Why do I want to start a patient advocacy business?

I graduated from nursing school in 1989. My first job was on a medical/telemetry unit. I was so excited to finally be a nurse but I was also anxious about the incredible responsibility. I learned quickly that one medication error could potentially kill your patient. I loved working with patients and did everything in my power to provide the best care possible. As I worked my way into critical care, I double (or triple) checked everything to ensure it was accurate. I advocated for patients who were unable to advocate for themselves. I comforted family members when their loved ones were critically ill or when they died. I didn't work in Critical Care for very long before I decided that I would not spend my entire career there. It was physically & emotionally exhausting. [Hats off to all the awesome critical care nurses out there!]

I decided to go back to school to become a Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist before settling down here in Austin, Texas in 1994. I began working in cardiovascular research which was a good fit for me as it offered continuous learning (great for people who get bored easily), patient contact & a great way to contribute to the science in which I work. I quickly learned all there was to learn about clinical research and was asked to serve on the local, city-wide institutional review board (IRB) (research ethics committee that reviews human subject research). As a researcher and a member of the local IRB, the importance of informed consent became a passion for me. I have thought for a long time that the informed consent process in healthcare is seriously lacking. I have seen some improvements recently but in general, the consent process consists of "sign here" if you want to have this procedure or this surgery. I have known for a fact in many of these situations that the patient was not making an informed decision. I also understand the importance of advanced care planning to ensure that your wishes are carried out.

I have had so many friends over the years reach out for assistance when medical issues arise. It might just be a 5 minute phone call to ask if they should go to the doctor, or to the emergency room, or to a particular provider or facility. Sometimes it is more of a crisis where they needed me at that moment to help them make one of the hardest decisions of their lives. Other times it has just been to ask "is this normal" or "should I be concerned"? Being a researcher, if I didn't know the answer, I would find it for them by doing research or consulting with other healthcare professionals.

Now days, it consists of a text here, an email there, we have so many ways to communicate!

I have often wondered, what do people who don't have a friend or family member in healthcare do?

Or what about the people who don't have any friends or family? I have taken care of some of these patients and it breaks my heart every time. They literally have no one. That got me thinking about a service that could help patients with their individual needs. We hire professionals to manage our money, file our taxes, fix our car, etc. Perhaps patients would be willing to pay for the assistance they need with their healthcare related issues. I am a Master's prepared Registered Nurse (RN) with 30 years of clinical, research & business experience and I struggle to interpret my family's medical bills.

A few years ago, I saw an ad for a "Patient Advocate", I think I applied and did not hear back. I did some more research and learned about professional patient advocates, the majority of whom have a nursing or social services background. I have always wanted to be my own boss and I love helping patients so why not give it a shot? This has led to the formation of INFORMED Healthcare Consultants, a Texas non-profit (501c3) entity. I am so fortunate to have two business partners, Becky Cox MSN, RN, FNP-C and Paige Castaneda MSN, RN who will be joining me in my efforts to help others.

If we are successful, we can help more patients who need assistance, whether or not they have the money to pay for the services. Wouldn't that be awesome?

For more information, please visit us at; www.informedpatient.org