When you suffer from a chronic or terminal illness, you might feel overwhelmed when trying to manage your own medical care. You may be unaware of what options are available to you as a patient. You also may be unsure about what your rights are or what social services are available to you.

You likewise may not have the strength or capability of researching all of this yourself. Instead, you may benefit from retaining a healthcare advocate who can advise and assist you with your medical care.

Liaison with Providers

Your weakened health may not allow you the stamina to speak with your doctors extensively. You might need to rest often and be unable to make phone calls or send emails to your medical providers.

Rather than miss out on important communications or risk exhausting yourself trying to speak with them, you can utilize a healthcare advocate to speak with them for you. Your healthcare advocate can act as a liaison between you and your doctors and medical team. He or she can then relay the information to you and make sure you have all of the information you need to make sound decisions about your medical care.

Legal and Financial Advocacy

Your healthcare advocate can also inform you of what your rights are as a patient. You may have a variety of legal rights available to you as a patient of a hospital or medical facility. You may need to know what those rights are to ensure you are getting the medical care to which you are fully entitled.

Your healthcare advocate can likewise inform you about financial matters regarding your medical care. You can find out from this person how much your insurance may pay for hospitalizations or rehab services, for example. You may also find out if your insurer will cover certain prescriptions or mobility devices. 

Help with Social Services

Finally, your healthcare advocate can inform you of what social services you may be entitled to utilize during your medical care. You may be eligible for rides to and from your appointments, for example. You may also qualify for meal delivery services if your condition prevents you from preparing your own meals.

A healthcare advocate can offer vital services to people with chronic or terminal illnesses. This person can act as a liaison between you and your medical providers. He or she can also advise you on your financial and legal rights and find out what social services to which you may be entitled. To read more, contact a healthcare advocate.

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