Influence of advocacy on healthcare. The purpose of learning the ropes of policy, politics and advocacy is to influence health care or broader social agendas that influence human health. Discuss a time where you influence health care through advocacy.
Managing health care can be challenging at the best of times. For older adults with cognitive impairment or for people battling symptoms of exhaustion, navigating one’s own health care can be daunting. The result? Patients put off getting the care they need or do not seek care at all.
Patients and their caregivers may spend a lot of time poring over insurance forms or other documents written in jargon they find difficult to follow. They can easily misunderstand diagnoses and treatment options. Such misunderstandings can result in the less effective use of medical services. For example, patients may undergo duplicate diagnostic tests, miss appointments, or take the wrong medication dosage.
Hard-to-interpret health insurance coverage sometimes results in patients not taking full advantage of what is available to them. Other times, patients mistakenly pay inaccurate medical bills containing errors or charges that were actually covered by their health insurance plans.
While the national conversation on health care has focused on ways to address these problems, many patients need individual guidance. Healthcare advocates can help.
Healthcare advocates give patients and their families direct, customized assistance in navigating the healthcare system. A healthcare advocate’s role entails:
How do patients and healthcare advocates connect? Sometimes patients and their families hire independent health advocates or individuals who work for advocacy organizations. Employers, insurance companies, and hospitals may also offer patients health advocates.
The healthcare system’s many layers have created a need for several types of healthcare advocacy. In fact, a Harvard Business Review analysis found that 52 percent of patients in the U.S. cannot navigate the healthcare system’s complexity without help.
Whether assisting patients concerned about an unclear diagnosis or clarifying confusing medical charges, health advocates offer a range of services:
Medical care navigation services include:
Services that help patients navigate medical billing can include:
Assistance in navigating health insurance may include: