Why Telemedicine Is Your Friend: Faster Access, Better Care, and Stronger Patient Advocacy
Why Telemedicine Is Your Friend: Faster Access, Better Care, and Stronger Patient Advocacy For many patients, accessing healthcare can feel like an obstacle course. Long wait times, confusing systems, rushed appointments, time off work...
The "Harmless" Cold Remedy That Almost Cost Everything: A Patient Advocate's Wake-Up Call Why the "small" medication decisions des
After 35 years as a patient advocate for my husband Bill, a heart transplant recipient, I thought I had seen it all. Ten years navigating the pre-transplant journey, 25 years post-transplant, countless hospitalizations, medication adjustments, and...
What’s New With Private Patient Advocacy?
What’s New With Private Patient Advocacy? Healthcare is evolving quickly, and so is the role of private patient advocacy. As medical care becomes more specialized and complex, many patients and families are realizing that navigating the...
Updates in Cholangiocarcinoma
Updates in Cholangiocarcinoma: What Patients and Families Should Know Cholangiocarcinoma is more than just a diagnosis to me, it is deeply personal. My brother and best friend faced cholangiocarcinoma, and I had the privilege of supporting him...
Self Advocacy: What I Need to Know
There comes a moment in almost every healthcare journey when a patient realizes something important. No one knows their body, their fears, or their goals better than they do. Yet many patients find themselves sitting quietly in exam rooms, unsure...
A Steady Dock in the Fog
Getting Out of the Fog There’s an old dock that stretches into the water where the fog settles thick and quiet. Some mornings, the shoreline disappears completely. The boathouse across the inlet fades into shadow. The air feels still, muted...
Why Are We Always Waiting in Healthcare?
If you’ve ever sat in a waiting room staring at a clock that seems frozen in time, you’re not alone. Whether it’s waiting weeks for an appointment, hours in patient room, or days for test results, waiting has become a defining...
The AI Enhanced Advocate
The AI-Enhanced Advocate You already know the hardest truth about patient advocacy. There are never enough hours in the day. Time is your most scarce resource. As a patient advocate, you need to spend it on people, not...
Surviving the Hospital: 5 Assumptions That Put Patients at Risk
When someone you love is in the hospital, you’re pulled into a world that moves fast, feels overwhelming, and often leaves you with more questions than answers. After 35 years in and out of hospitals with my husband — including through...
When Consent Becomes a Checkbox: How Patients Lose Choice—and How to Take It Back
When Consent Becomes a Checklist: How Patients Lose Choice and How to Take It Back by Blaire Flamand, RN, BCPA, CCRN, CFRN, CHE Most patients believe they are making informed medical choices. In reality, many are simply signing forms they...
How to Understand Medical Bills After a Serious Diagnosis
After receiving a major diagnosis, most patients expect the most challenging part to be the treatment itself. But what follows—an avalanche of medical bills, insurance statements, and provider invoices—can be just as exhausting as the...
Does “Center of Excellence” Make a Difference When Choosing a Hospital?
December 28, 2025 | Nadene Bradburn, BCPA, MHA When you’re choosing a hospital, you’ll probably notice titles like Center of Excellence or Designated Facility. But what does Center of Excellence really mean in hospitals &mdash...
I’m not special. You are not special. The US isn’t Special.
I’m not special. You are not special. The US isn’t special. I know that sentiment may seem radical, but why should it? I am important and worthy of love and unique even, but I am not exceptional. You can be interesting and even...
Rare Disorder or Misdiagnosed? How an Independent Patient Advocate Can Help
Given a diagnosis that doesn’t seem right for you? Maybe your symptoms don’t add up to what your doctor told you? Or... perhaps you were diagnosed with a rare disease and not offered much treatment or support. If this sounds all...
New Year, New You by Dr. Elena Borrelli DMSC, MS, PAC, BCPA
New Year, New You A new year often comes with a fresh perspective, a resolution, and a boost of motivation. There are many reasons why you feel your health needs to get back on track. Maybe you're experiencing symptoms that no one can quite figure...