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We Get By With a Little Help from Our Friends
(Can’t you just hear Ringo in your ear? and yes, if you understand that reference, you’re dating yourself!) This week I was reminded several times about all the folks who are trying to develop their patient advocacy practices on their own, thinking they need to conquer it all by themselves. They don’t. They shouldn’t. And they run the risk of failing in business until they start thinking differently. Here’s why: Patient Advocacy is a time-intensive, hands-on undertaking. Each client needs a great deal of attention, usually immediately. Yet time isn’t something we can find more of; there are still only 24 hours in the day. Patient Advocacy is intense, and no one person can be that intense 24/7/365. To stay healthy ourselves, physically and mentally, we need down time, and relaxation time, self-care time. Life happens. We all deal on occasion with family emergencies or last minute “surprises”. Like times we ourselves might get sick, or when a family member needs us. Patient Advocacy represents many skills and broad knowledge, far more than any one single person can know or do by him or herself. (add your own reason here) Unfortunately, too many of us learn this the hard way. An accident, a sudden illness, a death in the family…. If you were pulled away from your business tomorrow, who would keep it afloat for you? Then there is the prospect of the “wrong” kind of business for your practice. Let’s look at that point about skills and knowledge. The skills needed to review your clients’ lists of medications are not the same skills that are needed to sit by their bedside in the hospital, or review their medical bills, or argue with the insurance company, or mediate family problems, or help them alleviate their pain. One person cannot be good at all those things. So what do you do when someone calls you, and the services they need are not the ones you offer? Do you simply turn them away? I hope you don’t try to handle it all yourself. The goal is to handle the parts of your…
