What is a Professional Health Care Advocate?

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What is a Professional Health Care Advocate?

A professional health care advocate is a trained specialist who assists patients and their families in understanding and navigating the health care system. They serve as a liaison between patients and health care providers, ensuring that patients’ needs and preferences are effectively communicated and addressed. Here’s a closer look at their key roles:

Our Services:

  1. Medical Guidance: We help patients understand their diagnosis, medical procedures, and treatment options, ensuring they are fully informed about their health care choices.
  2. Decision Support: Our advocates provide the necessary support to help patients make informed decisions about their health care, weighing all options carefully.
  3. Recovery and Wellness: We assist patients in their recovery journey, offering guidance and support to promote overall wellness and adherence to treatment plans.
  4. Caregiver Support: Our advocates offer emotional and practical support to caregivers, helping them manage their responsibilities and providing resources to ensure their well-being.
  5. Medical Billing Navigation: We help patients understand their insurance coverage, manage billing issues, and resolve disputes, ensuring they receive the benefits they are entitled to and avoid unnecessary expenses.

Why You Might Need a Health Care Advocate

Health care advocates are particularly beneficial in situations where:

  • The patient is dealing with a complex or serious medical condition.
  • There is a need for coordination among multiple health care providers.
  • Communication barriers exist between the patient and health care professionals.
  • The patient requires assistance in understanding their insurance benefits and managing billing issues.
  • Emotional support is needed to navigate challenging health care decisions.

Conclusion

At Stepping Stone Advocacy Services, our professional health care advocates are dedicated to ensuring that you receive comprehensive, compassionate, and effective support throughout your health care journey. Whether you’re facing a new diagnosis, managing a chronic condition, or navigating the complexities of health care systems, our advocates are here to help you every step of the way.

For more information or to connect with one of our professional health care advocates, contact us today. Empower yourself with the support and knowledge you deserve.

LORI IS EXTREMELY TALENTED!

What a great use of Lori’s talents!

I worked with Lori for several years during my career as an orthopedic surgeon. I know her to be not only compassionate and understanding but also a tireless advocate for what is right.

In difficult situations she was unwavering in her quest to enable me to provide the best possible care for my patients. She knows the system and how to work through it (and around it whenever necessary

LORI JUMPED RIGHT IN

If you are in need of a patient advocate, I would highly recommend Lori Schellenberg. She is extremely knowledgeable, effective, and professional. Knows when to be strong and forceful yet loving and caring with your loved one and your family. I was concerned about an elderly family member who had several severe falls, was forgetting to take medication, not eating healthy and not keeping up with housekeeping yet insistent she was fine and staying in her home. Even though Lori lived out of state she made phone calls on our behalf, made several recommendations to help us provide what our loved one needed and was an intermediary when it was necessary. Lori’s knowledge of geriatrics, continuous care/assisted living facilities, the health care system, long term care insurance and hospice is invaluable. She helped us put together a plan that provided the best and continuous care necessary for our loved one and our family. We are extremely thankful for her help and look forward to continuing to work with her as our loved one moves through the next phases of her life’s journey, thus enabling us to create loving memories.

LORI JUMPED RIGHT IN

My husband underwent nasal surgery 6 months ago, after he had a negative sleep study test and was referred to an ENT doctor due to continued fatigue and snoring.

Unfortunately, he developed two different serious infections, and we were concerned about his ongoing treatment with the ENT. In fact, we were very anxious because he wasn’t getting better but the surgeon was not clear with us as to what to do next.

When describing what was going on, Lori jumped right in, when she found out my husband was actually at the surgeon’s office at that time, and still did not understand the situation. She recommended that my husband ask to have the surgeon come back into the room, and to call her so that she could speak to the surgeon with my husband in the room. Lori was very professional and knowledgeable in her approach with his surgeon. She established a treatment plan, in a way that my husband could understand, and why this was the plan. She also discussed the “what ifs” the current treatment plan did not work. He ordered further tests to be completed prior to his next appointment, if he did not improve.

She followed up with my husband and I to make sure we understood the plan.

By advocating for my husband, Lori relieved a lot of anxiety and stress that this current medical concern was causing, and they felt more confident in the surgeon’s care.

We highly recommend Lori and Stepping Stone Advocacy Services, if you are experiencing a medical condition, and don’t know where to turn for answers. She is experienced and professional, yet able to discuss medical terms in a way that we understood.