MEDICINE
severe, andMcAfee’ssisterpassedaway.
Apatientadvocatealsocanhelp families
who face nerve-racking decisions. As the
health of Barbara Porter’s father started
to decline, Dianne Savastano, founder of
Healthassist, based inManchester-by-the-
Sea,Mass., helped smoothcommunication
amongher father’shealthcare team,which
includedfamilyinotherpartsofthecountry.
“Diannehelpeduseverystepofthewaywith
decisions and gettingeverybodyonboard,”
Portersays.
Patient advocates canhelp their clients
realize theymay havemore options than
their doctors suggest. When Marshall
Krantz learnedhehadanoduleonhis lung,
hisdoctorpresumed itwas cancerous and
urgedhimtoget itremovedquickly.
ButSmith,hishealthcareadvocate, told
himhedidn’tneedtorush intosurgeryand
could get a secondopinion. “Patient advo-
cates broadenout your thinking,”Krantz
says.
Afteranoperation,Krantz learned from
nurses that hewouldhave tomanage the
scheduling anddosageof twopain-killers.
Hewas inno shape todo that, however, so
Smithintervenedandworkedoutaregimen
with thenurses. “Shecouldspeak their lan-
guageandtranslate forus,”Krantzsays.
Finding
anAdvocate
Beforehiringahealthcareadvocate, you’ll
want tomakesure theperson’sbackground
fitsyourneeds.Somequestions toask:
• Haveyouhandledcases likeminebefore?
• Whatwouldyoutypicallydo for someone
inmysituation?
• What isyourbackgroundandtraining?
• Howlongwill it take toperformtheservices
I need?
• Whatdoyoucharge?Howdoyoucharge?
• Doyouhave references?
• Doyouprovidewrittenreports?
• What areyourhours?
• Howdoyoucommunicatewithclients?
To findpatientadvocates inyourarea, check
out thesedirectories:
• NationalAssociationofHealthcare
AdvocacyConsultants
)
• AdvoConnection
)
42
MAy 01, 2013
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