes training and compassion to understand and communicate the patient experience, to personalize interactions, to know what to ask when, and to never compromise personal dignity. It takes a partnership, and that is our commitment.
As a new profession, one that does not yet benefit from a nationally or internationally recognized certification or set of credentials, it is imperative that health advocates adhere to common set of behaviors and standards in order to promote integrity within the profession.
