Portal Login:
  • Clients
  • Providers
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
    Portal Login:
  • Clients
  • Providers
  • About MCN
  • Careers
  • MCNTalk
  • Contact Us

MCN | Medical Consultants Network

The Power of a Second Look

  • Services
    • Independent Medical Examinations
    • Medical Peer Reviews
    • Bill Review Services
    • Utilization Reviews
  • Expertise
    • Short and Long-Term Disability
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Auto/PIP/Casualty/Liability
    • Independent Review Organization Services
  • For Clients
  • For Providers
  • Your Exam
    • About Your Exam
    • About Your External Review
    • Contact & Scheduling
  • Schedule Now
  • About MCN
  • MCNTalk
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

MCNTalk
News, Insights & Opinions

Home / MCNTalk / Navigating Health Care – You May Not Be Alone

September 8, 2016

Navigating Health Care – You May Not Be Alone

Patient Navigator is a patient advocacy firm which helps coordinate care, do in-depth clinical research, and find appropriate doctors. As patients struggle to cope with the demands of a trillion-dollar health care system they are increasingly turning to patient advocates for help. The Patient Navigator profession, officially seven years old, now has about 650 advocates — including doctors — and is growing rapidly, handling everything from finding doctors for hard-to-diagnose diseases to negotiating medical payments with hospitals and doctors and pressing insurance companies to cover claims. For example, in one case highlighted in this New York Times article, a professional at Patient Navigator examined a patient’s bills, checking for errors, and ultimately negotiated lower payments which saved the patient at least $10,000. “Nobody teaches us to be smart patients and advocate for ourselves,” said Trisha Torrey, founder of the health advocates organization. The rise of this industry acknowledges the need for advocacy and reflects “not just the difficulties of navigating a complex health care system, but the unequal power relationships between providers and insurers on one side of the equation, and patients and families on the other.”

The article goes on to look more in depth at this industry, acknowledging that finding an effective patient advocate isn’t easy and that advocates can also be costly, which makes selecting a good professional even more important. However, the benefits can be outstanding if a qualified advocate is able to really help make a difference. “Patients can focus on their own healing,” said Elizabeth Schuler Russell, the founder and president of Patient Navigator, “we save them stress, time and money.”

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Print

1 Comment

Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. your health today says

    October 26, 2016 at 4:53 pm

    unequal power relationships between providers and insurers on one side of the equation, and patients and families on the other.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • The Quality Divide: What Makes a Quality IME Physician?
  • The Quality Divide: Is Your Vendor Driving IME Excellence?
  • The Quality Divide: When and How to Request an IME?
  • April Clinic Calendars Are Available
  • MCN’s Client Portal Login Page is Changing

Archives

Footer


  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Quick Links

  • Services
  • Expertise
  • About MCN
  • Careers

Division Headquarters

MCN
1200 5th Ave., Ste. 650
Seattle, WA 98101

See all offices

Email Us

General Inquiries: info@mcn.com
Sales & Marketing: marketing@mcn.com

Call Us

206.343.6100
800.248.6269

© Copyright 2023 Mitchell International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap