{"id":3027,"date":"2013-05-29T04:00:29","date_gmt":"2013-05-29T08:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=3027"},"modified":"2013-05-28T21:51:04","modified_gmt":"2013-05-29T01:51:04","slug":"working-in-retirement-how-to-be-a-patient-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=3027","title":{"rendered":"Working in Retirement: How to Be a Patient Advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"next-ave\"<\/a>This week, I received an email from a friend who has been caring for his ailing mother. Here\u2019s what he wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>I feel very good about what I’ve been able to make happen here, no matter what it has cost me in time and momentum on other things. I had to fight \u2014 against a truly insane insurance-medical complex, but I was able to get my mother a procedure that rescued her life. Even after that, she would have had little hope of recovery if she didn’t have someone who was able to put in the time and effort.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Fighting for his mother\u2019s medical care, my friend had, in essence, become a patient advocate.<\/p>\n

We all find ourselves in that position at one time or another. In my family, my younger brother and sister-in-law led the charge as Dad battled Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The Booming Field of Patient Advocates<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because navigating the medical field can be a headache that no amount of Motrin can numb, there\u2019s now a growth field known as professional patient advocates (or patient navigators), particularly among boomer women. In addition to providing comfort to the infirm, these aides can earn between $20 and $250 an hour, averaging about $125 an hour.<\/p>\n

(MORE:<\/strong> Patient Navigators: New Help for Caregivers<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I first wrote about patient advocates in my book Great Jobs for Everyone 50+<\/em><\/a>, noting some terrific part-time employment opportunities catering to America\u2019s aging population. Recently, I wrote a New York Times article, \u201cA Gray Jobs Market for All Ages<\/a>,\u201d featuring Kelly Lonigan, 71, a former clinical social worker who decided to \u201cunretire\u201d and enroll in the fast-track, online patient advocacy certificate program for older students from Empowered UCLA Extension<\/a>, featured earlier on Next Avenue<\/a>. Patient advocacy is one of the school\u2019s most popular courses.<\/p>\n

The profession, however, is so new that there are no state licenses, requirements or accreditation for its workers. There isn\u2019t even a singular definition of a patient advocate.<\/p>\n

What Patient Advocates Do<\/strong><\/p>\n

A patient advocate’s responsibilities can include wrestling with billing mistakes on medical bills and negotiating with insurers who\u2019ve rejected policyholders for coverage. The advocate might also help patients pick doctors, discuss treatment options, assist in finding a specialist or hospital, keep track of prescriptions or accompany patients to doctor appointments to take notes and ask questions.<\/p>\n

Just as the work of a patient advocate varies, so does the way you can enter the field. You could:<\/p>\n