General Business Center

Welcome to the General Business and Best Practices Center

Find below links to the information and support you need for the management of your advocacy practice.

Business concepts, the business of being a professional care giver, best practices and more.

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For Your Practice

• Legal Matters & Concepts
• Insurance for your Practice
• Marketing & Promotion
• Pricing & Financial
• General Business & Best Practices
• Education & Certification
• Opportunities
• Networking & SIGs

For Client Work

• Care Services (Med/Nav)
• Cost Services (Financial)
• Research (Resources)

Specialty Centers

• Web Marketing & Communications
• Tools & Technology
• Just Getting Started with Advocacy

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	Callins and Podcasts General Business & Business Best Practices
	Forms and Contracts Available to PACE members Available to Premium and Premium +ADL members
	Resources for Getting Started Find the Just Getting Started with Advocacy Center Getting Started with Independent Patient Advocacy Find the basics and build your business plan with The Health Advocate’s Start and Grow Your Own Practice Free download, You Bet Your Life! The Top 10 Reasons You Need a Professional Patient Advocate by Your Side An overview of Careers in Patient Advocacy Master List of Services Provided by Advocates and Care Professionals
	Tools & Technology Master list of applications and web tools for managing your business. Find tools and research resources for supporting your clients. Forms and Contracts for Premium & ADL members (No forms and contracts available to PACE members – learn more.)
	Ask or Discuss Getting Started in the Connect! Discussion Forum Find fellow advocates of every experience and background to discuss advocacy topics, business topics, or to answer your questions. Link to the APHA Connect! Discussion Forum
	Articles, Podcasts and Other Content for General Business, Tools, and Business Best Practices Please Note: Some of the links below may be available to Premium and Premium +ADL members only. Dealing with Changes in Laws and Policies to Help Your Clients A Gumshoe Takes on Patient Advocacy (and How You Can, Too) Using Tools and Technology to Improve Your Advocacy Practice Burn Out and Blocking: Setting YourSelf Free to Find Passion, Success and Joy in Your Work! Working with Subcontractors or Independent Contractors Speaking Topic: Stay Safe in the Hospital How to Make Sure You Get Email from APHA (General Guidelines) Mediation as a Health Advocacy Service Ask APHA! Advocate-Provider Communication – Making Them Want Us In the Room! Getting Started with Your Advocacy Practice 3 Steps to Managing Potential Client Phone Conversations So They’ll Sign a Contract with You Guarding Your Intellectual Property Guide – Getting Started as a Private Patient Advocate Empower Your Clients and Strengthen Your Practice Conversation Strategies for Engaging a Client Adding Client Testimonials or Reviews to Your AdvoConnection Directory Listing Find Care and Cost Management Expertise and Assistance from APHA Colleagues Problems with AOL, Verizon, and Yahoo Email Addresses: How to Make Sure APHA Email is Delivered to You How to Obtain Electronic/Digital Signatures Choosing an Email Address Plagiarism – Find It, Stop It, Try to Prevent It and How to Use Someone’s Work Without Infringing Samples of Letters You Can Write to Someone Who has Plagiarized Your Work Easy Preparation for Federal Income Taxes Keeping Clients Safe Shared Decision Making as a Patient Advocacy Service Do You Need a Taxpayer ID (EIN)? Invoicing – Tracking and Preparation Growing Your Business with Subcontractors Preparing Your Elevator Speech Marketing – Take Advantage of Family Holidays Less Is More Maximize Your AdvoConnection Directory Listing Press Release Template Sales vs Marketing – and How to Use the Information Optimizing for Search Engines (SEO) Courses Available Online – Business Health Advocate’s Code – Ethics and Standards How portable is our business? Billing for your documentation HIPAA Certification Website: Privacy policies, terms of use, disclosures Disclosing our own personal medical experiences? Client Action Plan, Scope of Engagement, Free Assessments Friendly reminder to new advocates The ethics of Referrals to another Advocate Conflicts of Interest for Advocates Due Diligence: What are our standards? Recommendation for web designer and digital marketing Subcontracting with Other Advocates Subcontracting with Non-Advocate Professionals How Do We Address a Doctor? Dealing with Problem Clients DO Talk to Strangers! Member Recommended Vendors Client Comments: Receiving Negative Feedback or Complaints Amen! How Religion and Spirituality Can Support Your Advocacy Practice Connect with Anne – Managing Client Expectations Background (including Criminal) Checks for Private, Independent Advocates An Update on Patient Advocate Certification (2017) Need a Mentor or Coach? Tip of the Week! Our Second Out of Network Campfire – BYOM! Connect! with Anne – Balancing Long Distance Advocacy Relationships Connect! with Anne – Helping Clients Choose the Right Treatment For Them (Shared Decision Making) Connect! with Anne – Dealing with Unusual Client Requests Advocate as Referee: When Your Client Agrees to Treatment but Refuses to Follow Through Connect! with Anne – Emergency! Dealing With Calls from the ER Connect! with Anne – Building Effective Relationships with the Healthcare Team Connect! with Anne – Working with Dysfunctional Families Connect! with Anne – Overcoming Objections Connect! with Anne – Open Mic (misc questions answered) Connect! with Anne – Making Referrals: When and How to Refer Your Client Elsewhere Growing Your Practice: Scaling with Intent Connect! with Anne – How Can I Be a Nurse and a Non-Medical Advocate, Too? Patient Advocate Certification: Ask the PACB Keeping Up with the Search Meter Purchasing Prescription Drugs Online: Safety, Legality, and Saving Money Use a Disclaimer on Your Website Is Independent Advocacy Right For Me? (A Podcast Series) Is Independent Advocacy Right For Me? (Podcast #1 in the Series) Is Independent Advocacy Right For Me? (Podcast #2 in the Series) Is Independent Advocacy Right For Me? (Podcast #3 in the Series) Is Independent Advocacy Right For Me? (Podcast #4 in the Series) Is Independent Advocacy Right For Me? (Podcast #5 in the Series) Is Independent Advocacy Right For Me? (Podcast – Bonus in the Series) When Your Client Needs to Be Somewhere Else Practice for Sale: Executive Summary or Sale Memorandum Practice for Sale: Non-Disclosure Agreement Selling Your Advocacy Practice: Considerations and Planning NAICS: Industry Code for Advocacy Reviewing the “Right to Die” – Issues, Legislation, and Client Conversations Overcoming the Paralysis of Analysis (Expert Call-in Follow Up) Adding Guardianship as a Service to Your Advocacy Practice Understanding Insurance for You and Your Practice (2020) Your Clients and Medical Cannabis – Assessing Interest and Providing Resources The State of APHA (Webinar) 2020 Connect! with Anne – How to Introduce Yourself to a Client’s Provider Connect! with Anne – How to Deal with a Client’s Difficult Family Members Connect! with Anne – How to Deal with Resistant Providers 1 2 >>

<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-2034" src="https://myapha.org/wp-content/uploads/briefcase.jpg" alt="briefcase" width="200" height="191" />Welcome to the General Business and Best Practices Center

Callins and Podcasts

Forms and Contracts

Resources for Getting Started

Tools & Technology

Ask or Discuss Getting Started in the Connect! Discussion Forum

Articles, Podcasts and Other Content for General Business, Tools, and Business Best Practices

Welcome to the General Business and Best Practices Center