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Current Episode

Thu, Nov 20, 2008 -- 8:00 PM

Health Dialogues: Health Advocacy
Navigating the health care system challenges a family in the best of times. But, what if your family isn't around, or doesn't have the time to monitor your care? That's where the growing business of patient advocacy steps in, providing competent oversight to prevent medical mistakes and even save lives. Join the November edition of Health Dialogues as we discuss the growing trend of patient advocacy.

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Host: Rachael Myrow

Different Types of Patient Advocacy
We explore the various types of patient advocacy, including non-profit, for-profit and government-run. We also hear from people who've had problems with their health care, and talk with the head of the leading non-profit patient assistance organization in the country.

Guests:

Extended patient testimonial interviews
Kim Kutcher - Dana Point, CA. Kim's back pain got so bad that she was unable to get up from the couch or pick up her children. The pain only got worse, and Kim (a registered nurse) and her doctor decided that she needed disc replacement surgery ? a relatively new procedure here in the United States. Still, it's FDA approved, and Kim figured she'd be able to get coverage from her provider. She set a date for the surgery, but the provider kept saying no. Eventually, the insurance provider approved the surgery... but then refused to pay for it.

Merry Selk - Albany, CA. For the past 15 years or so, Merry has had knee problems. Shoe inserts would temporarily relieve the pain, but after a while, her knee would hurt again and she would need a higher insert. Merry's knee eventually deteriorated to point where she needed surgery. 13 months, two insurance providers, two general practitioners, four physical therapists and three surgeons later, Merry got her knee fixed.

Maha Soudah - San Francisco, CA. Maha needed to purchase an individual heath care policy. So, she filled out an application and sent it in. Maha figured her clean bill of health would be enough for quick approval for the $750/month plan. But she ran into a roadblock when the insurance provider saw that her doctor had once given her some blood pressure pills to try out.

Different Types of Patient Advocacy

The Cost of Patient Advocacy
As patients are asked to get more involved in their own health care, there is a growing trend of for-profit patient advocacy businesses. These companies act as hired guns to challenge an insurer's denial of treatment or billing disputes.

The Cost of Patient Advocacy

The Industry Weighs In
We talk with representatives of both the health advocacy and health insurance industries about their business. The reality is that insurance does not cover everything -- even if patients want it to -- and the overwhelming majority of consumers do not have problems with their insurers.

Guests:

The Industry Weighs In

The HMO Help Line
Did you know the State of California will help you resolve an issue with your health insurer? We talk with the head of the Department of Managed Health Care, which runs a health care help center that reviews cases brought to it by the public.

Guests:

The HMO Help Line

Innovations in Health Care -- Self-Advocacy and Health 2.0
In our continuing coverage of innovations in thinking about and dealing with health care, we talk with a major player in Health 2.0 -- a social media health movement.

Guests:

Innovations in Health Care -- Self-Advocacy and Health 2.0

• Previous episodes of Health Dialogues