Jeanette Ruby, MD
Seattle, WA
office@jeanetterubymd.com
“What exactly is it that you do?”
Patient advocacy seems to be a concept that confuses a lot of folks. Healthcare providers
and consumers, alike, have come to expect a clear delineation of role and function among
those who produce (and profit from) healthcare services. And, when given an answer such
as Well, it depends upon the individual’s needs and circumstances, many, if not most, people
aren’t satisfied…."But what is your procedure?"
Patient advocacy is, foremost, a mindset: a recognition that the experience of illness, and the
meaning associated with that experience, resides within the individual. Not in the diagnosis,
not in the guidelines, not in the treatment.
Patient advocacy is, however, also a method: the manner in which the individual’s singular
interests are promoted and/or protected. A plan, to be sure; but, not a protocol or procedure.
An advocacy plan may call upon any number of patient-centered services, the extent or breadth
of those component services being determined by the advocate’s own training and background.
My training and background can be seen at: http://jeanetterubymd.com/aboutus.aspx.
self-advocacy skills. Toward that goal, I will
· Facilitate the patient-client’s exploration and understanding of his/her disease, condition,
or impairment;
· Promote the patient-client’s own medical-decision-making processes; and,
· Help develop person-specific strategies for communication with his/her healthcare providers.
And, when both indicated by circumstances and requested by the patient-client, I will
· Investigate benefits, eligibility, resources;
· Compile, collate, and analyze medical records from multiple providers or facilities;
· Conduct medical-literature review to advance the patient-client’s understanding of treatment
options; and,
· Coordinate/convene care-related conferences on behalf of the patient-client.
Mindset or method? For the specific patient-client, both! Look for opportunities to educate others
about the role and function of the patient advocate — we’ll all need an “added voice” at some time
in our lives.
Keep well.
Welcome to my new blog!
It’s nearly impossible to avoid news about the healthcare industry these days…yes, “industry” is, indeed, an apt term: “a distinct group of productive or profit-making enterprises” [à la Merriam-Webster]. And, as terms like public option, health savings accounts, catastrophic coverage whirl over every means of electronic communication, you are likely trying to figure out your own relationship to these productive or profit-making entities.
With 30-years’ experience in what used to be called medicine — my wearing just about every clinical and administrative hat at sometime or another — I am certain of one truth only: the importance of effective self-advocacy. This one pivotal skill is the critical, if tenuous, bridge that we, as individual patient/client/consumer/customers, have to the healthcare services that we and our loved ones need and deserve.
As this is my inaugural blog, I’d like to share my vision of what this space might come to be (and, of course, I invite suggestions for what you might like to see). Over time I will discuss various topics and themes; for example: the concept of the “overloaded provider,” the requisite mind-set and preparation for effective self-advocacy, and communication strategies for face-to-face interaction with your healthcare providers.
Further, I am hoping that a group of like-minded individuals — both patient/clients and healthcare providers — might use this as a forum for sharing their suggestions for effective advocacy strategies. And, while I will not address case-specific questions, I will look forward to opportunities to elaborate on your questions or comments in a manner that will be useful to all.
I have been labeled in many ways over the years: naïve; trouble-maker; Marxist (!). These have been very small prices to pay, however, in helping to achieve good outcomes for individuals who find themselves in the role of “patient.” Here’s to your being labeled too. It might just mean that that you’re doing a good job advocating for yourself or your loved ones.