Hi Schandelle,

Would their concierge doctors request a consultation with or give your client a referral to a neurologist affiliated with the Stanford program? I have no idea if starting treatment would require a hospital stay, or allow for a hospital stay to be covered, except under some kind of extreme circumstance. The hospital-affiliated…[Read more]

I use only one contract whether it is the client paying or someone else. In my practice, this is a very common paradigm particularly among my corporate clients.

I make certain that everyone involved is on board with this. The client knows that the someone else is paying and the person who is the guarantor and signed the contract knows that unless…[Read more]

If the results prove to be abnormal and the doctor waited a month to reveal that, I would recommend a different cardiologist.

Does this doctor have a patient portal? Can the results be seen there?

The patient could make a formal request for her medical file and the results of the echo would be included since they typically report out within a…[Read more]

I reached out to the Advocate and had a brief call with her VP of Finance. They settled on the case and were responsible for their attorney fees.

The hospital called into action a law that intimated that by keeping this patient in the hospital it was affecting the ability of other needy patients from being admitted. I will get more…[Read more]

Thank you Schandelle, for sharing the rest of this story,
I agree. I do not think they will win. -The laws and ethics among other things are on the advocate and patient’s side. The patient was lucky to have them work so diligently with only their best interest at heart. This would be a great opportunity for the major advocacy organizations to r…[Read more]

Thank you Trisha. I will reach out to the advocate and attorney and let you know. We need to stand firm that she did the right thing for the patient. That’s her job!

A different angle for thought:

It seems like the facility got caught with its pants down which is problematic for their reputation, their legal standing, AND most importantly to them – for their bottom line.

The best defense is a good offense. So – they employ lawyers who decided that they would blame someone else instead! Gawdferbid they…[Read more]

I do find it troubling, although I appreciate the pro-patient bias the article presented it with. I am comforted a bit from reading through their lawyers’ response: https://californiahealthline.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/Answer-to-Muehlendorf-lawsuit.pdf#page=4

If all or even most of these allegations are true, it’s hard to imagine…[Read more]

Good question Kathy, I guess it wouldn’t so much be subcontracting as, she does her part and I take care of my part ie; advocating with the transition of care and whatever advocacy the client feels she needs after our consultation

Thanks, Schandelle, for this post.

I’ve never thought of doing monthly billing, so I learned something new. I typically operate on a retainer only basis and require it to be refilled when used up, prior to moving on.

Do I refund? My contract states it will not be refunded, but I have made exceptions. It hasn’t happened more than twice. Once, the…[Read more]

One more thing, have her look at the documentation she would have gotten from her employer with her grace period to decide to take the COBRA coverage. If this provider visit happened before that expiration date and she had made a payment initially, maybe it could be covered? They have quite a long time to decide to take coverage but then they…[Read more]

Who did she set up the automatic payment through? My past experience included providing our employees with the COBRA documentation which included where they needed to send their monthly premium. That payment had to come to us as the employer and had a cut off date. Most employees mailed us a check each month and we would process it and continue…[Read more]

Aging Wisdom is a great resource! As an adjunct or alternative, I offer similar services but also provide in-person advocacy at appointments and when a client needs to visit the ER or is hospitalized. I serve clients in the greater Seattle Area.

Cheryl Kauffman, PT, BCPA
https://seattlepatientadvocates.com/

I would think that if the same doctor is giving the results as had read the echo, they would charge for reading the echo, much like a radiologist does. The appt for explaining the test results is then charged separately. Might try calling and speaking to the doctors nurse and getting on a waiting list. Explain that waiting > then a month is…[Read more]

1) I often have people paying for their adult children or other parties involved who don’t care to know or simply don’t want the stress of dealing with the financial side. I send the same contracts regardless, and both parties sign. I assume it’s a situation where if they don’t want to know financial details, they won’t read that section, but it’s…[Read more]