patient advocates dive masters of health care
TRANSCRIPT
Patient Advocates –Dive Masters of Health Care?
How to get professional help
navigating the rough seas of health care.
10/30/2015 © by MedSavvy Health Advocates LLC 2015 1
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Fearless Professional Women
•Strong•Decisive•Take charge
•In Control!
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Except…..Dealing with the Healthcare System
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Most Health Care Encounters
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Uncomplicated
Like a child snorkeling in a bathtub.
When Health Issues Get Complicated = Woman Overboard!
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Minus scuba gear, instruction manual, or dive master.
Who Gets Thrown in as the
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Life Preserver?
Professional Women
Because we are:•Strong•Decisive•Take charge
•In Control!
Because we “get things done.”10/30/2015 © by MedSavvy Health Advocates LLC 2015 8
We’re alsoSand wiched……….
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between caring for generations of family members ……………..between family and work obligations……between guilt and self-fulfillment.
Yet we’re the ones who step up to handle medical situations for:
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•Ourselves •Spouse •Aging parents •Elderly in-laws•Children and adult offspring•Other extended family members•Close friends
Where there are too many players and no coordination.
Where everyone is left to their own devices.
Where it is too easy to get lost or hurt.
Where “reform” emphasizes decreasing cost over improving outcomes.
Where even the most intelligent and capable are confused and overwhelmed.
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Only to be Faced with a Sick Care System
The More Things Change………
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Medical Errors
Errors
Safe
42%
Over 10 years ago the Institute of Medicine found that medical errors = 100,000 hospital deaths/yr
They also found over 40% of Americans have suffered a medical error for themselves or someone close to them.
…the More They Stay the Same
and
over 80,000 hospital-acquired
infections/year in the U.S.
These statistics have not improved significantly over the past decade.
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This has been healthcare’s answer.
More Services Fewer Primary Care DocsLess time/patient More Treatments
More Technology More DrugsLess Communication Insurance
Electronic Medical RecordsMore Specialists
Too many CHOICES and DECISIONS!
Tool & Info Overload
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Like Scuba Diving
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Lots of wonderful tools
Information + Tools Knowledge
• 86% of 24-65 year olds with healthcare insurance DID NOT understand
traditional health insurance concepts — deductible, copay, co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximum
• 89% of people asked were NOT able to compute the cost of a four day hospital stay when given the information that should have enabled them to do so.
-Study reported in Journal of Health Economics, Volume 32, Issue 5, September 2013, Pages 850–862
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Where’s that Instruction Manual?
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Even Better……………..
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…where is the dive master? Someone who knows all the ins and outs, how to use the tools. Someone who can navigate for us.
Navigating the Sick Care System Takes Resources
Time
Knowledge
Health literacy
Financial literacy
Patience
Clear head
Ability to detach
Attention to details
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Traditional HelpWe have relied on:
Family and friends Emotional baggage, family dynamics,
Limited knowledge of healthcare industry
Employed patient reps and nurse navigatorsMixed loyalties (who pays them?)
Limited service range
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A Better SolutionIndependent Patient Advocates
Like your own personal
dive master
showing you
the way.
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An Independent Patient AdvocateSomeone who:
Supports and promotes patient’s rights.
Guides and helps you navigate the healthcare system.
Gives patients a voice, ensuring they are heard and respected.
Makes sure patients get the care they need
Resolves conflicts
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Services Might Include Care coordination and navigation
Accompanying to appointments
Liaison between patient and doctor or other provider
Diagnosis and treatment option research and explanations
Coordinating medical records and medications
Help preparing advanced directives
Auditing bills and negotiating denied claims
Help in choosing best insurance coverage
…………and much more……………………
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Advantages Independent advocates:
Are knowledgeable about healthcare industry
Are able to move amongst providers and facilities
Offer a variety of services
Answer only to you, their client/patient
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Benefits (What’s In It For Me)
Save yourself and your “patient” from lost time, frustration, unnecessary
expenses, aggravation, medical errors, and poor quality care.
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No More Missed appointments
Missed treatment opportunities
Misunderstandings about medications or treatments
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Eliminate Doubts and second guessing whether your loved one is
getting the best treatment for his/her condition.
An Advocate Can Ensure
Patients get the insurance benefits they deserve
Patients don’t pay for things they don’t want, don’t need, or didn’t receive
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Conclusion – Up Out of the Depths
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An independent patient advocate can provide you with much-needed
help and relief. Most importantly, they can give both you
and your loved one safe haven and Peace of Mind.
Where Do You Go From Here?
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For more detailed information about independent patient advocates and how to locate and choose one, download this free tipsheet.
MedSavvy Health Advocates LLC
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Let us guide you through the healthcare maze
www.medsavvyhealthadvocates.com
[email protected](719) 481-6440
Better Savvy Than Sorry Bloghttps://medsavvyhealthadvocates.wordpress.com/
Some images courtesy of Ambro at freedigitalphotos.net and King at Scuba DiverLife.com
Parting Thought
“The world will be saved by the Western women.” – The Dalai Lama
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