CarolAnne Dube
MS, BCPA
Patient Advocates of Southwest Florida, LLC
CarolAnne Dube
MS, BCPA
Patient Advocates of Southwest Florida, LLC
Advocate Location
Punta Gorda , FL 33983
Specialty
Medical Guidance
Other Services
Special Care & Aging
TeleAdvocacy Available
Offers FREE Initial Consultation
*Greater National Advocates Terms of Use Apply
How I Can Help
Healthcare should be straightforward. We anticipate being treated with priority and receiving the best possible care, leading to positive outcomes.
Unfortunately, our healthcare system has become increasingly complex and dysfunctional, resulting in patients feeling confused, anxious, and lacking control. This often makes it challenging for them to make informed decisions.
As a patient advocate, my role is to support clients throughout their medical journey, helping them feel confident in expressing their needs. I assist individuals in navigating the intricacies of the healthcare system, empowering them to voice their concerns while ensuring clear communication in both directions. I achieve this by providing compassionate guidance and leveraging my expertise in healthcare, which, in recent years, has felt akin to navigating a maze.
At Patient Advocates of Southwest FL, LLC, we adopt a client-centered approach focused on self-reliance, determination, and patient rights. We tailor strategies for clients (patients or their caregivers) navigating a system where, regrettably, the patient is no longer the primary focus.
Unlike overburdened social service case managers or physicians, we dedicate personalized attention to each client, ensuring they understand their diagnosis, prognosis, proposed plan of care, and available options.
We recognize that our clients are often overwhelmed, facing unfamiliar healthcare situations that require complex navigation. Our role is to inform, facilitate, and support, ensuring our clients have a voice and are heard.
When you're unsure where to begin, we're here to guide you."
Unfortunately, our healthcare system has become increasingly complex and dysfunctional, resulting in patients feeling confused, anxious, and lacking control. This often makes it challenging for them to make informed decisions.
As a patient advocate, my role is to support clients throughout their medical journey, helping them feel confident in expressing their needs. I assist individuals in navigating the intricacies of the healthcare system, empowering them to voice their concerns while ensuring clear communication in both directions. I achieve this by providing compassionate guidance and leveraging my expertise in healthcare, which, in recent years, has felt akin to navigating a maze.
At Patient Advocates of Southwest FL, LLC, we adopt a client-centered approach focused on self-reliance, determination, and patient rights. We tailor strategies for clients (patients or their caregivers) navigating a system where, regrettably, the patient is no longer the primary focus.
Unlike overburdened social service case managers or physicians, we dedicate personalized attention to each client, ensuring they understand their diagnosis, prognosis, proposed plan of care, and available options.
We recognize that our clients are often overwhelmed, facing unfamiliar healthcare situations that require complex navigation. Our role is to inform, facilitate, and support, ensuring our clients have a voice and are heard.
When you're unsure where to begin, we're here to guide you."
Important Information About Me
- I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
- I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
- I am insured
- My geographical area of practice is Southwest Florida
Why I Became A Professional Health Care Advocate
Becoming a board-certified patient advocate was not merely a professional pursuit but a deeply personal response to two pivotal healthcare experiences that reshaped my perspective on the system.
The first instance was marked by devastating consequences and self-blame. Following our 27-year-old son Jason's discharge from an inpatient psychiatry unit for substance abuse disorder (SUD), he seemed devoid of life – a mere shell of his former self. Despite my 20 years of experience in healthcare as a nurse and later as a member of the system's leadership team, I had entrusted the experts only to witness life-changing consequences. Years later, at the age of 42, he tragically succumbed to fentanyl poisoning, alone and unattended.
The second transformative experience began many years earlier during a snowy evening commute from a rural health center where I worked. A rear-end collision led to immediate neck pain. Despite a diagnosis of whiplash from the ER, the subsequent years brought migraines, limited range of motion, tingling in my fingertips, and choking episodes. A visit to my primary care practice, CT scans, and an MRI revealed severe compression of my 3rd and 5th cervical discs. The suggested solution was a potentially life-altering cervical fusion.
Refusing to accept this as my only option at the age of 50, I embarked on nationwide research to explore alternative approaches. This journey led to scheduled surgery in Florida, replacing damaged discs with titanium ones. Post-operation, I walked out of the operating suite, met with the surgeon the next day, and within months, went zip-lining with friends. Today, I enjoy the best health of my life, grateful for my self-reliance, extensive knowledge of the healthcare system, and refusal to accept a predetermined plan of care and prognosis.
These experiences have fueled my commitment to patient advocacy, ensuring that others facing critical healthcare decisions have the support and guidance they need during life-altering moments.
The first instance was marked by devastating consequences and self-blame. Following our 27-year-old son Jason's discharge from an inpatient psychiatry unit for substance abuse disorder (SUD), he seemed devoid of life – a mere shell of his former self. Despite my 20 years of experience in healthcare as a nurse and later as a member of the system's leadership team, I had entrusted the experts only to witness life-changing consequences. Years later, at the age of 42, he tragically succumbed to fentanyl poisoning, alone and unattended.
The second transformative experience began many years earlier during a snowy evening commute from a rural health center where I worked. A rear-end collision led to immediate neck pain. Despite a diagnosis of whiplash from the ER, the subsequent years brought migraines, limited range of motion, tingling in my fingertips, and choking episodes. A visit to my primary care practice, CT scans, and an MRI revealed severe compression of my 3rd and 5th cervical discs. The suggested solution was a potentially life-altering cervical fusion.
Refusing to accept this as my only option at the age of 50, I embarked on nationwide research to explore alternative approaches. This journey led to scheduled surgery in Florida, replacing damaged discs with titanium ones. Post-operation, I walked out of the operating suite, met with the surgeon the next day, and within months, went zip-lining with friends. Today, I enjoy the best health of my life, grateful for my self-reliance, extensive knowledge of the healthcare system, and refusal to accept a predetermined plan of care and prognosis.
These experiences have fueled my commitment to patient advocacy, ensuring that others facing critical healthcare decisions have the support and guidance they need during life-altering moments.
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