Get your Health back on Track with Health Advocacy

A client’s well-being and proper treatment are vital in the medical care industry, irrespective of the illness or condition the patient is suffering from. Keeping in mind how today’s healthcare system is being dismantled and made complex by the insurance industry, it has become stressful and challenging for patients to keep track of their appointments, medical bills, treatment plans, and office visit details. A patient or healthcare advocate can play a critical role in bringing a patient’s health back on track by creating an improved and better communicated relationship between the client and the provider.

There are two levels of study for patient health advocacy. The first is a self-directed, information based advocacy and the second is a professional level advocacy program that leads to National Board Certification. The National Institute of Whole Health which was established 48 years ago is a national leader and accredited in professional health education. Because of the increasing need and the quality of the program at NIWH for patient health advocacy, many individuals are now enrolling in the NIWH Patient Advocacy Programs. In this blog, we’ll be discussing the whole person approach taken by NIWH in providing both levels of training for enrolled individuals.

• Identify Challenges

Apart from the intricate healthcare system, there are various challenges a patient suffering from

an illness or condition faces on a daily basis, from making appointments to finding the best route

to reach the nearest clinic and everything in between, a patient health advocate takes upon their

shoulder the responsibility to help patients streamline their path to a better and happier lifestyle.

• Points Out Necessary Questions to Ask your Doctor

Most of the time, people aren’t aware of the kind of questions they should ask upon visiting a

doctor. Not only does it make the visit unfruitful, but it also hinders the overall treatment

process. An expert patient health advocate is capable to help their clients develop a series of

important questions that they should and must ask their doctors. For instance, inquiring about the permanency of the condition, the entire treatment procedure, the nutritional diet plan, etc., can go a long way when it comes to restoring a patient’s health.

• Brainstorm Solutions

Aside from making the lives of patients slightly easier, health advocates take all the necessary

steps into consideration and develop a game plan on how to bring their client’s health back on

track. A reliable patient health advocate is one who works side by side with their client to come

up with custom-tailored healthcare plans that align best with the patients.

Health Information about a Person’s Specific Chronic Condition

A comprehensive portion of the program not only addresses a comprehensive approach to

Advocacy but also provides courses on all of the major chronic conditions in the U.S. today.

Obesity, Cardiac Health, Chronic Disease, Digestive conditions, Living with Illness, the Immune

System, Exercise Foundations and Function Medicine and more are covered.

The NIWH program provides today’s most cutting-edge, evidence-based patient advocacy

program. It invites clients into self-care and shared decision-making. The courses for this

curriculum were presented and recorded at Boston area hospitals and medical centers. These

evidence-based health education and advocacy courses are streamed by Amazon.com to our

online classrooms. Hard copy handouts, abstracts, current evidence-based research, and

individual course assignment templates are provided.

Each learner works with an Academic Adviser. Our Advisers are credentialed medical or

education professionals. They have also completed the NIWH Whole Health training. Moreover,

there’s no formal medical training required to enroll in these programs. The 250 Advocacy

program leads to a National Board Certified Patient Advocacy credential. For more information

visit www.niwh.org or call 888-354-4325.