How will Christian values guide your role as a patient advocate?
Ans) Patient Advocate Duties:
- A patient advocate is a health care professional who looks out for the best interests of an individual patient as well as groups of patients. Advocates can provide patients with a list of resources available to them once they leave the hospital and help arrange for them to get the education that they need. Looking at some of the duties that a health care advocate does can help you decide whether to pursue this career path.
• Insurance Policies:
- One duty of a health care advocate relates to the insurance that
a patient has. The advocate will help that patient understand what
his or her insurance covers and any remaining amount leftover after
insurance pays the bill. If the patient does not have insurance,
the advocate can work with the financial office of the facility and
help create a payment plan that lowers the costs the patient pays.
Medical facilities will often lower the total cost of the bills
that patients receive based on how much they make.
• Patient Complaints:
- According to Monster.com, these advocates are also responsible
for handling the complaints that come from patients as well as
their loved ones. These complaints include both minor and major
issues. A minor issue may come from a man who doesn't like his
nurse or a woman who is unhappy with her bed linens. More serious
issues can include reports of misconduct like a doctor or nurse who
acts in an unprofessional manner during a surgical procedure or a
physical exam. The advocate may need to report some complaints to a
higher authority in the hospital.
• Explaining Rights:
- One important role of an advocate involves the explaining of the
rights that patients have. This is often necessary when a patient
wants to check out of the hospital. Patients have the legal right
to check out AMA, which is against medical advice. The advocate
must fully explain what will happen if the patient leaves, list the
benefits of staying and seeking treatment and provide patients with
other information to ensure that they make the right decisions
regarding their own health care.
• Payment Support:
- Health care advocates work closely with the billing and financial
departments in a hospital or medical facility to ensure that
patients do not receive higher bills than they should. In addition
to working with the billing department to send bills to a patient's
insurance provider, the advocate will also check back with the
insurer and this department to see if insurance covered all the
expenses they should and to see if there is a balance left in the
patient's name. Advocates can also talk with patients to help them
understand their total costs.
• Worked With Loved Ones:
- A patient advocate will also work with the loved ones of a
patient to help those friends and family members understand what
will happen next and what they can do. They will explain any of the
tests performed on that patient, describe the diagnosis given and
explain the treatments available. Those loved ones often have
questions about what the doctor will do and what they should do
when the patient goes home. Advocates can also help the loved ones
of patients make arrangements for filling prescription drugs,
having medical professionals stop by the home for check ups and
getting medical equipment.
Not all professionals working in the health care industry need a medical degree. Health care advocates work closely with patients, their loved ones and other professionals working in the facility. The duties of a patient advocate include explaining financial information, taking complaints from patients and helping patients understand their medical rights.
describe the role of a medical assistant as a patient advocate?
How you would advocate for your patient in end of life care? If you have a patient who is not cognitive, and is actively dying, but the family wants everything done to try to save the patient's life, how do you advocate for the best outcome for the patient? And would this change if the patient was a child?
As you may have experienced or at least can imagine, the role of patient advocate is a very important responsibility. I hope that no one has to assist a loved one when addressing his/her long term care needs. However, for most of us, the inevitability of providing support is real. So, in order to understand what patient advocacy is, I would like you to describe (3 paragraphs) how you think you can make a difference when approaching the needs of...
Option #1 - Case Study to ConsiderAnn and Michael have been married for 55 years. Ann is 80 years-old, and suffers from lung cancer and advanced Alzheimer's disease. She currently resides in a nursing home, and often does not recognize Michael when he visits. Last night she was admitted to the hospital with difficulty breathing. Today, you are the nurse caring for Ann, and her physician is suggesting surgery to remove part of her lung to potentially slow the progression...
propose a nursing informatics project for your organization that you advocate to improve patient outcomes or patient-care efficiency
what motivates a nurse to be a patient advocate?
what motivates a nurse to be a patient advocate?
Discuss the importance of advocacy as it pertains to patient care. What is the nurse's role in patient advocacy? Describe a situation in which you were involved with patient advocacy. Explain what the advocacy accomplished for the patient, and what the repercussions would have been if the patient would not have had an advocate.
Topic: Advocate How would you demonstrate patient advocacy for someone that could not mentally or physically advocate for themselves? List several examples. Be sure to check back to see what others have said. You must comment on three posts with appropriate replies. Check out the discussion rubric on doc sharing. Please make your posts by the due date assigned. Refer to the discussion rubric for grading details (click the gear icon in the blue bar above the due date and...
Discuss the importance of advocacy as it pertains to patient care. What is the nurse's role in patient advocacy? Describe a situation in which you were involved with patient advocacy. Explain what the advocacy accomplished for the patient, and what the repercussions would have been if the patient would not have had an advocate.