This post was published at, and has been shared by the APHA Blog.
It is provided so you can find it in a search here at myAPHA.org, but you’ll need to link to the original post to read it in its entirety.
Find the link to the entire post at the end of this excerpt.
We Interrupt This Thread for News About a Potential Patient Advocacy Lawsuit
Last week I shared with you the problems I had with my coffee pot which burned and melted its insides – and then, while shopping for a new one, it reminded me of a lesson in making sure we advocates take care of the little things. My point was that we get hired for the big, important things that our clients need, but that our relationship with them, and our further ability to market our practices, is often dependent on the little things we take care of during the relationship. If we drop the ball on the little things, then they can have a huge negative impact for us going forward. Mismanaging our clients’ expectations can spell the end for a practice. This week I was going to tell you about a way you can get the feedback you need from your clients to be sure you’re meeting / exceeding their expectations…. (and don’t worry – I won’t forget – we’ll catch up to that soon)…. And then, an email exchange this week with a woman who I’ll call Lena, who hired a private, independent patient advocate with whom she is very upset. Even if the story she describes in her email is only half-true, I can see why she would be upset. And – holy cow! – how it proves the point from the “little things” post! Lena’s first email was one simple question: Would you know if there is anyone I could contact about a private advocate who mishandled my case? My reply to her was that there is no governmental body that licenses advocates and could receive a report, but that if the advocate is a member of the Alliance, I would try to facilitate a conversation on her behalf. Lena’s next email sent chills up my spine: I actually want to sue this person but wanted first to find out if there is any governmental agency-as you refer to it as- they answered to. I am appalled to hear there is not! I essentially put my life into this person’s hands and am finding out there…
