Patient Advocacy is more important now than ever.  Patients' access to their physicians is more difficult and time spent has been severely reduced.  Managed health care insurance companies are making more health care choices - treatments are becoming formulaic rather than individualized.  Health literacy is at a low level with much information given through marketing campaigns rather than from a health professional.  The health care system itself is increasingly complex  making it very easy for patients to fall through the cracks.

Medical errors have become commonplace leading to tens of thousands of preventable deaths per year.  (See research results in Advocate News) Doctors and nurses have not suddenly become substandard but find themselves working in faulty systems that do not allow them to practice their best medicine.  Everyone is in a hurry and communication suffers.  The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations has recommended that all patients entering a hospital have an advocate with them to help ensure their safety.

RN Patient Advocates (RNPA) provide a positive process to advocate for the patient's well-being, to help prevent medical errors, to improve health literacy and increase patient access to all available health care options available to address their needs.  An RN Patient Advocate empowers patients to utilize the health care system with greater confidence and success.  By working for the patient/family rather than the institution or health plan, the RN Patient Advocate's entire focus and responsibility is solely with the patient.

* Training courses for independent RN Patient Advocates are now being offered.  The first one is in September 2008.  See "Become An Advocate" page.

"...empowering people in their health care through Advocacy, Education and Guidance through the health care system."