Once you find a patient advocate to help you, you'll want to interview him or her using the following questions:
1. Have you handled other cases similiar to mine before?
It will be important to you to develop a rapport with your chosen advocate, to have confidence in her abilities, to trust her to collaborate with others involved in your care, and help you understand your options. As you ask these questions, you'll be able to tell whether she fits your needs.
Her previous experience working with patients with similar ailments, or in similar circumstances to yours will be a good indicator of whether you'll be able to develop that confidence level.
2. What are your credentials?
Do you have background or training in the services I need?
If you need someone to help you make decisions about cancer treatment, you may prefer an advocate with experience working with cancer patients. On the other hand, it's possible you need someone to review your health insurance billings to make sure you're not payng more than your plan expects you to. Those are just two of the services performed by healthcare advocates. You'll want to be sure the person you interview has skills that fit your needs.
You should be aware that few degrees or formal credentialing programs exist for the title "patient advocate." Most have developed the skills needed through their health/medical education or through experience.
3. What do you charge for your services?
4. How long will it take to perform the services I need?
In particular if the advocate charges by the hour, you'll need an idea of how long a service will take to perform.5. Do you have time to handle the work I need to have done?
Just because the advocate can help you, doesn't mean she has time in her schedule to accommodate your services.6. Do you have references?
This is perhaps the most important of all the interview questions. References are vital. For privacy purposes, the advocate may be reluctant to provide you with names and contact information. If so, ask her to provide your name and contact information to other patients who would be willing to speak to her abilities. Make sure you ask the references what types of services she provided, how well she provided them, and whether they would hire her again if they needed advocate services.
Here are some additional, optional questions you'll want to ask if your circumstances make them important:
7. Are you on call 24/7? Or do you have specific hours?
If you need someone to stay with the patient overnight, this will be important. Some advocacy services such as medical bill reconciliations or legal services won't require 24/7 availability.8. Where are you located?
Similar to the 24/7 question, location may, or may not, be important. If your advocate needs to be on call, perhaps to accompany a patient to the doctor's office, or in case of an emergency, then location will be important.9. Do you provide written reports about the services you have provided?
Similar to the other optional questions, reports may not be necessary. If you are hiring an advocate for someone who is out of town (like a child hiring someone to care for a parent who lives elsewhere), then you will want reports. If you are visiting with the advocate every day, then these types of reports may not be necessary. Further, if there is a charge for them, You'll need to decide whether that's an additional service you do or don't want to pay for.
Once you've made your choice for an advocate, ask her to put the answers to these questions in writing, along with a signed contract to be sure you agree on what is expected.
