Special Parents Confidential Episode 35 Medical Advocacy

Medical Advocacy. One of the continuous aspects of having a child with special needs is medical care and medical issues. Parents of special needs children often find themselves visiting medical facilities as often as they visit family or friends. Sometimes more often. Understanding the medical issues our children have, however, isn’t easy. Too often the medical experts we see are not always able to give us the answers we need when we need them. Or in some cases the answers we get create even more questions. Sometimes parents turn to the internet to understand more about the issues and challenges our kids face. But the internet is not always a reliable source of information, and that can lead to poor choices, and bad outcomes that could have been prevented if the parents had access to the right help when they needed it. With the increasing ‘corporatizing’ of the American medical industry, and insurance companies regulating how medical care can be done, with the emphasis being placed on cost-efficiency, parents can be left confused and uncertain about the care their children are being given. Medical groups and insurance companies are trying to address this situation by offering in-house medical advocacy services, but there are doubts as to whether those services are being made for the good of the patient or the good of the industry. In the past few years a new kind of service business has taken root: private professional medical advocacy. These companies are usually medical professionals, such as Registered Nurses, who work exclusively for the patients or their caregivers and guardians. Their role is to advocate for the families to make sure that the medical companies and the insurance companies are offering the care and services that the patient really needs. One such business is North Shore Patient Advocates, based in Chicago. John recently spoke to their President and Chief Advocate, Teri Dreher, RN, to find out about some of the problems that families can encounter when dealing with medical groups and the health insurance industry, and how private medical advocates can help families. Links Mentioned In this Podcast North Shore Patient Advocates – Family medical advocacy services based in Chicago, IL. Alliance of Professional Health Advocates – International database of health care advocates for the United States, Canada, and Worldwide. National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants – National database of health care advocates. Or, google search Private Professional Healthcare Advocates for your area.